Low-Calorie Dessert Options to Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth

It happens to almost every single dieter out there – you’re going about your diet plan, doing everything practically perfectly, and then a craving strikes. Perhaps it’s for a piece of chocolate cake. Maybe it’s for some cookies. Or, you could be craving the largest slice of cheesecake on the face of the planet.

Whatever your sweet tooth wants, you have a craving for food you shouldn’t have, and it’s all you can think about.

What do you do?

Do you let this strong feeling cause you to veer off your diet, enjoy every second of it while you indulge, but then deal with the feelings of guilt after? If that’s your typical course of action, you need to set a better pattern in place.

Rather than feeling miserable about satisfying your love of dessert, why not think up a healthier option? If you get creative, there are plenty of choices out there that you can dig into instead.

The Details:

  • Protein pudding. Prepare a box of low-sugar, fat-free pudding according to package directions, adding a scoop of chocolate protein powder into the mix.
  • Fruit with vanilla yogurt. Dress up healthy fruit with vanilla yogurt, but don’t use the pre-flavored kind, which is full of added sugar. Simply mix one cup chopped fruit with 1/2 cup plain non-fat yogurt and 1/2 tsp. pure vanilla extract.
  • Oatmeal balls. Mix together oatmeal, protein powder, honey and natural peanut butter into small balls, and then serve as a protein-packed, sweet treat.
  • One ounce of very dark chocolate. Dark chocolate contains plenty of antioxidants and is a healthy choice as long as you consume it in moderation.
  • Hot chocolate. Prepare a mug of hot chocolate. With 8 oz. low-fat milk, use chocolate protein powder rather than the sugar-filled cocoa mix.
  • Mock cheesecake. Starting with reduced-fat cream cheese, add some low-calorie sweetener like stevia, a small amount of Greek yogurt, and a swirl of natural fruit spread (essentially a no-sugar-added jam).
  • Chocolate milkshake. Prepare a healthy shake using one scoop of chocolate protein powder, 1/2 cup Greek yogurt, 1/2 cup skim milk, 1/2 tsp. vanilla extract, 2–3 ice cubes and 1/2 tsp. Xanthan gum. It’ll be thick just like the real thing.
  • Baked cinnamon apples. Slice up an apple, sprinkle with cinnamon and powdered low-calorie sweetener, and place in the oven to bake for 5–10 minutes or until tender.
  • Sweet potato fries. Cut up a sweet potato, sprinkle with cinnamon and a small amount of brown sugar, and then bake until crispy.
  • Protein crepes. Combine a scoop of unflavored protein powder with two egg whites, and cook like a typical pancake. Smear with peanut butter, and top with a sliced banana.

The Bottom Line:

Little did you know you could have so many dessert choices even as you go about your weight loss diet plan. If you select these rather than the typical high-sugar, high-calorie choices, you can easily satisfy your cravings while hardly making a dent in your diet plan.

Just remember to account for the calories in your total intake, and you will easily be able to give into temptation from time to time so your appetite stays in check for the long haul.