Is eating dessert good or bad for you?

Desserts are an important part of eating well and eating healthy. The key to making dessert part of your healthy diet is that you should consider desserts as a special part of your life. Dessert is not something that should be eaten every day.

If you are working on losing weight, then dessert should be considered a serving that you substitute for another portion maybe once a week. When I am working on dessert recipes, my goal is for them to be 200 calories or less per serving. I try to minimize simple sugars wherever possible. Often I use different artificial sweeteners, but just minimizing the amount of sugar in a particular recipe can be very effective.

For instance, one of the simplest and most refreshing desserts is good fresh fruit. Whatever is in season is always going to be the best choice. There's nothing better than fresh sliced strawberries, peaches, raspberries, blackberries or blueberries. Tossing fruit with a little bit of sugar (about a half teaspoon per serving) and letting it chill for at least an hour makes for a great syrup. Use a little spray of canned whipped cream and this a perfect dessert. The fruit will be about 100 calories and 1/4 cup of the whipped cream has only 30 calories (less if you buy the fat free version). 150 calories of fat free goodness.

The same is true for some of your favorites from childhood, including pudding cups and Jello. There are great products on the market with around 100 calories, and with a spritz of whipped cream you are good to go.

It is always best to think of dessert as something healthier like this, because you can cut back on portions at other meals to help balance your calories.

There are a lot of great, ready to eat desserts that you can have that are well under 200 calories and are right off the shelf. Here are some ideas:

Healthy Choice No Sugar Added Ice Cream
Turkey Hill No Sugar Added Ice Cream
Edy's Light No Sugar Added Ice Cream
Breyer's No Sugar Added Ice Cream
Häagen Dazs Fat Free Sorbets
Jello Pudding Cups
Häagen Dazs Chocolate Sorbet Bar
Fudgesicle No Sugar Added Frozen Bar
Häagen-Dazs Raspberry & Vanilla Frozen Yogurt Bars
Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs Chips Ahoy Thin Crisps
Nabisco 100 Calorie Packs Planters Peanut Butter Cookie Crisps

For those with less will power, it's also helpful to purchase desserts that come in individual packs or go out for a dessert--to the frozen yogurt store, for instance. Eat your single dessert, make sure it's one that you love and enjoy it!