Healthy Sweets

Your sweet tooth has gotten you into lots of trouble over the years. All those diets you abandoned for a slice of cake, all the extra calories you took in ‘just to have a taste of something sweets before bed. Where has it gotten you? Into pants that are another size larger. Into your doctor’s office for another lecture. Into a body that you no longer enjoy.

Yes, sweet treats sure are tempting, but the life-long repercussions far outweigh the momentary pleasure.
To help you conquer your sweet tooth, I’ve identified the 5 sweet traps you should avoid, as well as a healthy substitute for each.

Sweet Trap #1: Candy

Nothing gets refined sugar circulating through your body quicker than a fistful of candy—and if you’re in the habit of eating candy daily then your body will crave it. Candy has virtually no nutritional value, other than caloric energy, and will quickly end up stored in your body in the form of unwanted, annoying fat.

Try This: Swap your sickly-sweet candy out for a handful of unsalted nuts, a few pieces of unsweetened, dried fruit, or a small square of very dark chocolate (at least 72% cocoa content).

Sweet Trap #2: Baked Goods

Cake, cookies, brownies, pastries, donuts, and pies are popular vehicles for sugar consumption. While these may not taste as sweet as candy, the combination of refined sugar and white flour will spike your blood sugar just the same. Very much like candy, regularly eating baked goods may become a habit. Break yourself of this and you’ll find the number on your scale going down rather than up.

Try This: Put down the cookie and reach for a piece of fresh, seasonal fruit. Fruit is nature’s candy and is every bit as blissful as a slice of cake. Serving a beautiful fruit platter to guests can be as delightful as any baked treat.

Sweet Trap #3: Ice Cream

Nothing makes you feel as happy and carefree as a bowl of creamy ice cream…until that ice cream makes its permanent home on your waist. Very much like candy, ice cream has few nutritional benefits.
Try This: Let’s face it, cold, creamy, and sweet make a delicious combination. Create a healthy protein-packed ice cream with the recipe below.

Sweet Trap #4: Soda

A regular can of soda pop contains the equivalent of 10 packets of sugar. That’s more sugar than you should consume in a week’s time! Soda pop is something that you get into the habit of drinking and doing without thinking. The good news is that a habit can be broken and then replaced with something healthier.

Try This: Take soda pop out of your diet. Period. There are plenty of other, healthier, beverages available to you. Try the recipes for Spa Water below.

Sweet Trap #5: Blended Drinks

Smoothies, blended coffee drinks, and milkshakes are all tempting treats, especially in the hot summer months. Don’t give in to the temptation!
These items are even more deadly than most treats since they are consumed through a straw and don’t make you feel full. Let me assure you that even though you don’t feel full like you would after a piece of cake, you’re still taking in a boatload of sugary calories.

Try This: Make your own healthy blended drinks at home by using natural sweeteners like stevia, or simply by using fruit. Take the ice cream recipe below, add non-fat milk and mix in the blender for a high-protein milkshake. Eliminating refined sugar from your diet will do so much for your health, as well as your weight.
A great thing to remember is that once you’ve fallen out of the habit of eating sugar, your body will no longer crave it.

This means that each day spent in discipline will bring you closer to the day that sugar no longer has a hold over you. Imagine how slimmer and healthier you will be! Eating healthy is half of the battle when it comes to fitness and wellness. The other, equally important, side is maintaining a regular, challenging exercise program.

For an exercise program to be challenging it must always be changing.