If you’ve ever been on a healthy eating streak, you know the more you think about not eating junk food, the more you feel like you absolutely must eat junk food.
Isn’t that the way it goes, though? Most things that taste really good are typically bad for us.
And if you have a sweet tooth, trying to eat healthy can prove to be much tougher than you bargained for. Because, for the sweet-toothed crowd, sugar and sweets are tougher than anything else to give up cold-turkey.
The process goes like this: You’ll eat wonderfully for a few days, refraining from all temptation from desserts and sweets, but sooner or later you cave. You end up giving in to that chocolate pie or donut craving, and when it’s all said and done, you’ve actually eaten more junk food in one “cheat meal” than you would have had you not been holding yourself back from it in the first place.
One solution to that problem is to not force yourself to avoid desserts, but to crave desserts that are better for you.
The truth is, it’s entirely possible to eat and enjoy dessert again, even if you’re on a diet. You just have to retrain your taste buds by eating healthier desserts, and as always, you have to know where to draw the line.
And if you’re thinking that healthy desserts are too expensive for you to make on a regular basis, guess again.
The following desserts are not only worthy of your healthy meal plan, but they’re also affordable and easy to pick up at your local grocery store.
So if you’re looking for a way to fit the joy of desserts back into your healthy lifestyle, here are 7 dessert options that will not only fill the dessert gap in your life, but also won’t destroy your budget in the process.
I love these things, and you will too. They’re made with real, natural ingredients without the added junk, and they taste great. Grab a couple of these next time you want to indulge in something sweet, and you’ll forget you’re even making a trade-off for something better for you.
My favorite is the Oatmeal Raisin Flax Soft-Baked cookie. You won’t be disappointed.
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 4.5g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Sugars: 7g
Price: Around $3-4 for a box (Save money by using Kashi coupons from Dealspotr)
If you’re an ice cream lover, frozen yogurt is a good alternative to get your fix. Although frozen yogurt isn’t necessarily leaps and bounds ahead of ice cream on the health front, it does offer probiotics and other health benefits.
The key to keeping your frozen yogurt snack reasonable is to try to get variations with fruit instead of opting for the more decadent versions with tons of added toppings and flavors. Try Blue Bunny’s Strawberry Banana Frozen Yogurt if you’re undecided.
Calories: 100
Total Fat: 2g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Sugars: 17g
Price: Varies, but usually you can find it for $2-3 for 1.75 qt. (Save money by using Blue Bunny coupons from Dealspotr)
Speaking of frozen treats, Outshine’s Fruit Bars are just right for curbing your sweet tooth in hot weather. They have several varieties, but the Strawberry/Raspberry/Tangerine No Sugar Added is pretty good, and you can switch it up each time you want a snack.
Calories: 25
Total Fat: 0g
Saturated Fat: 0g
Sugars: 1g
Price: Around $4-5 for a box of 12
Let’s be honest, there’s nothing like good chocolate. So why not skip all the extra garbage and get straight to the goods with a pure dark chocolate bar. Dark chocolate fills you up, and it actually provides nutritional benefits like fiber, iron, antioxidants, and more.
I recommend trying the Lindt 70% or 85% dark chocolate bars. Grab a couple of them from the grocery store, throw them in your freezer, and break of a few pieces whenever you start craving sweets.
Calories: 180
Total Fat: 14g
Saturated Fat: 8g
Sugars: 10g
Price: Around $3 per bar (Save money by using Lindt coupons from Dealspotr)
If you’re looking for something rich, bite-sized, and portable, Skinny Cow’s Dark Chocolate Dreamy Clusters will do the trick. They provide the benefits of dark chocolate, and the portions are small enough to keep you from overindulging.
Calories: 120
Total Fat: 6g
Saturated Fat: 4g
Sugars: 9g
Price: Around $4 for 6 pouches (Save money by using Skinny Cow coupons from Dealspotr)
You know we can’t talk about healthy desserts without talking about good ole fashioned fruit. After all, I like to think of fruit as the original dessert - before there were Snickers bars and Chips Ahoy.
Probably the most popular fruit-dessert is chocolate-dipped strawberries. You’ll get the benefit of the fruit, with the taste of chocolate. Win-win.
Calories: Around 160 for 4 (source)
Total Fat: Around 8g
Saturated Fat: Around 4g
Sugars: Varies, but somewhere around 10-20g is probably a good estimate
Price: Varies depending on where and how you buy them; Could be as little as $1-2 per serving
This might be my favorite “dessert” of all time. It almost doesn’t qualify as a dessert because it’s such a healthy option. You might not be a peanut butter lover like I am, but if you even halfway enjoy it, I would strongly encourage you to give it a try. You’ll do your body all kinds of favors by getting used to substituting sweets for fruit, even if you have to add an ingredient or two to liven that fruit up.
Calories: 200
Total Fat: 5g
Saturated Fat: 1g
Sugars: Around 30g
Price: Bought separately, they can be pretty cheap, but bought together in a pack, you can usually find them for around $1-2 per pack
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