A steady diet of sweets can lead to unwanted weight gain, but with a little planning, you can have your cake and eat it, too!

Satisfying a Sweet Tooth

Source: Tufts University
August 14, 2001 (Reviewed: December 20, 2002)

Our preference for sugar

Do humans have an innate preference for sweets? We seem to. To prove the point, one researcher took photographs of an infant tasting sweet, sour, and bitter solutions. Grimacing or puckering the lips when tasting the bitter or sour solutions, the baby wears a small, blissful smile after tasting sugar.

However, an inborn liking for sweet flavors doesn't mean we have to sip sweetened beverages, suck on hard candy, or take a daily dip into the cookie jar to satisfy our genetic destiny. There is no dietary requirement for refined or added sugars. We can get as much glucose, the sugar used to power the body, as we need from foods such as milk, vegetables, bread and fruit. And theoretically, a desire for a sweet finale to a meal can be met as easily by a handful of ripe strawberries as by a slice of chocolate cake.

The bitter with the sweet

Barring a medical problem like diabetes or high triglycerides, the predominant drawback to sugary foods is that they often provide "empty" calories. Eat those strawberries for dessert and you'll get fiber, vitamin C, potassium, and other nutrients for less than 50 calories; the cake will add 300 calories or more to your diet, but little else. For older adults, who tend to require as many nutrients but fewer calories than younger people, this can spell unwanted weight gain or nutritional shortfalls.

Fortunately, there are strategies that can allow you to reasonably incorporate sweets in your diet.

Small indulgences

One way to gratify a sweet tooth is to indulge, but keep a lid on portion sizes. Even on a regular basis, a cup of afternoon tea accompanied by one or two small cookies is not likely to lead to nutritional bankruptcy, particularly if the rest of your day's intake is reasonable. Ditto for a miniature chocolate bar or a small wedge of gingerbread.

Those who like to bake might consider making and freezing miniature cupcakes rather than having a whole cake on hand. "Frosting" with a dusting of confectioner's sugar or a dab of whipped topping will also cut back on calories.

If you have difficulty moderating your portions and you need to watch calories, eat sweets less frequently and consider buying individual servings.

Desserts that pack a punch

Including high calcium dairy products or fruit into your desserts can help you satisfy a sweet tooth and meet some of your nutrient needs at the same time. Here are some suggestions:

• Make a fruit parfait. Layer sliced fresh fruit - try peaches, plums, nectarines, bananas, berries, or a combination, with vanilla or lemon yogurt and low-fat granola or museli.
• Dip fresh strawberries into fat free sour cream and then into brown sugar.
• Place a canned peach or pear half in a dish. Add a small scoop of vanilla ice cream or frozen yogurt and top with thawed frozen raspberries or strawberries.
• Serve ice cream or frozen yogurt on ripe banana wedges. Top with sliced fresh or canned fruit and chocolate or strawberry syrup.
• Prepare packaged or home made pudding with skim milk.
• Dip fresh fruit into warm fudge sauce or Nutella (chocolate hazelnut spread).
• Serve sliced ripe pear or apple with very thin slices of cheese.

With a little planning, you can have your cake and eat it, too!

Source

• The American Dietetic Association's Complete Food & Nutrition Guide RL. Duyff , Amer J Clin Nutr , 1998

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