Ask anybody who knows me and they’ll tell you I love a good piece of chocolate cake. If I could eat chocolate raspberry truffles everyday I would (the ones I like are hard to find). I’ve always wondered how I can eat healthy while satisfying my sweet tooth, but it’s always a major challenge for me when I start snacking throughout the day. The following are six ways to eat healthy when you have a sweet tooth.
Disclaimer: Please keep in mind when reading this article that I am writing from personal experience and what I think works for me. I do not have extensive knowledge in nutrition, and it is your responsibility to consult with your doctor before making any changes in your diet.
1. Include sweet tasting vegetables in your diet. Some of my favorites include butternut squash, sweet potatoes, yams, and plantains.
2. Make yourself a smoothie. My go to recipe is whole milk, a spoonful of peanut butter, and a ripe banana. There’s so much sweetness in ripe bananas plus it’s good for you!
Courtesy of Patryk Dziejma on Stocksnap.io
3. Make yourself some trail mix with chocolate chips, dried fruits, and nuts. The healthy fats in nuts will fill you up fast and provide you with essential nutrients like vitamins, minerals, and protein.
4. Listen to your body’s cravings. If I’m not bursting at the seams for ice cream I’m not going to go out and buy a tub of Friendly’s. Sometimes I find myself with a spoonful of ice cream in my mouth because everyone around me is eating sweets too.
5. Substitute cane sugar for honey or 100% maple syrup. What sets honey and maple syrup apart from regular ol’ sugar are the antioxidants in them. Although it’s a good practice to forgo any added sweetener, if you’re going to be using sugar why not substitute it for a tablespoon of honey or maple syrup? Check the ingredient labels to make sure you’re purchasing 100% pure honey or maple syrup. If you see high fructose corn syrup listed, that’s not a dead giveaway you’re not holding real honey or maple syrup in your hand. Be sure to only use a little bit, these substitutes are still full of sugar!
6. Include fruits and veggies in your recipes when baking desserts. Check out some of these delicious recipes below for ideas!
- Raw Vegan Brownies from Green Smoothies and Juice
- Apple Muffins with Cinnamon Streusel and Mango Banana Ice Cream from A Virtual Vegan
- Peanut Butter Banana Ice Cream, and Avocado Blueberry Muffins from The Women Talk
- Cranberry Almond Granola from Not Too Shabby Gabby
- Gluten Free Banana Nut Brownies, and Chocolate Coconut Chia Pudding from Feeling Fit
- Mango Pineapple “Nice” Cream, and Flourless Mini Muffins from Hodge Podge Moments
- Vegan Protein Donuts from the Holistic Blogger
The key to eating what you want is moderation. Don’t beat yourself up if you have one cookie. Life is too short not to indulge a little! Make every meal count, and every delicious bite of chocolate too.
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Photo courtesy of Zoe Magee on Stocksnap.io
¡Qué delicia! … gracias. Salud.
Gracias! Los batidos son muy ricos.
This is something I really struggle with too!! It was a major victory this year that I gave up adding sugar to my tea and coffee. A little win, but I’ll take it :). Great ideas here!
Thank you Rachel, I do the same thing with tea too. I drink so much of it that it would be a disaster if I used a spoonful of sugar each time.
gracias por todas las notas … les deseo lo mejor de este mundo para los dos. Saludos.