Healthy desserts can be made with fresh, wholesome ingredients and basic substitutions. Homemade ice cream, parfaits, grilled fruit, and dark chocolate can all be healthy options.
Losing weight or getting fit doesn’t necessarily mean giving up a sweet tooth. While those looking for a smaller size or better health may need to adjust their choices, healthy desserts are filling and often easy to prepare. Leveraging fresh, wholesome ingredients, and making a few basic ingredient substitutions, can help keep healthy desserts on the table by eliminating diet-wasting foods.
Believe it or not, some forms of ice cream can be considered healthy desserts. The trick to delicious-yet-healthy frozen treats is to make them at home, so you can control exactly what gets thrown into the ice cream maker. Some nutritionists recommend avoiding dairy-based frozen desserts, instead combining fresh fruit, a little sugar, and a dash of lemon juice for a tasty sherbet in almost any fruit flavor. Other experts argue there’s no reason to avoid some milk, as long as skim or low-fat milk is replaced with cream and half-and-half.
A parfait may be king in the world of healthy desserts. A well-crafted parfait may not only be tastier than any other cup of sunshine, but it also provides healthy doses of fruit, healthy grains, and yogurt to improve digestion. Grab a beautiful sundae glass and create a parfait layered with plain, low-fat yogurt, fruit chunks, and low-fat granola bites. Sprinkle with some sunflower seeds or almonds for healthy fats and proteins. Parfaits can be delicious at almost any time of day or can replace a light meal if a dessert craving is getting out of hand.
Many healthy desserts are fruit-based, but that doesn’t mean simply reaching for an apple every time a sweet craving occurs. Try original ways of manipulating fruit, such as grilling pineapple or peach slices. Bake apples or pears in the oven with a teaspoon of honey and a generous sprinkling of cloves and cinnamon. Create the best banana milkshake in existence by freezing a banana, then mixing it with a small amount of low-fat or skim milk and a sprinkle of cinnamon.
For some people, dessert means chocolate, and many healthy desserts incorporate this decadent ingredient. Some experts argue that dark chocolate offers many health benefits, and that snacking on a square of dark chocolate can curb your appetite and even boost heart health. A s’more made with just one dark chocolate square, a whole graham cracker, and a marshmallow can have less than 100 calories. Dipping fruit slices into chocolate fondue made from dark chocolate and skim milk can help you get a day of football and fruit servings.
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