GBP
No evening meal is complete without a sweet treat to finish it off, however with so many tempting desserts on the supermarket shelves, it is easy to get carried away and over indulge. Fear not, though. If you are concerned about your dessert habits, you don't need to deprive yourself completely. Think that 'healthy' and 'desserts' are two words that couldn't possibly sit alongside each other in a sentence? Think again. There are endless healthy dessert options out there that are both delicious and nutritious. In fact, desserts are a perfect opportunity to get in one, two, or possibly even three, of your five a day in. Still unconvinced, or need ideas and inspiration? Here are 10 healthy desserts to get you started.
Flavoured yoghurts are great, and not necessarily unhealthy, but nothing beats Greek yoghurt when it comes to nutritional value. Greek yoghurt is typically packed with protein, and if you pick the right brand, contains almost no fat or sugar. You can pair Greek yoghurt with all kinds of things, like honey, jams or other preserves. Or, you could simply serve with a selection of your favourite fruit. Add some unsalted nuts, like almonds, to give it an extra healthy boost.
A classic and comforting dessert that can be healthy if you opt for low fat custard. Plus, thanks to the banana, it counts as one of your five a day! Just be sure to keep an eye on portion size and don't overdo it on the custard, or you could end up consuming way more calories than you think.
Nothing beats a good old fruit salad. You can cram all kinds of juicy goodness into a fruit salad, and one of the best things about them is they are versatile, so you won't get bored of the same old thing. If you buy tinned fruit salad, go for the one in natural juice rather than sugar-packed syrups.
Replace ice cream with natural frozen yoghurt, which contains much less fat. Add some fruit or nuts to it to spice it up a little.
If you are craving chocolate, get your fix with a square or two of high quality dark chocolate. This is the healthiest way to consume chocolate, as it has barely any sugar compared to its milk chocolate counterpart. Plus, it only takes a small portion to satisfy your cravings. In fact, dark chocolate has actually been found to contain several health benefits, including being a source of antioxidants.
Particularly good in the autumn and winter months, baked apples are a delicious and diverse dessert option. Don't go mad with toppings, sugar and cream, and it will stay healthy, too. Like this recipe from Betty Crocker.
Strawberries and milk
Soak strawberries in the milk for a few hours before serving then sprinkle with a pinch of sugar for an even tastier wholesome dessert.
Make the pancakes with just banana and egg to make it super healthy. Just mash up a banana, mix with the eggs and pan fry as you would with a normal pancake mixture. Add some blueberries in as you are cooking. Sublime and guilt free.
Cut a few peaches in half, sprinkle with sugar and put them in the oven for approximately 10 minutes for a unbeatably good sweet dessert oozing with flavour. Check out The Londoner's version.
Nuts are one of the healthiest foods on earth. Mix up a small bowl of all natural, i.e unsalted, nuts for a highly nutritious snack.
Greek yoghurt with fruit
Flavoured yoghurts are great, and not necessarily unhealthy, but nothing beats Greek yoghurt when it comes to nutritional value. Greek yoghurt is typically packed with protein, and if you pick the right brand, contains almost no fat or sugar. You can pair Greek yoghurt with all kinds of things, like honey, jams or other preserves. Or, you could simply serve with a selection of your favourite fruit. Add some unsalted nuts, like almonds, to give it an extra healthy boost.
Bananas and low fat custard
A classic and comforting dessert that can be healthy if you opt for low fat custard. Plus, thanks to the banana, it counts as one of your five a day! Just be sure to keep an eye on portion size and don't overdo it on the custard, or you could end up consuming way more calories than you think.
Fruit salad
Nothing beats a good old fruit salad. You can cram all kinds of juicy goodness into a fruit salad, and one of the best things about them is they are versatile, so you won't get bored of the same old thing. If you buy tinned fruit salad, go for the one in natural juice rather than sugar-packed syrups.
Natural frozen yoghurt
Replace ice cream with natural frozen yoghurt, which contains much less fat. Add some fruit or nuts to it to spice it up a little.
High cocoa % dark chocolate
If you are craving chocolate, get your fix with a square or two of high quality dark chocolate. This is the healthiest way to consume chocolate, as it has barely any sugar compared to its milk chocolate counterpart. Plus, it only takes a small portion to satisfy your cravings. In fact, dark chocolate has actually been found to contain several health benefits, including being a source of antioxidants.
Baked apples
Particularly good in the autumn and winter months, baked apples are a delicious and diverse dessert option. Don't go mad with toppings, sugar and cream, and it will stay healthy, too. Like this recipe from Betty Crocker.
Strawberries and milk
Soak strawberries in the milk for a few hours before serving then sprinkle with a pinch of sugar for an even tastier wholesome dessert.
Blueberry pancakes
Make the pancakes with just banana and egg to make it super healthy. Just mash up a banana, mix with the eggs and pan fry as you would with a normal pancake mixture. Add some blueberries in as you are cooking. Sublime and guilt free.
Roasted peaches
Cut a few peaches in half, sprinkle with sugar and put them in the oven for approximately 10 minutes for a unbeatably good sweet dessert oozing with flavour. Check out The Londoner's version.
Assortment of nuts
Nuts are one of the healthiest foods on earth. Mix up a small bowl of all natural, i.e unsalted, nuts for a highly nutritious snack.