News Taffy

Many people are convinced that my family never eats dessert. I know I push healthy eating and encourage everyone to eat their veggies but trust me, we all have a sweet tooth. I struggle just as much as anyone not to indulge in too many sugary treats. I try to minimize the damage by eating a small treat like a piece of dark chocolate rather getting a milkshake at Sonic. It helps to know how many calories you are getting in a dessert and how long you’d have to exercise to burn those calories. Here is just a sample.

-The average 2 inch square brownie has 243 calories and 35 grams of sugar. You’d need to ride your bike about an hour and 15 minutes to keep those calories from settling on your waist.

-One cup of vanilla ice cream has 270 calories and 28 grams of sugar. Lace up your shoes because you’re going to run for 45 minutes to escape carrying those calories around for life.

When you have a craving, try to make the best choice you can. Always split a dessert with at least one other person but keep in mind that many restaurant desserts are so large they can easily be split between four people. Skip the whip cream or scoop of ice cream on top of your pie altogether to save some calories but if you must have one, choose the whip cream. Four tablespoons of whip cream has just 32 calories while 1/2 cup of vanilla ice cream has about 135. Speaking of ice cream, get a kid cone - even better skip the cone and have them put the scoop in a dish. Get in the habit of measuring out your servings too, don’t guess because you’ll always guess on the larger side.

During the summer, my family enjoys fresh fruit like peaches or berries tossed with 1 tsp. of sugar, a dash of cinnamon and 1 tbsp. of heavy cream per serving. That will cost you about 130 calories or so but you’ll also get some fiber and lots of vitamins. For a little different taste, try grilling halved peaches cut side down a few minutes. While the peaches grill, heat 1/4 cup balsamic vinegar with 1 Tbsp. sugar until slightly thickened. Brush cooked peaches with the balsamic mixture and top with a few crumbles of feta or blue cheese. One half peach is about 145 calories. Don’t forget that eating a perfectly ripe peach, skin and all is a wonderful summertime treat.

I used to prefer milk chocolate, what kid doesn’t? In the last few years, I’ve finally developed a taste for dark chocolate. Now I keep a bag of Ghirardelli chocolate squares around most of the time. My husband and I find that one square of dark chocolate savored after dinner satisfies our craving and only costs us 50 to 70 calories depending on which kind we choose. Plus, you can feel good about dark chocolate as it is full of antioxidants and some fiber! Just don’t fool yourself into thinking you can eat all you want.

You can indulge once in awhile, just be choosy and don’t grab any old thing off the grocery shelf.