Healthy holiday desserts will fend off temptation and keep your nutritious lifestyle on track. If you make smart choices, you’ll enjoy a guilt-free holiday without feeling deprived.
Eating healthy is particularly hard during the holidays. Many people enjoy baking this time of year and some even give baked goods as gifts to friends and neighbors.
Candy is also a popular gift whether it is store bought or homemade. Decorative tins of cookies and candies can be found on most countertops at home and work. It can feel like there are temptations around every corner.
Many desserts are part of family traditions. There’s grandma’s favorite pie or your great aunt’s famous cookie recipe. Some families enjoy baking and decorating sugar or butter cookies together. In many homes you’ll find, gingerbread cookies, sugar cookies coated with colorful icing in the shape of a Christmas tree or other holiday shape, yule log cake and peppermint bark, to name a few.
With the colorful allure of tasty treats so plentiful, it can be hard to satisfy your cravings yet maintain your healthy diet.
Here are a few ways you can cut calories and enjoy holiday treats.
Healthy holiday desserts
Whether you are hosting a holiday party or going to a friend or family member’s, there are things you can do to reduce your calorie count.
If you are invited to a holiday dinner, take a healthy yet tasty dessert that is sure to be a big hit. Cookies are convenient and tasty treats that are easy to take with you. Try finding a healthy recipe such as the easy 5-Ingredient Vegan Gluten-Free Cookies we’ve included with this blog post.
When baking, you can make substitutions for certain ingredients to make a traditional dessert healthier. Try to reduce the calories by avoiding too much butter, replace 1 egg with two egg whites, use fat-free versions of creamy ingredients, use reduced-fat cheeses and use applesauce instead of oil, margarine or butter in baked items.
Here are some healthy holiday desert recipes.
In addition to using healthy ingredients, at mealtime, use smaller dinner plates and snack on fruits and vegetables prior to the big meal. Don’t go overboard on the desserts and don’t go back for seconds.
If you do find yourself indulging in decadent desserts, just remember to cut calories elsewhere (but don’t give up the nutrients your body needs) and increase exercise. Take a walk before dessert, for example.
With moderation and some tasty alternatives, you can enjoy the holidays without upsetting your healthy lifestyle or increasing your waist size. Relax and enjoy the holidays. Happy Holidays!