PAT June 5, 2012
Suggestions from nutritionists to prepare healthy desserts with little sugar and fat.
It’s good, fragrant and gratifying the palate and pull up the morale. The trouble, however, is that the desserts also pull up the glycemic index. So what? Below, there are some tricks to make desserts at home with fewer calories and more healthy: keep reading and find out all ideas.
Using olive oil instead of butter
Rule number one for preparing a healthy dessert is to cut the saturated fat. Put much less butter, which will replace with extra virgin olive oil. In shortbread and biscuits, for example, you can use the extra virgin olive oil, perhaps with the addition of small amounts of ground flaxseed, rich in the omega 3 benefits.
Sugar at 10 %
It is important to learn how to measure out the sugar. Many are convinced that the brown sugar is better than white, but the amount of sucrose is almost the same. The fundamental is the quantity: it is preferable to use sugar within 10% of the total weight of the ingredients.
The fruit and other natural sweeteners
Add the fruit? Great strategy! The fruits satisfy the palate, providing fiber and micronutrients: use it as a natural sweetener is a healthy idea and successful, because the fructose provides energy savings by about 30%. There are also suitable alternatives to sugar products such as maple syrup, malt, corn malt. Another trick for light dessert is to use the carrot, even the kids liked the taste, which has very few calories and is rather rich in fiber, vitamins and minerals.
Flour that satisfies
A great little trick to increase the satiating power of desserts made of flour is to use the integral type, which also offers a valuable fiber content. If you are not accustomed to the taste, start by mixing it with the white, and increasing the dose gradually.
The raisins curb hunger
A recent study on grape sultanas has suggested that this type of dried fruit is able to reduce the feeling of hunger. Its consumption, in fact, increases in blood levels of leptin, a hormone produced by adipose tissue and can regulate body mass: the leptin has the purpose of informing the central nervous system about the state of energy reserves of the individual. Good levels of leptin induce satiety through a complex mechanism, which is why the sultana raisins could be very useful in the prevention of overweight and obesity. The presence of soluble fiber in raisins plays an important role: the reduction of bad LDL cholesterol and the attainment of satiety.
For more information about Sultana click here.
Yogurt for filling
For a filling light, try to use low-fat yogurt or skim milk or rice milk (fat free), and light cheeses like cottage cheese. Replace the cream with the plant? No, not a good idea, because it is full of hydrogenated fat and the taste is definitely not the same.
The algae to thicken
To make jellies, you can use the agar-agar, a red alga rich in mucilage which have beneficial effects on the intestine. It is generally found in flakes or bars (one bar is equal to about seven tablespoons of flakes).
The scents without the calories
Indulge your sense of smell by adding the calorie-free scents such as vanilla, cinnamon, mint leaves.
Viva ice cream
With its approximately 200 calories per 100 grams, the ice cream is an absolute low calorie dessert. The sorbet is even lighter. But, above all, it is the ice cream that wins the battle.
Long live chocolate
Few people know that two squares of dark chocolate (70 percent cocoa) are enough to calm an attack of hunger, while ensuring a good supply of its polyphenols and proanthocyanidins. What are these molecules? They are powerful antioxidants that can slow down, at least in the laboratory, the process of cell degeneration that can lead to cancer, and help against cardiovascular problems. Sure, chocolate is rich in calories (515 kcal per 100 grams) and should not exaggerate.
Read full study about effectiveness of dark chocolate consumption Click Here.