Desserts

Sweets, tarts, pies, puddings, pastries - we all know what's coming at the end of any good meal. For most diners it is an anticipated and celebrated indulgence, a sweet treat that triggers the pleasure centers of the brain and leaves its patrons sighing with happiness. But for dieters and healthy eaters it can be another obstacle on the road to healthful living.


It's nearly impossible to resist at least one bite of a perfect pie or chocolate torte, no matter how dedicated you are to a healthy lifestyle, but what starts as a single bite can often lead to an empty plate. Some strict schools of dieting recommend beefing up meals with extra fruits and veggies and avoiding dessert altogether, and in theory, that's a good plan, but only in theory. The reality is that dessert is the course that contains some of the greatest culinary pleasures a

• When baking, substitute whole-wheat or oat bran flours and pastry crusts for added protein and fiber while cutting back on processed starches. Try double chocolate cake or warm banana bread with whole-grain pastry flour, and bring back classics like old fashioned oatmeal cookies.

Ditch the bad stuff. Many recipes are loaded with fats or the wrong fats (trans and saturated).

• Look for recipes that limit fats like butter, cream, or shortening and find richness from outside sources, like yogurt or pudding. Foam based cakes (angel food, chiffon, sponge, etc.), which get their airy fluffiness from beaten eggs or egg whites, often have less fat than butter based varieties, like devil's food or red velvet. And pick butter over margarine: studies have shown the spread to be loaded with damaging trans fat.
• Remember that fruit is a healthy substitute or addition to table sugar; cut back the white stuff and sweeten cookies and loaves with mashed banana, or choose recipes that feature fruits, rather than buttery dough, as toppings for pies or cakes.
• Try fruit plates, baked apples or pears with toasted nuts and cranberries, chocolate dipped strawberries, or fruit based sorbets and granitas.
• Mediterranean diets are notoriously heart healthy, take a page from their book and serve reasonable portions of high-quality plain yogurt topped with drizzled honey, chopped nuts, and fresh fruit like sour cherries or blueberries in place of sugary custards or panna cottas.

Pay attention to portions. The first few bites are usually the best, they set flavors on the palate and turn on all the little pleasure centers in the brain. Everything after those first few bites is superfluous, and in the case of many restaurant portions, just plain greedy.

• Help yourself to slivers of cake or pie, and small scoops of frozen desserts.
• When given a pre-set portion, like at banquets or restaurants, eat half of what you are given; share with a friend, or simply throw the other half away.