Traditional desserts featuring pineapple -- pineapple upside-down cake, for example -- may be delicious, but do not fall under the "healthy" or "diet food" categories. Fortunately, pineapple's natural sweetness lends itself well to low-calorie, good-for-you desserts. Whether you are looking for a diet dessert for a special occasion, or dieting to lose weight, choosing healthier desserts benefits your health and weight.
Benefits
Pineapple contains vitamin C, and has just 37 calories per 1/2 cup of chunks and 79 calories per ring. A diet dessert often means you choose lower calorie ingredients, such as fruit puree for oil, skim milk in place of whole milk, fat-free sour cream or yogurt in place of regular sour cream, and fruit-based desserts instead of ones featuring chocolate. Physician Michelle May, author of "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat," says treating yourself with an occasional dessert can help you stick to your diet -- you may feel less deprived than if you try to avoid sweets altogether.
Cold Pineapple Desserts
A coconut-pineapple sorbet featured in "The Essential Eating Well Cookbook" recommends combining diet coconut milk with sugar, fresh ginger, lime juice and the puree from a cut, cored pineapple into a delicious sorbet. Pour the mixture into an ice cream maker until frozen. You can also combine fresh or 100 percent pineapple juice with orange juice, frozen fat-free vanilla yogurt and ice for a healthy, low-calorie pineapple-orange smoothie. Add finely diced pineapple chunks to fat-free ice cream to add flavor and nutrients.
Baked Pineapple Desserts
A simple diet pineapple dessert recommended by "Eating Well" magazine is to broil pineapple rings. Simply drizzle a small amount of heart-healthy canola oil over fresh pineapple rings. Sprinkle with brown sugar and broil a few minutes, turning once. Cookbook author Doris Cross recommends using artificial sweeteners in place of most of the sugar in her diet pineapple upside-down cake. Cross says to use nonfat, powdered milk in place of whole milk, egg substitutes instead of whole eggs and only 1/4 cup of sugar when making a diet pineapple upside-down cake. You can make many baked pineapple desserts healthier by using similar substitutions.
No-Bake Desserts
A traditional no-bake cheesecake usually contains regular sweetened condensed milk, whipped topping, nuts and a pie crust. While even a lower fat cheesecake still contains calories, reducing the calories and fat allows you to still enjoy an occasional slice of pineapple cheesecake. Use a reduced calorie pie crust, pineapple and pineapple juice, fat-free whipped topping and no-fat condensed milk as lower-fat and -calorie substitutes. A diet pineapple fondue uses crushed pineapple, apple and orange juice, water, honey, cornstarch and fruit-flavored liqueur, according to Ellen Brown in her book, "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fast and Fresh Meals." Dip small cubes of fat-free angel food cake in the warmed fondue.
References
- USDA Nutrient Data Laboratory: Pineapple, Raw, Traditional Varieties
- "Eat What You Love, Love What You Eat"; Michelle May, MD; 2010
- "The Essential Eating Well Cookbook"; Patsy Jamieson, editor; 2004
- "Eating Well"; Broiled Pineapple; March 1998
- "Real Food for People with Diabetes"; Doris Cross, et al.; 2001
- "The Complete Idiot's Guide to Fast and Fresh Meals"; Ellen Brown; 2007
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