In my opinion, dessert is the perfect ending to a great meal. If you’re following a healthy diet, you may not necessarily have to avoid that delicious piece of cake, just forgo the calories by choosing desserts lower in fat and sugar.
A few examples of healthy desserts:
- Fruit – fresh, frozen, canned or dried
- Diet yogurt
- Fruit yoghurt smoothies
- A few squares of dark chocolate
- Fruit crumble with oats, nuts and wholemeal flour
- Low fat custard or rice pudding
- Low fat ice cream
- Frozen low fat yogurt
- Sorbet
- Jelly
Recipe modification:
Revising recipes may require some trial and error, however it’s worth persevering. Look out for new recipes, which are low in fat and sugar – no matter what your favourite dessert is, you should be able to find a healthier version.
- Use olive or canola oil in place of butter or shortening.
- Replace half the flour with whole grain flour to increase fibre content.
- Cut back on sugar, and sweeten desserts by adding fruit to recipes instead.
- Replace full fat items, such as milk, cream, cream cheese, with a lower fat version.
Lemon Frozen Yoghurt
Preparation time 10 minutes, plus 2 hours draining and freezing
Serves 6-8
Ingredients:
- 1 litre low fat vanilla yoghurt
- 185ml lemon juice
- 185g caster sugar
- 60ml light corn syrup
- 1 tsp finely grated lemon rind
- 1/2 tsp vanilla essence
Directions:
- Place the yoghurt in a fine sieve over a bowl and leave it to drain in the fridge for a at least 2 hours. Discard the liquid that drains off.
- Place the remaining ingredients in a bowl and whisk together until the sugar dissolves. Add drained yoghurt and whisk in well.
- If you have an ice-cream machine, pour the mixture into it and churn according to the maker’s instructions. Otherwise, place the mixture in a shallow metal tray and freeze for 2 hours, or until the mixture is frozen around the edges. Transfer to a large bowl and beat until smooth. Repeat this step three times. For the final freezing, place in an airtight container, cover the surface with a piece of greaseproof paper and lid, and freeze for 4 hours or overnight.
Nutritional Information: Fat 0.5g; Protein 8g; Carbohydrate 48g; Dietary fibre 0g; 230 kcal (955KJ).
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{ 3 comments… read them below or add one }
Another dessert option is to make that weighty pound cake, but cut smaller slices and serve them with mounds of fresh berries. And use the whipped, frozen yogurt instead of custard or cream.
A dessert that my wife has made a few times, and one the kids have really enjoyed, is two squares of graham cracker with fat-free cool whip in the middle. Freeze these and they are a great substitute for an icecream sandwich.
I believe this was a weight watchers idea she found but I don’t recall specific nutritional info.
Family Nutritionist and Derek – many thanks for your suggestions! I always love to hear the ideas others have come up with!
These are great suggestions!