Nutrition - Healthy Desserts On A Budget

Eating a healthy dessert doesn't have to break the bank. While it's true that Twinkies and Ding-Dongs do cost less (in dollars) than quality healthy foods, the cost to our health is truly frightening!

Follow these tips for low-cost healthy desserts:

1) Try fruit. Full of natural sugars, and naturally fat free, fruit is a great dessert choice. Fresh kiwi, apples, pears, plums and oranges can all be found for about 50 cents per serving.

2) Fat-free pudding costs only 79 cents per box and is quite low in calories.

3) Mix one cup of fat-free yogurt with 1/2 cup of frozen berries for an inexpensive and healthy dessert alternative. A cup of yogurt is usually about 45 cents, while a 1 pound bag of frozen berries sells for only $2 (that's 33 cents per serving).

4) Fat-free and sugar-free Jell-O is very inexpensive (about 40 cents per box) and boasts only 5 calories per serving.

5) Mix it up! Combine the healthy Jell-O with some canned fruit, or top with non-fat dairy whipped topping (about 99 cents per 16 oz. container).

6) Fat-free and/or sugar-free frozen yogurt tastes quite good, and with only a fraction of the calories you'll find in ice cream. Remember that a "serving size" is only a 1/2 cup.

7) If you choose to skip dessert altogether, try brushing your teeth immediately after the meal. This will help eliminate the craving for sweets.

8) Try sugar-free chewing gum for dessert. This option will satisfy your sweet tooth while protecting your waistline.

9) If dining in a restaurant, try ordering just one dessert and splitting it. You'll save 1/2 the calories, 1/2 the fat, and 1/2 the money.

10) As a last ditch attempt to resist dessert, tell yourself that you WILL have that dessert - right after you complete a 1/2 hour walk. Right after dinner go out for a 1/2 hour walk. If you still feel like eating dessert when you return, then you can do so knowing that at least you've had some good exercise.