Healthy Dessert Tips and Tricks for Christmas
Despite the Holidays being a fair deal away yet, before you know it it’ll be time to defrost the turkey, break out the stuffing, stock up on Christmas pudding, heavy cream, custard, and other sweet and calorific treats, only to find by the New Year that you’re heavier than ever before.
The holidays are fun, and treating yourself now and then at Christmas is perfectly acceptable. The problem is that a lot of us tend to go overboard and eat too many calories and too much junk, and then feel disgusted in ourselves when our elasticated loungewear begins to feel tight on us.
One of the main reasons why we gain so much fat over the holidays, is due to the sheer amount of desserts and sweet treats that we consume.
If you are looking to lose/maintain your weight but still enjoy the occasional sweet treat and dessert over Christmas however, we’ve got just the ticket.
Here’s a look at several health dessert tips and tricks for Christmas.
Use almond flour or wholewheat flour instead of white
Okay, certain recipes out there require refined white flour, so switching them with wholewheat flour may not taste great, but if a recipe will allow it, switching up your flours so that you avoid white flour is certainly healthier.
Refined white flour is heavily processed, it may be bleached, it has a high Glycaemic Index, and it offers virtually no nutrition at all. On the flipside, almond flour is natural, much lower in carbohydrates, is virtually sugar-free, offers more nutrition, and works great in some recipes too.
Wholewheat flour is healthier too, as it has far fewer sugars, it has a lower G.I, it is rich in B vitamins, iron, and other minerals, and it is lower in calories too and higher in fiber.
If you want a compromise, why not mix wholewheat with almond flour?
Use dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate
As hard to believe as it may be, but dark chocolate is actually considered a superfood.
Dark chocolate is much lower in sugars, it is crammed full of antioxidants and minerals such as zinc and iron, it is nutritious, and it is lower in calories and unhealthy fats.
Rather than making for example, milk chocolate chip cookies with white flour and milk chocolate, how about making dark chocolate chip cookies with almond flour instead?
When using dark chocolate, look for one with a minimum of 70% cocoa content.
Use natural sweeteners
Let’s face it, 99.9% of the time, if it is a dessert, it is going to taste sweet and usually desserts get their sweetness from sugar or artificial sweeteners.
The problem with sugar is that it is high in calories and is refined so can lead to spikes in insulin, weight gain, hormonal imbalances, an increased risk of diabetes, and more besides. As for artificial sweeteners, they may be calorie-free and sugar-free, but that doesn’t make them healthy. Many of them have been linked with chronic health conditions, so it is best to avoid them.
Instead of sugar or chemical sweeteners, use natural sweeteners such as honey, stevia, or maple syrup. Okay, these may contain calories and natural sugars, but low calorie does not necessarily mean healthy, just as high calorie doesn’t necessarily mean unhealthy.
Use frozen yoghurt instead of ice cream
If you are craving a bowl of ice cream, or if you want something sweet and creamy to serve as an accompaniment to your dessert, use frozen yoghurt instead of ice cream.
Frozen yoghurt is much lower in calories and fats, it contains less sugar, it is higher in protein, and it is much better for you.