Eating sweets can be the pitfall of any healthy diet. Between the temptations of the dessert menu and commercials for cookies and cakes, sweets are hard to avoid. So don’t. There are plenty of ways to satisfy your sweet tooth that are good for you too.

“With sweets, the less you eat them, the less you crave them,” said Kim May, senior dietitian at the Health Education Department.

May suggested always incorporating fruit with desserts. She recommends angel food cake with strawberries and light whipped topping or apples with a little bit of caramel dip as healthy alternatives for chocolates and ice cream.

“Slowly begin to eat fruit as dessert,” May said. “It will save calories, and you’ll get a lot more vitamins and fiber.”

But the biggest enticement may come while you’re eating out. According to May, the average restaurant’s desserts have 1000 calories.

“You’re better off not getting it (dessert) or getting it every once in a while,” May said.

If you can’t live without eating desserts when you’re out, limit yourself to once or twice a week. May also suggests trying desserts from Applebee’s Weight Watchers menu, which has about 200 to 300 calories. Other restaurants are starting to offer lower calorie alternatives that will fulfill the longing for something sweet.

It may be hard at first to make the switch from hot fudge sundaes to fruits, but challenge yourself. Set a realistic goal and work to achieve it. Save those high calorie desserts for special occasions like your birthday or an anniversary.

Healthy Choice
Fruit Salad

Ingredients:
1 cup blueberries
1 cup halved strawberries
1 cup peeled kiwi slices
1 cup canned mandarin orange segments, drained, reserving 2 Tbsp. of the liquid
Light whipped cream topping

Directions:
Toss fruit with reserved orange liquid. Top with spoonful of whipped cream topping. Serve immediately.

Source: www.Kraftfoods.com