As a health goal this year, I intend to decrease and to eventually cut out sugar from my diet. I reckon that there's a misconception that as a vegan, we're all very healthy and that there is no kind of vegan junk. (If you think this, how very wrong you are.) No matter what your diet is, there will always be some type of processed food that will be made available to you... because that's how the market works. Businesses look into current trends in order to service whichever fad people follow. Veganism has definitely been on the rise and though I'm very happy about that, sometimes I think certain individuals go for the "aesthetics" rather than support veganism for the right reasons (i.e., animal rights, environmental issues). 

Back to vegan junk, trust me, there are a lot of options out there. All the frozen vegan meals that contain too much sodium and ingredients one cannot even properly pronounce, processed snack bars, veggie crisps, vegan ice cream, even. I've tried a lot of these foods, to be honest, mostly out of laziness. Sometimes, I don't want to cook and would prefer an easy meal--much to my disappointment. Refined sugar is also a popular ingredient in these vegan junk food so don't be fooled. Just because something is labelled as vegan, it doesn't mean that you shouldn't eat with caution. 

Being a natural sweet tooth, I crave dessert all the time. I prefer sweet snacks over salty little bites. These days though, I get most of my sugar intake from desserts that I bake and the chocolate-flavoured coconut milk yoghurt that I love for breakfast. Also, when I make raw desserts, not only are medjool dates packed with fructose, but I also add agave nectar or maple syrup to bind the whole thing together. Now, there's the sugar killer. I still think fresh fruits are the best source of sugar because they don't contain refined sugar. I'll also settle for my medjool dates (because LOVE!). 

I was very tempted during my grocery run to grab some vegan cookies and snack bars, but I resisted. Best to make my own. Now, where are my medjool dates? 

Raw, Vegan & Gluten-Free Chocolate Banana Oat Squares

Makes 10-12 squares

Ingredients: