Healthy Replacements For Your Favourite Desserts

The Dieter’s Paradigm

When you’re dieting, and eating a low number of calories, perhaps with restrictions on your carb and fat intake too, you’d be forgiven for thinking that all your favorite desserts and sweet treats have to be banned.

But think again...

The trouble with reducing your calories, and completely banning all those desserts and puddings that you love, is that the more you restrict them, the more you crave them.

How long you hold off on those cravings depends on your level of motivation, discipline and self-control. But even the most disciplined of dieters will give in eventually. And what does this lead to?

You’ll promise yourself you’ll have just a small taste of an apple tart, or take a bite of half a cookie, but before you know it, the whole tart’s disappeared, gone is the whole bag of cookies, and you’ve probably cracked open the ice cream and syrup too.

So how do we control these sweet cravings and the lure of tasty desserts, while still sticking to plan, hitting your calorie intake, and not going insane in the process.

There are two solutions to this. The big one, and the main one this article will deal with, is finding healthy, lower calorie recipes for variations on your favorite dessert, helping to take the edge off your cravings and allowing you to eat some pretty tasty desserts, Some of these are so good calorie-wise too, that you’ll be able to eat a pretty hefty portion without going way over your calorie intake.

The second option, and the one we’ll cover briefly now, is just exercising moderation.

Dieting all comes down to controlling your calorie intake, and consuming fewer calories than you burn (as well as eating adequate protein and not overdoing the carbs and fats.)

See Also: 7 Perfect Desserts That Fit In Your Weight Loss Plan

Therefore, if you really really want some pecan pie, a raspberry soufflé or a bowl of gelato, you can have it, without it having any negative effect on your fat loss. The issue with this, however, is that many dieters struggle to stop at a small serving. Plus, doing this may mean you’re eating a large proportion of your day’s carb and fat allowance just with dessert, meaning you have to eat little more than protein and veggies the rest of the day.

So, enter the healthy, diet-friendly desserts.

Awesome Sweet Treat Replacements 

Low Carb, High Protein Cheesecake

“A cheesecake that’s low in carbs? It can’t be true!”

Well, my fat fighting friend, I can assure you it is 100% true. Not only that, but this little beauty is also high in protein and tastes somewhere between excellent and outstanding.

You’ll need – 

• 170g Greek yoghurt (fat-free, low-fat or full-fat – it’s up to you. They all have roughly the same carb content, so pick the one that fits your calorie intake the best.)
• 250g quark (or blended cottage cheese if you can’t find quark)
• 85g egg whites
• 1 scoop vanilla protein powder
• 2 tablespoons butter or almond butter
• 65g ground almonds
• 1 tablespoon calorie-free syrup

This is incredibly easy to make. Simply mix the yogurt, quark, protein powder and egg whites together until you get a smooth mixture. (Note: add the egg whites gradually to get your desired texture.)

In another bowl, combine the ground almonds, butter or almond butter (melted) and syrup. This is your base, so press this down into the bottom of a baking tin and let it set in the fridge for an hour.  Once this is done, pour your cheesecake mix over the top, and put it back in the fridge until it’s set. (Or until you simply can’t wait any longer!)

Pumpkin Pancakes

All you need for this tasty treat is –

• 2 tablespoons of pumpkin puree
• 1 egg white
• 1 scoop of plain or vanilla flavoured protein powder
• 1 tablespoon of almond milk
• 1 teaspoon of baking powder
• As much sweetener and cinnamon as desired

This is as simple as mixing everything together, then throwing it in a pan for a minute or two each side. Serve with some low-fat whipped cream.

Fantastic Fro-Yo

This is where getting creative in the kitchen really pays off.

Grab a 250g tub of plain Greek yoghurt (look for one with no more than 7 grams of sugar per 100 grams – quark and fromage frais both work well too if you can’t find a low sugar yoghurt.)

From here, you can add whatever mix-ins suit your preferences and calorie intake.

For a low-calorie option, just add some Splenda or Truvia, along with some berries, or stewed apple. Stir well, then put in the freezer for 2 to 3 hours, stirring every 30 minutes.

For a slightly higher calorie, but still healthy froyo, try adding the following –

• 1 chopped banana
• 1 tablespoon of crushed nuts
• 2 crushed caramel or chocolate rice cakes
• Cinnamon
• Sugar-free syrup

Follow the same process as above.

The Best Brownies

Brownies? On a diet? You got it.

• 1 1/4 cups pitted dates
• 9 Tbl cocoa
• 1/4 cup almond oil
• 1/2 cup agave nectar
• 2 cups canned chickpeas
• 4 eggs
• 1/2 tsp baking powder
• 1 tsp ground cinnamon

Just whack everything in a blender and blitz until smooth, then cook in the oven for about 45 minutes at 350 degrees.

See Also: Low Calorie Snacks

These are immense on their own, but even better when drizzled with a little melted peanut butter. Alternatively, serve one with some of your fro-yo, or make a low-calorie frosting, consisting of fat-free cream cheese and chocolate protein powder.