Nothing comforts a person on a rough day more than a sweet treat. Unfortunately, sweets are often so unhealthy for you that you probably do your best to stay away from them, and you probably feel a little guilty when you finally cave to your cravings.
What if we told you that you could satisfy your sweet tooth without all the guilt and health consequences? Well, you can.
Sure, you still need to be reasonable with your portions, but there are ways to make classic desserts and sweets with a healthy spin that offsets their negative points.
We’ll provide you with a link to the perfect source for healthy dessert recipes at the end of this article, but for now, let’s go over the basics you can use for your favorite recipes.
1: Natural Sugar Substitutes
Sugar is one of the main culprits that cause weight gain when you eat dessert. So, replacing it with a healthier, yet still sweet, option is clearly going to make any dessert a bit healthier right off the bat.
Healthier options are raw, natural sugar, blue agave syrup, and other plant-based and natural sweeteners.
However, you want to stay away from processed or artificial sweeteners. They might prevent you from putting on weight, but they have been tied to health issues that are far worse than a few extra pounds or love handles.
2: Go All-Natural and Fresh
While all-natural, fresh versions of cheesecake are never going to be good for your waistline, they leave out all the nasty additives that help you put on more weight than necessary or even cause serious illnesses. Even if the ingredients in a dessert aren’t the equivalent of kale and chia seeds, proper portion control and infrequent use can allow you to enjoy some of the heftier treats.
3: Use Fresh Fruit
How many times have you eaten an apple pie or blueberry tart and noticed that they were 75% fatty crust with a thin layer of sugar-loaded, processed fruit? The fact that those options are desserts doesn’t make them unhealthy. The way they’re made does.
Take the blueberry tart for example. You rarely taste any fresh blueberries. They’re always focused on sugar and buttery crust while the blueberries are afterthoughts. Instead, go light on the crust, and pack the tart full of fresh, barely-cooked, blueberries. Their natural sugars will make it sweet, and you won’t be eating so much of the unhealthy stuff.
4: Make Every Ingredient Count
Bleached flour, sugar-doused fruit, and processed toppings offer very little in the way of nutrition, but they add tons of fat and carbs. By simply replacing those with their healthier, more simplistic versions, you increase the nutritional value of the dish tremendously. So, even if it’s something you can’t eat frequently, you’ll actually get something from it when you do.
Find Healthy Desserts at Flavorful Home
If you have a sweet tooth you can’t seem to satisfy without expanding your waistline, try Flavorful Home’s desserts. They use simple ingredients, are easy to make, and most importantly, they’re healthy.
