Yes, you can enjoy an occasional sweet treat as part of an otherwise healthy eating regimen. There's no need to deprive yourself of a little comfort food every once in a while, when your usual diet provides a balance of calories and nutrients. However, to avoid binging on sweet treats or overindulging on desserts, you should learn to use strategies that prevent overeating, and cooking methods that reduce the calories, sugar and fat you'll get from the desserts.
Healthy Eating
According to the Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010, healthy eating involves consuming the right amount of calories your body needs each day. In addition, it calls for supplying your body with all the nutrients -- vitamins and minerals, proteins, carbs and fats -- and cutting back foods that are linked to weight gain and chronic disease, such as added sugars, sodium, trans and saturated fats, and cholesterol. The Weight-control Information Network, or WIN, says healthy eating emphasizes fruits, vegetables, whole grains and low- or nonfat dairy. In addition, a good eating plan involves eating breakfast every day, eating a rainbow of natural plant-based foods and consuming sweets, including sodas, sparingly.
The Problem With Sugar
Grain-based desserts -- cake, cookies, pie, cobbler, sweet rolls, pastries and donuts -- are number one among the top 25 sources of calories for Americans of all ages. Not only do they contain lots of added sugar, but they also contain plenty of fat. According to the Dietary Guidelines, roughly 16 percent of the calories a typical American eats comes from sugar that has been added to food. Major contributors to satisfying the nation's sweet tooth include sugary sodas and grain-based and dairy-based desserts. In contrast to fruits that have natural sugar, added sugar gives you extra calories but few nutrients and no fiber. Eating too much sugar is related to the weight gain implicated in America's obesity crisis.
Desserts in a Healthy Diet
The keys to enjoying sweet treats within the context of a healthy eating plan are moderation and preparation. Make desserts an occasional treat, used to celebrate a birthday party, for instance. Eat well at all other portions of your meal to leave little room for dessert. If you combine protein and fiber-rich carbohydrates in the main entrée, and you eat slowly, you're less likely to still be hungry by the time dessert comes around. Moreover, if you are diabetic, you need to ensure you don't oversupply your body with any carbohydrate at any one meal.
Use Alternatives
Substitute fresh fruit with light toppings in place of dessert. Or, have one dessert and split it with everyone at the dinner table. That way, you get a taste of what you like and don't feel deprived, but don't consume too many extra calories. Load up on salad and take a second helping of vegetables earlier in your dinner so that you leave less room for dessert later. The American Diabetes Associations recommends saving desserts for special occasions. If you have a condition that requires you to watch sugar, account for the occasional sweet treat by skipping another carb-containing food the day you eat dessert.
References
- Science Daily: Eating Protein Boosts Hormone That Staves Off Hunger
- Weight-control Information Network: Better Health and You: Tips for Adults
- USDA: Dietary Guidelines for Americans 2010
- Harvard School of Public Health: Knowledge for Healthy Eating
- UAB Health System: How to Incorporate Sweets into Healthy Eating
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