At this point, we’re nearly two weeks into the new year. How’s your resolution to eat healthy going? Following a fad diet is hard enough; lifestyle changes are even harder. However, if you’ve made it this far, don’t give up now! The first couple weeks of any sort of lifestyle changes, whether that’s eating, exercise, or something else entirely, are the hardest adjustment period. If you find yourself craving nothing but flaky buttery pastry or frosting covered treats, use that as motivation to get creative! Desserts don’t have to be the diet killer; use the following healthy dessert ideas to eat better while still enjoying your favorites!
Make Small Changes
One of the hardest parts of any lifestyle change is figuring out where to start. Maybe, for you, healthy eating means getting rid of every package of pre-made cookies and bag of chips in the pantry. Cutting out junk food is an excellent idea, but if you know you can’t go cold-turkey, help your eating habits improve by making small changes and enjoy healthy desserts.
Use More Fruit
If you crave a bit of sweet at the end of a meal, keep some naturally sweet options at hand. Berries, with or without a bit of dark chocolate, can provide that sweet bite that will keep you from reaching for cookies.
If baked goods are what you need, there are plenty of healthy dessert recipes that will teach you how to substitute fruits for the less healthy sugars and fats in a recipe. To cut down on fat, you can replace 1 cup of oil with 1 cup of mashed banana in any cookie, cake, or brownie recipe. If you’re looking to reduce sugar, replace the required sugar in batter recipes with unsweetened applesauce.
Play With Flours
With so many people going gluten free for allergy or health reasons, there are plenty of alternatives to wheat flour available. If you’re not a great baker, start simply; replace a quarter to a half of the required amount of flour with a whole wheat or nut option (you may need a touch more liquid). For more adventurous bakers, try replacing your flour with coconut flour; you will need an extra egg if your recipe isn’t already adjusted for the difference.
Replace The Oil
Instead of using the called-for cup of vegetable oil or butter, replace the oil or fat in a recipe with heart-healthy alternatives. Avocado can be swapped in equal proportions for butter; it will provide an extra richness to chocolate batters in particular. For baked goods like muffins or scones, replace the butter/oil with chia seeds. Let 2 to 3 tablespoons soak in a cup of water for 15 minutes before you need them, then replace a cup of butter or oil.
Shop Lord de Pastry
At Lord de Pastry, we pride ourselves on baking the best products we can. This means we use the best natural ingredients to make our treats. Our pastries are all made with natural ingredients and are preservative free so you know you’re getting the best quality goodies. Many of our pastries, like our Nazook, come with a low-sugar option to make our delicious desserts even more healthy. See all our healthy pastry options here.
If baking your own healthier treats isn’t in the cards for you for whatever reason, whether it’s time or skill, don’t worry! At Lord de Pastry, we provide a variety of healthy low sugar desserts and other pastry options that will let you have that bite of sweet while staying on track. Check out our healthy pastry options then find a distributor near you! Call today for more information on our healthy desserts and pastries!
