Low Fat Raw Vegan Chocolate Cream Pie with Vanilla Whip Topping Recipe

Decadent Vegan Chocolate Silk Cream Pie with Vanilla Whip Topping

This recipe is featured in the Diet Dessert and Dogs Wellness Weekend.

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A chocolate lovers delight, rich creamy chocolate silk filling topped with a light yet rich vanilla cream.  This is every bit as decadent and creamy as its full fat counterpart, but without the refined, nutrient deficient oils.

Most raw food/vegan pies include copious amounts of coconut oil.  There are articles all over the internet touting the benefits of coconut oil, but are these claims really true?

NO! Coconut oil is empty calorie and includes only minute amounts of ONE essential nutrient!

Lets compare coconut oil to WHITE unenriched flour

1 c. White Bleached Flour [unenriched]**

Calories...........................455

Protein............................12.9g

Fat...................................1.2g

Omega 3's...........................2%

Omega 6's...........................4%

Vit. A................................0%

Folate..............................8%

B1....................................14%

B2.....................................5%

B3.....................................11%

B5.....................................11%

B6......................................4%

Vit. C.................................0%

Vit. E..................................0%

Vit. K..................................0%

Calcium................................2%

Copper.............................20%

Iron..................................8%

Magnesium......................9%

Manganese.....................47%

Phosphorus.......................19%

Potassium..........................3%

Selenium...........................77%

Zinc...................................11%

**Unenriched meaning NO synthetic vitamins or artificially chelated minerals were added it is just plain old white flour.

I would NOT call this a health food by any stretch of the imagination, however, I would not call it empty calories either.

Yes, white flour contains protein, fiber, fat, vitamins and minerals so it is in fact, not empty calories.  Let's move on to coconut oil......

All oil is REMOVED from the whole food that contains it, and is therefore refined in some way or another.  Anything that is extracted or removed from its whole food source is NOT a whole food. 

Whole foods should contain a balance of carbohydrates, protein, fat, fiber, vitamins, minerals etc....

To Clarify:  When I say refined I don't mean refined oil verses unrefined, I mean any oil that has been extracted from its whole food.

2 Tb. Extra Virgin Coconut Oil

Calories..............................234

Protein................................0

Fat...................................27.2g

Omega 3's............................0%

Omega 6's............................4%

Vit. A..................................0%

Folate..................................0%

B1.......................................0%

B2.....................................0%

B3.....................................0%

B5.....................................0%

B6.....................................0%

Vit. C................................0%

Vit. E.................................0%

Vit. K.................................0%

Calcium................................0%

Copper..................................0%

Iron.....................................0%

Magnesium...........................0%

Manganese............................0%

Phosphorus.........................0%

Potassium............................0%

Selenium..............................0%

Zinc.......................................0%

Coconut oil provides absolutely ZERO vitamins or minerals! The ONLY essential nutrient in 234 calories is a measly 4% of your daily value of Omega 6's!!!

You want to talk about EMPTY calories....coconut oil is the poster child of empty calories, not white flour!!!

Okay, so what about its supposed Thyroid boosting properties?

So, if the fact that this oil contains virtually NO nutritional value doesn't prove that it is not health food.   Coconut oil consumption is not going to replace the need for thyroid medication in individuals who are on any form of thyroid medication!  In fact, it isn't going to reduce your need for thyroid medication either.  NO studies have ever been conducted on HUMANS showing that coconut oil has any significant benefit on the thyroid or is able to reduce the need for thyroid medication.

According to the Mayo Clinic, there is no evidence to support claims that coconut oil has any benefit to the thyroid gland.  http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coconut-oil-thyroid/AN01367

What about it's Medium Chain Fatty Acids?

Are medium chain fatty acids essential nutrients??  NO!

Then my answer is SO WHAT!  Medium chain fatty acids are more easily broken down for energy than longer chain, this really doesn't mean a whole lot given that the human body is designed to utilize CARBOHYDRATES for energy first and foremost!  

We absolutely DO NOT need medium chain fatty acids, they are not an essential nutrient and therefore it doesn't really matter whether they are utilized for energy more readily than some other form of fat.

What about coconut oil boosting metabolism?

We need to use a little bit of common sense and understand that we cannot just eat as much of any food that we want and throw caution to the wind as to how many calories it contains.  Okay, so if your body defies the laws of thermodynamics then by ALL means eat all the coconut oil you want!

The rats on the" MCT fatty acids gained 15% less weight than those on long-chain fatty acids."   J Environ Pathol Toxicol Oncol. 1986 Mar-Apr;6(3-4):115-21.

I find it interesting that in the studies on coconut oil, there are some very minor differences in MCT compared to LCT and we determine that this means we should consume MCT to lose weight.  We really need to ensure we are consuming essential nutrients and consuming a healthy diet, adding in MCT to our diet isn't necessary.

I found a study on humans and medium chain fatty acid consumption and it did not show significant results as far as weight loss is concerned.  The researchers concluded that "excess energy derived from MCT is stored with a lesser efficiency than is excess energy derived from dietary LCT."  

Thermogenesis in humans during overfeeding with medium-chain triglycerides.

Hill JO, Peters JC, Yang D, Sharp T, Kaler M, Abumrad NN, Greene HL.

Department of Pediatrics, Vanderbilt University, Nashville, TN 37232.

The results of the studies on coconut oil and weight loss are summed up well by a registered Dietician for the Mayo Clinic:

"doesn't lead to significant weight loss or improved body mass index (BMI)."
http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/coconut-oil-and-weight-loss/AN01899

It is true that medium chain fatty acids are less likely to be stored as fat than long chain fatty acids, however, medium chain fatty acids are only a small part of the fatty acid profile of coconut oil and are not going to provide any health benefits or any nutritional value to your diet.  

What does this mean, the TINY rise in metabolism that MAY happen will not compensate for its high calorie content.  Can you maintain a normal weight and eat coconut oil, yes, you can but it is much MORE difficult than if you did not eat it.

2 Tb. coconut oil.........234 calories

1 c. cooked oamteal.....150 calories

1 med. baked potato....160 calories

1 c. brown rice...........209 

2 c. kale....................67

2 Tb. of coconut oil is not even remotely going to fill the stomach enough to trigger the stretch receptors in the stomach to signal satiety.  1 baked potato or 1 c. oatmeal is FAR more likely to signal satiety than a tiny amount of coconut oil.  

Coconut oil is empty highly concentrated calories and provides no real benefit at all!

 The fact that pacific islanders consume it and they 'presumably' have lower heart disease than Americans is in no way a reason to consume coconut oil.  There are many factors at play in heart disease and simply because heart disease may be lower does not mean it is because they consumed coconut oil, in all reality it could be in spite of their coconut oil consumption.

A study showing coconut oil impairs blood flow and reduced the anti-inflammatory effects of HDL.

A study in 2006, looked at the effects of a single high fat meal on HDL, inflammation and blood flow.  This single high fat meal derived its fat from coconut oil.  The effects of coconut oil on the body from this high fat meal were evaluated at 3 hours postprandial and 6 hours postprandial.  

3 hours after the high coconut oil consumption the anti-inflammatory effects of HDL was significantly impaired, at 6 hours it was still signficantly impaired.    Blood flow was also significantly impaired 3 hours after the coconut oil meal and still remained slightly reduced at 6 hours after the coconut oil meal.

Consumption of Saturated Fat Impairs the Anti-Inflammatory Properties of High-Density Lipoproteins and Endothelial Function J Am Coll Cardiol, 2006; 48:715-720.

  

Am I saying you should never use coconut oil?

No, if you have been following my blog you will see that I have used coconut oil in a few of my recipes in the past.  I am NOT completely against coconut oil, what I am against is a certain foods' benefits being exaggerated and fabricated to sell a product.  

I don't think isolated oils in any form should be used on a daily basis as they add a lot of calories without any nutritional benefit.  I believe fats should be consumed in whole foods.

1 c. raspberries contain 16% of your daily value of omega 3's!

ALL whole foods contain essential fats and that is where I believe we need to get the majority of our fats from.

If you want to use a little coconut oil in a dessert and it is less than 1 1/2 tsp. per serving on occasion I think that is fine.  But having a dessert that contains 500 calories of just coconut oil per serving is NOT healthy on a regular basis for anyone.

I wanted to create a dessert that did not rely on coconut oil but still had a nice, rich, creamy taste in a raw dessert.  I think this beautiful chocolate silk pie is an amazing example of how you CAN make delicious desserts without the use of refined, nutrient poor oils.

I wouldn't call this a nutrient rich dessert but it is certainly  much healthier than traditional or even most vegan or raw desserts.  Enjoy!!