A Cupcake By Any Other Name Is Still A Cupcake

When I was vegan, I would occasionally enjoy baking a vegan cupcake for a special occasion.  

Back then, while being vegan was certainly something people had at least heard of, it wasn’t nearly as popular as it is now, nor was it as easy to find restaurants, cookbooks and categorized menu items listing which were suitable for a vegan lifestyle as it is now.

When I first started following the Paleo diet in 2005, the same thing goes. Some had heard of it, most misunderstood it but it was far less likely that you’d find even a recipe or website devoted to Paleo than it is now, when we have hundreds (or more?) of faux Paleo cookbooks, blogs and even podcasts touting the benefits of Paleo…kind of.

Here’s the thing…Using the naughty little treat I mentioned in the title as an example; when you come across a recipe for a cupcake of any description, it’s still a cupcake.  Whether it’s gluten free, raw, vegan, Paleo, sugar-free, high fiber or ‘diet’…it’s still a cupcake.

A cupcake does not a healthy meal or snack make.

A special occasion or rare treat is where this type of food-item comes in handy.  A child’s birthday party might be the perfect place to serve a Paleo cupcake after the kids have eaten a healthy lunch, while your anniversary might be a good time to enjoy a Paleo Torte after a meal of grass fed filet and garlic spinach.

Notice the key element- making this treat part of the whole meal allows the net glycemic load to be lower compared to if you were to simply eat a cupcake on its own after a snack.

Whatever your eating preference may be, whether vegan or vegetarian or gluten free or any of the many other ways one might choose to eat, don’t kid yourself into thinking that anything other than a diet based on loads of fresh veggies, wild proteins and healthy fats at each meal is the way to go.

Not ‘Paleo pancakes’ for breakfast, a “Paleo wrap’ at lunch, a ‘Paleo bar’ as your twice daily snack, ‘Paleo almond-flour crust Pizza’ for dinner.

That’s not healthy and it’s not Paleo.

At the very least, be honest with yourself.  If you’re eating cupcakes regularly (or whatever your ‘treat’ item may be), take a good, hard look at what your daily diet consists of and you might find out a lot about why you’re not losing that weight or why those migraines are still making a daily appearance or why your skin hasn’t cleared up.

Unless your cupcakes are made of raw kale, wild salmon and avocado, don’t make them something you’re eating with any regularity.