Guilt-free brownies, go to hell!

I was recently shown a recipe for a ‘No flour, No sugar, No-bake, gluten-free brownies’ on YouTube. I was shocked. It looked nothing like a brownie, but the video had a million views. The so called “nutrition/health influencer” threw the 128-year-old brownie recipe out of the window along with the key ingredients that are required to make a brownie – like chocolate, butter, eggs, and flour.

It is like taking a tourist who wants to see Chennai to some other place and telling him “This is Chennai without the marina beach, temples, libraries, and central station”. Wouldn’t the person think you’re scamming him? They definitely will.

But, people don’t think the same about these recipes. They try this at home and even if it doesn’t taste good (which is almost all the recipes of the kind), they eat it anyway in the name of health. There is even a term for it. ‘Guilt-free’

A lot of these social media influencers target women when it comes to these guilt-free recipes. Because women put significant effort into managing their weight and being healthier than men (Men find new ways to eat unhealthy things). And thus, the “guilt-free” movement is causing more stress in women.

They were healthy and happy when they had occasional cups of ice cream, brownie, or cinnamon rolls. But, now they’re compromising their cravings with no-bake, no-sugar, no-chocolate, recipes.

There are a ton of ways to be healthy – cut calories, eat more protein, exercise, yoga, and a lot more. Cutting down on your comfort food isn’t the answer. There’s nothing to be guilty about. Spend that few extra calories for your happiness. Beat that sweet craving and go back to being healthy.

Life is short anyway. So, go have that brownie.