How to Make Healthy Desserts
Americans love deserts. Unfortunately we've borne the consequences of too much sugar, saturated fat and refined carbohydrates. With a bit of rethinking we can still have the satisfaction of eating deserts if we plan them to be healthy. Let's look at the elements that cause us problems and how they can be redone. Does this Spark an idea?
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Instructions
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Fat is essential for health. Unfortunately, we eat too much of it and the wrong kinds. Hydrogenated fat in most baked goods lowers the good cholesterol while raising the bad. Saturated fat in ice cream raises the bad cholesterol. However, there is a great source of desert fat that is very healthy for us, doing what good fat should, reducing bad cholesterol and raising the good. The fat source is soy, or tofu. Today there are tasty versions of soy ice cream, frosting, and pudding.
Another healthy source of fat is from nuts, like peanuts, almonds and cashews. In all cases be aware that fat has more than twice the number of calories of protein and carbohydrates, nine vs. four, so use them moderately but enjoy their taste.
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Chocolate is one of nature's most sublime flavors. It's extremely complex with mood elevating flavonoids. In recent tests it's been shown to relax blood vessels. If you choose richly flavored mildly sweetened dark chocolate, very little goes a long way. Avoid milk chocolate or any with hydrogenated oils, or white chocolate which is nothing but cocoa butter, sugar and vanilla.
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White flour is one of the worst foods ever known. It is so over refined that it has to have nutrients added back to it before it can be legally sold. Yet you do have the option of baking cakes, brownies and deserts with whole grain mixes from goodbaker.com, or buying whole grain baked goods at Whole Foods Market or Trader Joes.
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Sweetening is problematic. High fructose corn syrup is the most popular sweetener that Americans consume. It's cheaper than table sugar and has taken up the production slack as more people are avoiding hydrogenated fat in corn oil derived margarine. There is no causal relationship established yet between the growing consumption of HFCS and America's obesity epidemic, but some nutritionists hypothesize that there is a link. HFCS is a sweetener without any nutritional value.
Sucralose is the low-calorie sweetener made from sugar that most resembles it in taste. Over the past twenty years, most studies have concluded that Sucralose is a safe sugar alternative. It can be used for baking in contrast to Aspartame which tends to break down and lose a lot of its sweetness. Still since their introduction, artificial sweeteners have been caught in controversy. Saccharin, the oldest artificial sweetener is a derived from petrochemicals. It is still available, but was nearly banned by the FDA. Cyclamates, another source of artificial sweetening, were also banned. Should you use artificial sweeteners? Purists say no, however in occasional moderate use, they are probably better for you than HFCS or table sugar, i.e. sucrose.
In contrast, honey is as natural as it gets: a mix of fructose and glucose with other sugars at 64 calories a tablespoon. Plus it tastes great. -
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From a health perspective, the best source of sweetness in dessert is fruit. Fruits are rich in fructose, so they should be consumed with protein to prevent a quick rise in blood sugar. The most nutritious fruits are grapes and berries which are laden with anti-oxidants
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This is one of my favorite recipes that combines the best of what I outlined. It's simple to prepare and will have your family clamoring for more. Feel free to substitute the fresh fruit of your choice.
Grape Yogurt Dessert
Yield - 4 servings
• 24 ounces of non fat Yogurt
• 1 tablespoon of natural vanilla
• 1 ½ tablespoons of honey
• 1 ounce of slivered almonds
• 1 medium bunch of sweet seedless red grapes
Blend your choice of non fat yogurt with the vanilla and honey. Mix a dozen sweet seedless red grapes in each cup of the yogurt. Spoon the mix into desert dishes and place into the freezer just at the point when you begin cooking your main course. When you finish with dinner, your desert will be ready. Sprinkle with slivered almonds before serving.
This desert is rich in protein, resveratrol from the grape skins, and vitamin E from the almonds.
Calories per person 295
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Tips & Warnings
Don't go overboard with dessert. Eat small servings slowly, lingering over them.
As a side note, a non dairy soy creamer is a lot healthier than any with trans fat.
