Everyday Systems

It's fall. The leaves are turning, the holidays are fast approaching, and the grocery stores and farm stands are packed with apples.

I love apples. My understanding of No-S is that apples (and other fruits), while naturally sweets are not forbidden "S" food in and of themselves. So I'll occasionally enjoy an apple for breakfast or with lunch.

So what about no-sugar added apple pie? Let me clarify, I don't add any sugar or other sweetener of any kind to my homemade apple pie. It's just apples, a squirt of lemon juice, cinnamon, nutmeg and flour in a pie crust of shortening, flour, salt and water.

The only sugars in this are the naturally occurring ones from the apples. Honestly, I've been making pies like this long enough that I don't really even notice that they are missing something.

Another dish I tend to make a lot in the fall is stewed apples with cinnamon. Again, I don't add any sugar or sweetener. I just cook the apples on the stove and add some cinnamon and sometimes some raisins or dried cranberries.

Assuming I buy quality apples in a mix a varieties, these dishes have enough flavor of their own that I wouldn't dream of dumping sugar in them and masking them. So I don't worry about the slippery slope of deciding to add just a pinch of sugar and ending up putting in a few cups. But they are both something I would consider a dessert (and have served as a dessert in the past), so I'm not sure if they are No-S legal on N days.

So what is the ruling on foods that seem like desserts, but aren't actually sweets?

Both of these, especially the stewed apples, could just be plated with a meal - no need for a second dessert course.

The only days I feel like I have to have apple pie are holiday meals like Thanksgiving and Christmas, which are already S-days. Plus it would be rare to have time to make pies on a weekday. So treating that as an S would be easy enough (although leftovers might be tempting). But the stewed apples are something I tend to make somewhat regularly throughout the fall - so they would be harder to save for S-days only.

Mostly just looking for other thoughts and opinions. Thanks!

I would say eating some occasionally as part of your meal, on your plate would be fine.

I think that if it seems like a dessert to you, it's an S.

I would say that as long as it fits onto your plate and you keep it to the one serving, it should be fine.

Several thoughts that might help you sort YOUR thoughts:

1. In terms of FOOD , if you are willing to put it on the one plate, there is no reason not to consider it part of a Nday meal. Apple pie sans sugar is not much different than meat pie (strictly in terms of calorie load).

2. In terms of HABIT, you *may* be on a slippery slope. Not that you would add sugar to your pie, but, you might get into a Nday "dessert" habit that is not so clearly defined, like having homemade chocolate pudding (head chatter: This is healthy because its homemade, real dairy, antioxidant chocolate, etc). Keeping strictly to the rules helps to control head chatter much more quckly than allowing ongoing debate. By keeping within the rules, the answer is always "no!"

3. You are a grown-up. You can decide what is acceptable/pleasurable/sustainable over time. For example, in OUR family, foods like homemade pancakes and muffins are BREAKFAST and we eat them regularly during the week. For other families, those are TREATS and are enjoyed on S days. I wouldn't try to convince others that they should enjoy pancakes midweek, and I'm not about to change how we do breakfast just because others wouldn't eat the way we do...

And, I HAVE made some clear boundaries here. We don't eat coffeecake for Nday breakfasts--in my mind, it crosses the boundary between normal breakfast food and special breakfast food....

I think if you give this some thought, balancing the need for *clear* habits with eating patterns that will last you for life, you will come up with your own answer.

HTH,

I'd say it was fine and treat it as a vegetable dish, but stick to the one-plate rule. What you've described is essentially apple sauce with a lid.

It's fine... even if you consider it a dessert... The rule is no "sweets" which means in this situation, anything which has, as one of the main ingredients, lots of added sugar. The only thing is that you would have to incorporate it as part of your meal, and not in addition to it or in between meals at that would then be a snack.
Non sweetened apple pie sounds good, tho for myself, I'd have a hard time keeping from eating the whole thing in one shot!
Good luck and enjoy NoS!
Debs

Thank you everyone for your thoughts!

Vmsurbat, I found your post especially helpful. I really like the part about clear boundaries - even if they aren't exactly the same as someone else's boundaries.

I think the stewed apples are definitely going to be an N food for me. They are healthy, have no more sugar than an apple, go well with a lot of food, and just because I used to use them as a substitute for dessert (you know back in the day when I *had* to have a sweet dessert at the end of almost every meal), doesn't mean that they can't be just a (naturally) sweet side dish now.

I'm still thinking on the apple pie, but I'm leaning towards making it an S, if for no other reason than I can't come up with a meal that it would compliment as a side - rather than as a dessert. I'm not sure it adds much that the stewed apples don't add except a more dessert-y feel (which I don't need) and more calories and fat (which I definitely don't need!). Plus it gives me an excuse to not make it on weekdays - when I have limited cooking time anyhow.

I think the stewed apples are definitely going to be an N food for me.

I sometimes "pan roast" or even grill apples on N-days, so this seems totally legitimate to me (especially after having gone apple picking this weekend).

I think you made the right call about the pie, though. Much as I love the stuff, it screams S, and I prefer to enjoy it as such.

Reinhard

If it's cold and gray I chop and pop the apple I have for lunch into the microwave. Heck, when I was a kid we would have applesauce in lieu of a vegetable on pork chop nights.