Diet

Tweak of the Week: Soothe Your Sweet Tooth

Keywords: calories, comfort-foods, desserts, food, healthy-dessert, healthy-snacks, holidays, nutrition, sugar, sweet, weight loss

By Shawn McKee
eDiets Contributor

Copious amounts of candy can destroy an otherwise healthy diet. You can find sweet treats just about anywhere you look. The more you obsess about not indulging, the more you will want that sugar fix.

If you’re like me, your sweet tooth kicks in after a good meal — which is still an upgrade from a few years ago when it was an after-dinner cigarette. The key to quieting those cravings without packing on unwanted pounds is making the right choice to quell your cravings — and doing so in moderation.

“If you are looking to tame that sweet tooth, you can opt for a piece of dark chocolate or even dark chocolate-covered raisins or nuts. Fruit would be ideal, but sometimes it just takes a little something to satisfy that craving — just remember portion control. A few slices of a caramel apple or a piece of the ‘fun size’ candy can go a long way,” says eDiets Director of Nutrition Services Pam Ofstein.

Pam recommends taking a few pieces of the individually wrapped candies and putting them in a bag to divvy up when you need a sugar fix. This should help to give you an option for a small treat, so you’re not at the mercy of the vending machine and its full-size candy bars — most of which pack well over 200 calories and several grams of fat. Of course, this plan only works if you can stop at one piece.

“If you are like me and love chocolate, opt for a piece (1 oz) of dark chocolate, which is full of antioxidants, or low-fat candies like tootsie rolls and peppermint patties will soothe your sweet tooth,” suggests Pam.

Stick to the dark chocolate when grabbing a sweet treat, it has less fat than milk chocolate, as well as heart-healthy antioxidants. Plus, dark chocolate is good for your skin!

How to you get your sugar fix without going candy crazy? Let us know and comment below.

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Anonymous

I am not a chocolate person, though I would have a piece of 70% chocolate once in a while, I like pastries with fruit fillings, gummies, that sort of stuff. I find that what helps me are:

1) Trident fruit sugar-free gum (the smell alone is awsome for melong one!),
2) roasted fruit with a drizzle of lemon juice and like a 1/2 tbsp of brown sugar per whole fruit (I usually cut up 2 servings for my hubby's and mine dessert, so 1 tbsp for both of us)
3) a drizzle of honey (less than 1 tsp) on my oatmeal
4) home made small muffins with half whole wheat flour, applesauce, fat free everything, some fruit as 'filler' and splenda for sweetness;
5) 1 to 2 Wothers originals candies at bedtime (20 to 40 calories).
6) Sugar-free jams and jellies.
7) Radishes or crunch cucumbers (not sweet, but they are like candies & counter the sweet cravings!)
8) prunes or dried apricots
9) Watermelon & canteloupe with cinnamon and a bit of yogurt – BIG time!
10) Yogurts.
Anonymous

I read on the internet that eating a dill pickle will kill the craving for sweets. I tried it, and 1 spear did the trick! Might only be the power of suggestion, but hey–whatever works!!

Diet

Tweak of the Week: Soothe Your Sweet Tooth

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