Uh-oh, it’s happening again – You’ve just finished a delicious meal and are craving a “little something sweet,” or it’s mid-afternoon at the office and you’re sweet tooth kicks in. Many of us share this weakness for sugar, but unfortunately, most sweet treats are high in empty calories, which will likely leave you wanting something more. In addition, many desserts are loaded with saturated fat in addition to sugar, which can lead to weight gain and have negative impacts on heart health. Although it’s important to indulge and enjoy ourselves once in a while, having strategies to battle your sweet tooth can be helpful in resisting the urge to give in to cravings too regularly.
Try some of the following tricks to keep you away from the sweets:
· Get some exercise to distract yourself and stimulate brain chemicals to improve your mood
· Distract yourself by talking with a friend, reading a book, taking a shower, or working on a project around your house
· Avoid keeping high calorie sweets in the house where you’ll have easy access to them in a moment of weakness
· Eat regular meals throughout the day, every 3-4 hours. Skipping meals can make cravings worse.
· Make sure each meal contains adequate protein to keep you satiated and not craving snacks and sweets between meals.
· Try eating a piece of fresh fruit to satisfy your craving. Natural sugar found in fruits can often do the trick and in addition fruits offer vitamins, minerals, and other phytochemicals to promote optimum health.
· When you do decide to indulge, make sure you take the time to enjoy what you are eating. Savor every bite!
Try the following recipe for a tasty dessert full of health benefits:
Baked Pears with Cranberries and Walnuts
Ingredients:
· 3 ripe but firm pears, peeled, cored and quartered
· 1/3 cup pomegranate juice
· 1/2 cup dried cranberries
· 1/4 cup chopped walnuts
Preparation:
Preheat oven to 350 degrees.
Place quartered pears in a baking dish. Drizzle pomegranate juice over pears. Sprinkle cranberries and walnuts over the top. Bake for 20 minutes, or until pears are tender. Serve with juices and fat-free or low fat frozen vanilla yogurt. Serves 4 .