One of the biggest misconceptions about healthy eating is that it means depriving oneself of everything delicious.
It’s common knowledge that everyone’s favorite desserts, Oreos, Chips Ahoy, Tostitos, and Twinkies, don’t exactly make the cut for a healthy eater’s shopping list.
The key is to find desserts and snacks that are made with wholesome ingredients that you can recognize and pronounce. Such foods like coconut, fruit and dark chocolate can be eaten individually or combined with other healthy ingredients to make a delicious treat (minus the guilt).
Here are my top five tricks to satisfy one’s sugar cravings while still maintaining a healthful regime:
1. Nothin’ But Cookies
Nothin’ But is a brand of foods that offers healthy options of your favorite snacks. Granola bars and cookies are two of their main sellers, however, they lack the excess added sugar and other unhealthful ingredients that other granola and cookies contain.
Sugar is one of the body’s biggest enemies as it is linked to many diseases and disorders such as heart disease. It is important to choose foods that your body is comfortable digesting rather than things such as sugar and chemicals that destroy your bodily systems.
Where to buy? Gold’s Deli and Stew Leonard’s
2. Arogya Genmai Matcha Tea
Tea is my favorite liquid pleasure. It is essentially guilt-free as it has no calories, sugar, or additives (check the label to make sure this is true. Some companies have been getting sneaky by adding chemicals and sugar to their teas).
Arogya Genmai Matcha Tea is a blend of green tea and toasted brown rice. It is warm, comforting, and will surely subdue any craving.
Where to buy? Arogya
3. Roasted Coconut Chips
When choosing a dessert, it is all about picking something that will satisfy your sweet tooth without damaging your systems. It is always best to go with the foods that are closest to their most whole and natural form, such as roasted coconut chips.
Coconuts are extremely nutritious partly because of their rich fat content. They are also naturally sweet, meaning no added sugar is necessary to make this a decadent dessert.
Where to buy? Roasted Coconut can be found at Trader Joes.
4. Dark Chocolate
Although chocolate is often a warning sign for an unhealthy dessert, dark chocolate is the big exception.
Dark chocolate is extremely healthy, so much so, that it is considered to be a superfood.
However, it is important to make sure that you choose a dark chocolate with a high cocoa content (at least 70%). Because of its rich flavor, you will only need to have a few squares of dark chocolate to feel completely satisfied.
Where to buy? Trader Joe’s and Whole Foods
5. Fruit
Fruit has many nutritional benefits including those of vitamins, fiber, minerals, and antioxidants. They are also extremely sweet due to their high content of natural sugar (natural sugar is much different than added sugars and is completely safe).
Fruits such as pineapple, watermelon, and peaches are sure to satisfy any sweet craving. It is important to try to get most of your fruit organically and GMO free, as food is best in its most whole, undisturbed, and natural form.
Where to buy? Farmers Markets
