Many people struggle with cravings from their sweet tooth, but most candy is made from sugar, food dyes, chemical additives and artificial flavors that make them very unhealthy on top of providing very little nutritional value for their high calorie content.
Eating candy can actually increase your risk for cavities, obesity, and type 2 diabetes among other health issues. But sometimes that craving is so strong it is hard to resist the tempting sweeties. For those wanting to indulge the craving but stick to a balanced diet there are plenty of healthier choices rather than grabbing that highly processed candy, and we’ve collected just a few healthy alternatives to help you make better choices.
Fresh fruit is naturally sweet and loaded with fiber, vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants that can stomp out that sweet craving while providing a wealth of benefits. Strawberries are one of the most popular choices, one cup contains 46 calories, 3 grams of fiber, and 94% of the daily recommended value for vitamin C.
Dried fruit is a source of highly concentrated nutrients and sugar, being dehydrated makes the fruit even sweeter and more calorie dense than fresh fruit, so keep an eye on portion control, and make sure that it doesn’t contain added sugars.
Homemade popsicles provide all of the benefits of fruit and a cold sweet treat without extra sugar and artificial ingredients of ones purchased in a shop. They are easy to make by simply blending your choice of fruit(s) with water and pouring the mixture into molds or cups with a stick to freeze, you can even use yogurt for a more creamy texture.
Fruit based ice cream can also be made at home by blending frozen fruit with optional items such as yogurt, peanut butter, honey or coconut milk and then freezing the mixture. For example cut one large banana into slices and one cup of frozen strawberries into halves, blend with a half cup of coconut milk and a tablespoon of peanut butter until smooth and then freeze.
Frozen fruit makes another prefect frozen sweetie. Frozen fruit preserves the nutrients of fresh fruit if it is fully ripened before freezing. You can purchase frozen fruit at a shop or DIY at home to make an almost perfect snack and way to use up ripened fruit before it goes to waste. You can even coat them with yogurt to make it an extra special treat. Cover a tray with parchment paper, stab your choice of fruit(s) with a toothpick and dip it into the yogurt to place on the sheet to freeze overnight.
Fruit and veggies chips make a great alternative to traditional chips while boosting your intake of fruit and vegetables which may help to lower the risks for heart disease, obesity, diabetes, and certain cancers. You can buy them at a shop or make them at home to control what gets added to them. There are many websites that have a variety of recipes to help you make you own which are fairly quick and easy.
Homemade fruit roll ups are a chewy and sweet treat that is full of nutrients, and a way better option than store bought. Any fruit(s) can be used but choosing one such as mango which is high in sugar means you won’t have to add much sweeteners. Blend 2-3 cups of mangoes until smooth, add 2-3 tablespoons of honey and 2 tablespoons of lemon juice into the mangoes and mix, then pour the mixture onto a parchment lined baking sheet. Place it in the oven at 140-170 degrees F or the lowest temperature on the oven to bake for 4-6 hours. Allow this to cool before removing from tray to cut into strips, then wrap with parchment paper before rolling them up.
Energy balls are typically made of oats, nut butter, flax seeds, and dried fruit wholesome ingredients to provide a sweet treat loaded with fiber, protein and healthy fats that will help to keep you feeling full. These can contain pretty much anything from protein powder to peanut butter or chocolate chips, they can have a lot of calories depending on ingredients. One of these easiest to make is by taking ½ cup chopped raw almonds, ½ cup chopped raw walnuts, one cup of raisins, 3 chopped pitted dates, ½ teaspoon of cinnamon, and ½ teaspoon of vanilla extract and blend into a sticky mixture, roll into one inch balls, then roll the balls in shredded coconut until coated.
Trail mix is another easy to make sweet treat that typically combines nuts, seeds, grains, dried fruits, and chocolate to provide protein and fiber along with many other beneficial plant compounds. Versions bought in a store are often full of added sugars and chemicals, so it is a better option to make your own using ingredients like cashews, cranberries, pretzels, sunflower seeds, pumpkin seeds, almonds, and dark chocolate chips.
Avocado chocolate pudding contains healthy fats, fiber, vitamins, minerals and other healthy beneficial plant compounds. To make this simply blend cocoa powder, honey, and some avocado to make a nice creamy pudding.
Baked apples not only smell fantastic but they make a yummy treat loaded with vitamins, minerals, and fiber. Cut a bunch of apples into chunks, place on some melted coconut oil with some cinnamon on a tray to bake in the oven at 350 degrees F for 20-30 minutes.
There are many other options that can be made at home such as tart cherry gummy worms, sugar baked chickpeas, dark chocolate covered berries, chocolate coconut and banana chips, and honey roasted nuts, really the choices are endless depending on what you crave to replace consuming store bought unhealthy candy that is loaded with sugar and additives. The next time your sweet tooth is giving you a hard time why not try making yourself a nutritious sweetie at home to snack on.
