Life is uncertain—eat dessert first.

Did I tell you I love desserts? I do. I love desserts. As little kids might say, I would marry desserts if I could.

This morning I was looking up images for donuts and came across a great recipe for donut holes from Gluten Free on a Shoestring—and even though I can't deep fry things, it at least inspired me to think of baked alternatives. (I saw some recipes for banana bread donuts...mmm.)

And why was I looking up images for donuts on a random Friday morning? Because I'm feeling stressed; I am a stress eater; I don't want to succumb to being a stress eater; so instead I look up images of things I want to eat. Thankyouverymuch, Pinterest.

Good food has always been one of my favorite things. And even though there is plenty of evidence that sugar is toxic, I would much rather live a short life with sugary desserts than a long and prosperous life without.

So, in order to allay my stress and think happy thoughts, I decided to do a little thinking about some of my favorite desserts. I think they fall into several categories.

1. Cakey things: Cakes, donuts/doughnuts (especially coconut), cookies (especially chocolate chip), cupcakes, quick breads, pastries, muffins, etc. Throw in a tres leches cake and I'm in heaven. And even a fengli su for good measure, since that's translated as "pineapple cake". 
2. Creamy things: Ice cream, flan, panna cotta, crème brûlée, cheesecake. I think this category also includes other cold but dairy-free things, like sorbet, sherbert/sherbet, gelato, etc. (Somebody please tell me how these things differ from each other.) I also get the feeling that "rice pudding" and tapioca pudding belong here, since rice isn't really cake. (But then "mochi" should go under cakey things, so...)
3. Fruity things: Um...fruits. Mango, watermelon, Asian pear, pineapple. Peaches and grapes. Sweet berries, lots of them. Dragon fruit.
4. Chocolatey things: CHOCOLATE. 

And then there are the random snacks, like anything you could get from Trader Joe's. I'm also a huge fan of marshmallow puffed rice treats. And anything with sea salt or chile. Dah...

Diabetes and hypoglycemia, be damned. Being healthy is one thing, and eating well and being mindful of what goes into the body (whether it be too much sugar, fat, etc.) is important. But I also know that eating something small and sweet can often lift my spirits. I can learn later about alternative and "healthier" sweeteners—brown sugar? cane sugar? agave, maple syrup, honey?—but for now, I would rather just go ahead and eat that dessert first; who knows what unexpected thing can happen in the course of my meal.