NUTRITION

Tips To Control Your Sweet Tooth

Eating healthy doesn't mean you have to give up on indulging your sweet tooth.

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By Filipa

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Many of us often struggle with maintaining a healthy diet and giving in to our desires for indulgent desserts. Here's a couple of tips on how to balance between the two so you don't have to give up on your guilty pleasures entirely:

1. Make fruit the main attraction in your dessert. 

Prepare desserts where the bulk volume is fruit. You can find loads of different recipes online that fit this rule, and if you’re inventive in the kitchen just create your own dessert. Here are some fruit-based desserts you can try: 

  • Chocolate covered fruit. You can use dark, milk or white chocolate to dip mostly any fruit you like, but you’ll achieve better results if you avoid juicy fruits like watermelon or mango. The chocolate will stick better to non-juicy or skinned fruits, like bananas or berries. Calorie count for one strawberry covered with dark chocolate is about 50 calories.
  • Banana ice cream. Freeze a couple of bananas in slices. Put them in the food processor and blend until you get an ice cream consistency. Add 2 teaspoons of cocoa powder for chocolate ice cream. You can also enhance the dessert with other  , like cinnamon or vanilla. Calorie count for two bananas with cocoa powder is 218 calories.
  • Fruit pies. Use a crust of your liking (extra points if it’s low calorie). Fill it with fruit (apples and peaches are my favorite) cut in 1 inch pieces. Season with baking safe low calorie sweetener to taste. Bake until the fruit is soft. Cooking time will vary, but as a rule of thumb, bake at 350°F (180°C) for 30 minutes. Then start checking for the softness of the fruit, poking it with a knife or a toothpick. If it doesn’t give any resistance, it’s done. 

2. Stick to individual portions. 

My nutrition motto is “everything in moderation.” You can eat calorie heavy desserts if you mind your portions. However, not everyone has the self control necessary to cut a small slice of cake when it’s time to eat. 

You can solve this problem by preparing the individual portions beforehand. Either cut the dessert in sensible slices before serving or start by preparing it in individual portions. For example, if you’re making a cheesecake, prepare several small individual servings in muffin tins instead of making one big cake. If you’d rather make a big cake, slice it in small individual portions before serving.

Though simple, these tips will help you as you learn to cut back on the dessert calories as well as how to control your portions so you can enjoy every bite of your decadent treats without the guilt!

A few years back Filipa decided to change her bad eating habits and improve her health. Because she has a bit of a sweet tooth, having healthy and delicious desserts is a big priority. Filipa created her blog Easy Low Calorie Desserts to share those yummy treats she creates.