Being on a weight loss plan does not necessarily imply that you have to give up in sweet foods. This is especially a tough task to do for people who have a sweet- tooth. Why torture yourself by suppressing your cravings when there is a way out? Yes, you can change your favorite dessert recipes into healthy dessert recipes, just as you change your diet into a healthier one for your weight loss program. Read on to find simple tricks to do this, so you can still enjoy the desserts that you love.
The key to making healthy desserts, similar to making healthy food, is to cut out the calories. To cut out the calories, there are two possible things that you can do- reduce the fats, and/ or reduce the sugar content. Let us understand these alternatives one by one.
How to reduce fat content- The major sources of fat in desserts comes from dairy products- milk, butter, cream, cream cheese, etc. Here are simple ways to reduce the fats without affecting the taste too much.
- to low fat milk. It has one-thirds the amount of fat than full cream milk. There is no noticeable difference in taste.
- Instead of butter, use margarine. To further cut out the fat, use low fat margarine. Margarine is also healthier than butter as it contains fats that are good for the body.
- Use canola oil in making cakes, muffins, cookies, etc.
- Replace cream cheese with low fat cottage cheese or ricotta. This will also make your dessert lighter because cream cheese is very heavy.
- Use low fat ice cream wherever you need to use ice cream, like in fruit salads. Another great tip is to use buttermilk in as many recipes as you can. It is very low in fat content and tastes great. For instance, you can use it in shakes and smoothies instead of milk.
How to cut down sugar- It is not as easy to reduce the sugar content as it is to reduce fats. Nonetheless, you can do a few things. In place of sugar, use artificial sweetners like Aspartame. You will have to use to much lesser amounts since they are very sweet. Use natural sweetners like honey and maple syrup wherever you can. They are good alternatives to sugar in recipes where you need only a little amount of sugar.
Aside from all this, it is also very helpful that you eat in a controlled fashion. The rule of reducing portions of your meals applies here too. Eat only reasonable amounts to succeed in weight loss. After all, there is no point in cutting out the calories from the dessert and then gorging on excessive amounts. Keep these healthy dessert ideas in mind when you make your favorite dessert the next time.