Most of us have a sweet tooth – it’s just in our nature. We love having a little sweet treat here and there, but most of the time we go overboard. It never ends up just being ‘here and there’ but more like ‘everywhere’.
So, Nutrition Specialist Laney has decided to bring you a video about how you can be smarter and more conscious about enjoying the sweet things in life to ensure you still make progress on your fitness journey!
I know it sounds impossible, but believe me, keep reading and you’ll see just how feasible it is.
WAIT! Laney recommends if you have not watched her Baking From Scratch or Sugar videos, you should do so before continuing. Those are linked below!
Now, if you’ve watched them or decided you could still read this without watching the others, welcome. If you’d like to check this video out click below, but if you’re here to read, keep on!
I want to start off by telling you that deserts are NOT created equal. There are tons of options ranging from 90 calories – 1,000 calories.
So, where is the happy medium? How do you know which you should choose? Let’s get into it.
Today’s Topics
- How Diet Culture Promotes a Restrict & Binge Cycle
- What Are Good Dessert Options?
- Flour, Cream, and Sugar Oh My!
- How Do Calories and Desserts Work Together?
How Diet Culture Promotes a Restrict & Binge Cycle
In our diet-loving culture, we tend to live our lives in the binge-eating cycle where we just eat what we want, not caring about calories or any other factors. Then, we’re surprised when we gain weight so we switch to a restrictive diet where we just eat lettuce and salmon.
There’s no dessert or variety so after a few days or weeks we give up because the diet is bland and/or we don’t see the results we were wanting.
Many times, when this happens people will give themselves a ‘cheat day’ or a ‘cheat weekend’ where they’ll try to cram as many calorie-packed foods and desserts into their day as possible.
This shocks your metabolism because you just went days or weeks with no sugar and fewer calories, and you just ate over 1,000 calories in sugar all at once. Your body doesn’t know how to handle it so you start having issues with metabolism and blood sugar levels – not to mention psychologically with consistency in your life.
This type of behavior is EXACTLY what we want to avoid, and that’s why Laney made this blog!
So, this is what you DO NOT want to do! No restricting sweets from your diet entirely to end up binging on 1,000s of calories of it later that leaves you with a stomach ache for days.
What Are Good Dessert Options?
Laney has recently found a brand of sweet treats – resembling that of a Snickers! – that uses organic ingredients, real cane sugar, and no high fructose corn syrup that you can find in your local store for less than 100 calories!
At first, she was skeptical because I mean how can a make-shift Snicker bar actually be a ‘healthier’ choice? Then she looked at the ingredients and saw those great qualities! ALWAYS read the ingredients list folks!
These Unreal bars are not picture perfect by any means – you could 100% make a better-for-you option at home, but I don’t have time nor the desire to make myself a Snickers bar at the house. They’re about the size of a fun-size Snickers bar, but they’re great for fulfilling your sweet tooth needs.
Next time you see these in the store – they go on BOGO at Publix sometimes – I encourage you to get them and try them!
Flour, Cream, and Sugar Oh My!
Anytime you have a dessert that is mixing flour, cream cheese, and sugar (cake most of the time), just know the calories are skyrocketing.
Alone, these ingredients aren’t terrible, but when you mix them it’s crazy! That’s why there are so many calories in things like cheesecake.
Cream cheese is going to be super high in calories because of its fat content. That’s why you should be aware of the intense calorie increase when it comes to mixing these items into one dessert. So beware of that Molten Lava Cake or Cheesecake.
How Do Calories and Desserts Work Together?
If you are counting your calories, you have ate all your protein for the day, and you are finished eating for the day or finished with your lunch and you want a sweet treat, get one!
Those are the moments when you should let yourself enjoy something sweet that’s around 100 calories for dessert. It’s like a reward – you’ve done well with your calories by eating all your protein and staying in your deficit.
It’s not going to spike your blood sugar as much since you have ate your meal already. I do recommend eating a dessert after a meal so you’re not eating it on an empty stomach!
Wrap Up
Having dessert after a meal doesn’t mean a calorie-packed piece of cake from Publix. There are tons of low-calorie options out there that are just as good! You can have homemade ice cream – Laney talks about this in her baking from scratch video.
Making your desserts from home oftentimes sits on your gut better, is more rewarding, and tastes better! So, don’t be afraid to find a recipe you want to try and just do it.
If you have any bloating issues with certain foods or desserts, we HIGHLY recommend you trying or making a homemade version with a little less sugar. I can almost be certain this will help with or get rid of the reaction you have to store-bought items.
You can also try raw milk ice cream. Laney has an educational video about raw milk. If that is something that interests you, make sure to click below to watch it! There are proven benefits to using raw milk in cooking and for drinking in general.
You want to avoid anything that combines super high-calorie ingredients or that is super processed. This is what adds up quick calorie wise and is hard on your gut!
Hopefully this is freeing in a way for you. Oftentimes we get into diet mode and feel like we have to eliminate all sweets from our lives, but the opposite is true. As long as you are being intentional with your meals, planning your calories around having a sweet treat, getting the right amount of protein in, and choosing lower-calorie and better-ingredient-filled desserts, you can have them.
We can enjoy the sweets things in life responsibly with portion control.
If you enjoy reading or watching Laney’s nutrition content, imagine the information you could get from a nutrition call with her to create a specialized plan for you! At Steel, we create a nutrition and strength training plan that is tailored to your goals and needs.
