Healthy Monday: Curbing Your Sweet Tooth

Picture Credit: Boot in the Oven

Easter is over. Do you know what this means? Now when you stroll into any grocery or convenience store, you're bound to happen by the sale table donning a large assortment of pastel colored candies and chocolate bunnies. Sometimes it's impossible to avoid this table, but those sneaky store-setter-uppers place it right in front of the door, in front of the cash register, or maybe they even drop a bag of mini chocolate eggs by your feet and then exclaim, "Oh my! How did those get there?" Indulge if you want my dear. I did. I ate the head off a bunny and it was delicious! But if you're trying to keep the pounds off for your big day, and you gotta have those sweets, consider a few other sugary nibbles.

A Weight Lifted has a great article called "Mindfully Fooling a Sweet Tooth." She's got lots of great suggestions on some health(ier) sweets, but these are some my favorites:

- a piece of perfectly ripe fruit

- Baked pineapple. I prefer fresh, but canned works too. Just lay it on a parchment lined sheet pan and throw it in the oven at about 375 for 15-30 minutes, or until you’re happy with it. (The only way to mess it up is to burn it, so use a timer.)

- An elegant parfait of yogurt and fruit, sometimes with granola or cereal on top for a little crunch.

- Peanut, almond, cashew, sunflower seed, or another nut butter. The protein and fat in nut butters will also help you feel full.

Good luck my friends!