Healthy Dessert Options, Does This Exist Around The Holidays

                No matter how discipline you are with your diet, the holiday treats will test your willpower. I don’t know about you but most of the year I am able to keep the sweet treats to a minimum in the house, not around the holidays! It becomes more difficult to say no to desserts when your neighbor is brining you snowflake cookies, your partner has a jar full of green and red m &m’s or your boss has just presented the crew some homemade holiday brownies! So how do we survive this difficult dessert infested time?

                Most desserts are loaded with refined sugars and fat. Dessert foods are not the best bang for your buck when it comes to the use of your calories because the sugars and fats lack nutritional value. There are a few rules of thumb when it comes to sticking to your diet, watching calories and watching portions. The grand rule is sticking to your diet 80% of the time and giving in just a little bit the other 20% of the time. Below are a few tips to help make the 20% a little less negative.

                1. Try to replace your desserts with ingredients that are better for you.

                2. Whole wheat flour is a good substitution for white flour, which is refined so much that there are very little nutrients for your body.

                3. Avoid white refined sugars and replacing them with natural sweeteners such as honey, syrups of fruits.

               4.Stay away from hydrogenated oils or butter. Try substituting these with more natural oils like olive oil or decrease the amount you are using in your recipe.  

               These are a few ways to cut some of the calories and fat from desserts. Below are a list of a few links for dessert recipes that are a little lighter in calories and fat.

http://www.food.com/recipe-collection/easy-dessert/healthy

http://www.joyofbaking.com/healthydesserts/HealthyDessertsandBakingRecipes.html