Tooth-Friendly Blue Zone-Style Dessert Recipes
Chocolate Banana Avocado Mousse
Many of you have heard of Blue Zones, areas where lifestyle habits promote longevity. Loma Linda, CA is the primary Blue Zone in the U.S. We would like to introduce you to the work of Dr. Ralph Steiner, a co-founder of Loma Linda Dental School.
For nearly 40 years Dr. Steiner studied the natural defence mechanism of teeth to resist cavities and bacterial invasion. It turns out that our teeth have a built-in defense system that actively fights cavities.
Most people learn about cavities in the simplest terms: you eat sugar → bacteria feed on it → acids attack the teeth.
And yes, that's part of the story —but wait, there's more!
The fuller, fascinating truth is this: your overall health actually protects the integrity of your teeth. This includes diet, hormones and management of stress levels. Those who seek holistic care of any sort are already aware of this to some extent.
But there's a good deal more to it. We will do a deep dive on the subject of Dr. Steiner's findings in our new blog series, beginning in January 2026.
Dr. Steiner also published numerous recipes for "toothsome desserts." In this spirit, we offer more Blue Zone-style recipes for you and your family's sweet tooth this holiday season!
Dr. O'Rielly, who is fondly known in some circles as 'the Sugar Police', loved these recipes and raved about them! Not only do they taste good, they have nutritional value, not just the empty calories of more traditional sweets. We hope that you enjoy them too!
Please see below for more Blue Zone-tooth-friendly dessert recipes. We want to hear from our community! Please send your comments to holisticdds@myholisticdentist.com.
More Healthy Holiday Desserts from Our Kitchen
Peach Tart with Macadamia Nut Custard
- 3/4 cup almond flour
- 3/4 cup coconut flour
- 1/2 tsp salt
- 1/2 tsp cinnamon
- 1/4 tsp cardamom
- 1/2 cup macadamia nuts
- 1/2 cup almond milk
- 1 tsp vanilla
- 1 T coconut flour
- 4 T honey (substitute maple syrup for vegan)
- 1 pkg frozen peaches (if out of season)
- 1 T coconut flour (optional, to thicken)
- 1 tsp lemon juice
- Date sugar powder or honey for glaze
- Crust
- 1/4 teaspoon salt
- 9 tablespoons unsalted butter
- 1 large egg (see notes for egg-free)
- 1 teaspoon lemon juice
- 1/4 cup water + 1-3 additional tablespoons
- 1Set oven to 350 F.
- 2Blend macadamia nuts, cardamom, cinnamon, and salt into a powder. Cover with almond milk and vanilla. Let sit 30 minutes.
- 3If using frozen peaches, thaw in hot water. Check sweetness. Let fruit sit in date sugar or honey.
- 4Add coconut flour and honey to macadamia cream and blend into a custard-like cream.
- 5For the crust: combine almond flour, coconut flour, and 1/4 tsp salt. Whisk to blend.
- 6Cut 9 tablespoons butter into dry ingredients with a pastry blender or cheese grater.
- 7In a small bowl, combine 1 egg, 1 tsp lemon juice, and 1/4 cup water.
- 8Mix wet into dry until a firm dough forms. Wrap and chill 15 minutes.
- 9Roll dough to 1/4 inch thick. Press into greased 9-inch pie pan.
- 10Spread cream over crust and arrange peaches on top.
- 11Optional: glaze fruit with honey or date sugar mixed with almond milk.
- 12Bake at 350 F for 20-30 minutes until golden. Refrigerate until serving.
Filling adapted from The Sprouted Kitchen by Sara Forte; Crust adapted from Sandy Gaertner of Fearless Dining.
Squash Pie
- One whole squash, about 3 lbs (roast in advance)
- Crust
- 2 cups unsalted raw pecans
- 1 cup unsalted raw walnuts
- 5 Tbsp unsalted butter, melted (or Earth Balance)
- 1/2 cup powdered date sugar
- 1 1/2 tsp ground cinnamon
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- 1/2 tsp ground nutmeg
- 1/2 tsp salt
- Filling
- 4 cups squash or pumpkin puree
- 1/2 cup raw unsalted cashews
- 2 cups hot water
- 4 Tbsp maple syrup or honey
- 3 Tbsp arrowroot powder
- 1 Tbsp pure vanilla extract
- 3/4 tsp ground cinnamon
- 1 tsp ground cardamom
- 3/4 tsp ground ginger
- Pinch salt
- 1Pre-roast squash at 400 F for 1 hour 45 min. Cool in fridge.
- 2Process pecans, walnuts, spices and salt in food processor.
- 3Mix with melted butter and sweetener, press into 10-inch pie plate.
- 4Refrigerate crust 45 minutes. Preheat oven to 350 F.
- 5Bake crust until golden, about 20 minutes. Set aside to cool.
- 6Blend cashews with 2 cups hot water into smooth milk.
- 7Set aside 1 cup cashew milk. Whisk rest in pot with sweetener, vanilla, spices, salt.
- 8Whisk arrowroot into reserved milk, add to pot. Cook 4-5 min until thickened.
- 9Blend squash puree with custard. Taste for sweetness.
- 10Pour filling into cooled crust. Cover loosely with foil.
- 11Bake 1 hour, remove foil, bake 10 more min until set.
Adapted from Valentina Wein at cookingontheweekends.com and bluezones.com.
Lemon Berry Cheesecake Cups
- 1/4 cup plant-based cream cheese
- 2 Tbsp plant-based coconut yogurt
- 2 Tbsp honey
- 2 Tbsp maple syrup
- 3 Tbsp ground almonds
- 1/2 whole lemon (juiced)
- 1 package frozen strawberries (defrost ahead)
- Optional: fresh berries or coconut for topping
- Optional: 3 Tbsp raisins or currants for filling
- 1Whisk together cream cheese, yogurt, maple syrup, honey and lemon juice. Mix in raisins if desired.
- 2Mill almonds in food processor to coarse size. Combine with a Tbsp of filling so mixture holds together.
- 3Press nut mixture into muffin tins or ramekins as a crust.
- 4Pour in the filling mixture. Freeze for at least 5 hours.
- 5Thaw 10-15 minutes before serving. Add toppings and serve.
Adapted from bluezones.com.
