Dessert Is A Want, Not A Need- And That’s Okay

Dessertpersonal blogDiet cultureGluten freeAllergen free bakery

Feb 26

Let’s face it: dessert isn’t a vegetable. It doesn’t have much nutritional value. We do not need it to survive.

And yet, somehow, it holds a special place in our hearts. One small moment of indulgence can brighten an entire day.

As a baker, I know dessert makes people happy because I see your faces at the market and I read your messages online. Everything from, “Oh! An oatmeal cream pie — like when we were kids,” to “Yay! I haven’t had a cupcake in forever.” I love that.

Food is fuel. Dessert is feeling.

It’s nostalgia. Celebration. Comfort. A pause in the middle of an ordinary Tuesday.

So why do we give it up so often, like we’re punishing ourselves for feeling joy? Is it diet culture? Is it guilt? Why is pleasure the first thing to go?

Around age twenty-five, I made a decision to stop feeling bad about food. Am I eating a package of Oreos every day? No. But I do have a little dessert most days. And much like Bridget Jones says, “I’ll always be just a little bit fat.” That’s my dessert fat. I earned every bit of it, and I’m happy with the trade.

If you have food allergies, you’ve already given up so much. Why take it a step further and eliminate dessert too? How many small, daily joys do we actually get in this life?

Now, maybe we don’t all need to be like my Mamaw and eat dessert first — every time. She used to order fudge brownies and sundaes before dinner at restaurants and encourage us to do the same. Once she told me, “I’m so glad I got that sundae first. If I had eaten that sandwich, I would’ve never been able to finish it.”

This woman has lived by what I call the 80/20 rule her entire life — 80% dessert, 20% real food. She’s almost ninety-three. Her philosophy was simple: eat what you love. It makes you happy.

Dessert is connection. It’s birthdays and holiday cookies. It’s picking up your friend’s favorite treat just because. It’s standing at a market table and watching someone light up over something small and sweet.

And honestly, in a world that feels like constant chaos and doom scrolling, small joy matters.

No one is getting a perfect body eating dessert, and frankly, I don’t care. Who am I trying to impress? They make stretchy pants just for me. As a friend of mine says, “Those models don’t get to eat brownies.”

Dessert isn’t a need. But it is a joy.

And joy is worth keeping.

Treat yourself. You don’t need it — but you absolutely deserve it.