Give into Cravings with These Highly Nutritious Sweet Treats

Many people have a powerful sweet tooth that makes them crave sweets, particularly at certain times of the day, such as in the middle of the afternoon or after dinnertime. While this can be detrimental to a weight loss diet if the cravings are combined with poor food choices. However, some research has shown that allowing yourself to have dessert is actually good for you mentally and physically and may even contribute to weight loss. The key is to make sure you’re choosing the right sweet foods to satisfy your sweet tooth while simultaneously providing yourself with nutrition, not junk food.

The following are some nutritious sweet treats you can enjoy without the guilt of having eaten yet another junk food dessert. Just keep in mind that too much of anything isn’t great for you, so enjoy these treats – and any sweet goodies – in moderation.

• Chocolate dipped berries – Choose organic berries if you can. Options such as strawberries and blueberries go very well with dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa or higher) which should be your option. Even better than buying the ones that are ready-made is melting a couple of squares of dark chocolate to dip the berries yourself. It’s even more sumptuous when you’re eating cool berries with warm, melted chocolate on top. That said, if you want your chocolate to be crunchy, just pop them into the fridge for a few minutes until they harden. These nutritious sweet treats are packed with antioxidants.

• Frozen banana mock-ice cream – Don’t knock this until you try it. Freeze pieces of banana, then toss them into the blender with a few tablespoons of water. Combine with your favorite berries, with dark chocolate (or cocoa powder) or even with chocolate and peanuts. The result is extremely smooth and silky while being excellent for you. If the blender warms the frozen banana too much, just pour it into a bowl and put that in the freezer for a while until it starts to harden again.

• Fresh fruit – Choose your favorite fresh fruits at the grocery store or farmer’s market and you’ll already have a natural sweet treat that is packed with nutrients and fiber. Apples, pineapple, mango, oranges, berries and other fruits are all delicious and satisfying to the sweet tooth as well as to your daily nutrition needs.

• Baked apple – When the weather is cool or cold, this is a very yummy treat that not only tastes great and is filled with nutrition but it makes your entire home smell incredible. Core an apple and sprinkle cinnamon into the hole where the core used to be. Then, bake the apple until it’s soft in an oven or toaster oven. They taste like cinnamon and apple cider baked into a fancy dessert – which is quick to make and inexpensive, too.