Written by Mia Davis
Balance and moderation is the best approach to most aspects of life, and particularly when it comes to eating habits. For most people that are having trouble losing some pounds or maintaining a certain weight, the problem is sugar. Food, in general, is a dangerous temptation, but desserts have a way of drawing us to the dark side like no other meal. So what to do when you dream of cakes and chocolate but also want to be healthy and fit? Is the diet version of dessert a good option?
What to do if you love sweets?
If you are one of the lucky people who don’t feel that crazy urge to devour a massive piece of chocolate cake, a creamy ice cream, or a strawberry mousse, I envy you! I would use a sharper word, but that wouldn’t be nice at all. For the rest of us, the ones who can’t imagine going through life without indulging our sweet tooth, there are two options.
Option one
You can try to get your favorite desserts in the light version. It would be even better to make it yourself. That way, you know exactly what it contains; you can be sure there is no extra sugar, and you can avoid harmful and artificial preservatives. However, I see a few flaws in this strategy. First, you must have the time and patience to make those desserts.
Then, it’s a matter of quantity. Most recipes are for several portions, and once you have all that goodness in front of you, it won’t be easy to stick to a small piece. The temptation will be strong, especially since you know how much you worked to create it. Speaking of temptation, let me point out another danger. When you know the dessert in front of you is lower in calories, you may be tempted to have more. Just a little bit more, it’s diet dessert, after all. And that’s a slippery road.
Option two
Instead of looking for the diet version of your beloved desserts, you can choose to have the real thing, only not so often and in small portions. To me, that’s the preferable alternative. Up to this point, I haven’t found a light dessert recipe that can be compared to the original version, when it comes to taste. That doesn’t mean they don’t exist; maybe I just haven’t tried hard enough. But I think having a delicious treat now and then, not very often, can work wonders on the mind of someone trying to lose weight.
So which is better?
In my experience, when I knew I was allowed a little dessert once or twice a week, I accepted the rest of the meals much easier, even if they were ‘diet menus.’ Just the thought that I will enjoy a little cake in a few days made me feel better. Severe restrictions aren’t that helpful in a diet; all they will accomplish is to make you feel frustrated and upset.
In the end, we must all choose what is better for each of us, and what we find to work well. Light desserts don’t work for me; they make me feel like I cheated on my diet but had no satisfaction from the ‘affair.’ So I rather have a really delicious treat when I can. And I think I am entitled to one because guess what? I haven’t killed anyone (yet) to suffer such a harsh punishment. I kid, of course, but the fact is these little sweet treats help me get one step closer to a healthier way of eating. Because if I don’t feel restricted and punished, I am more likely to stick to this lifestyle. The main challenge is to maintain moderation.