Healthy festive desserts you need to try

Bliss Balls.

Bliss Balls.

Published Nov 20, 2018

Share

As the holiday season approaches some of you may want to continue to enjoy natural and healthy desserts.

So if you are one of the people who are looking for some healthier dessert inspiration, worry not!

We spoke to a registered dietitian, Jessica Kotlowitz about the healthy desserts you can indulge on this holiday.

Kotlowitz says instead of using sugar to sweeten your desserts, utilize the natural sugars found in fruits.

She says not only will you satisfy your sweet tooth but you will also be filling up on tons of vitamins and minerals and the fibre in the fruit will make you full and help to prevent overeating. 

Banana Ice Cream.

Bliss balls   

Blend fresh dates with your choice of nuts, oat or almond flour, cocoa, nut butter, vanilla essence, peppermint essence, etc. Roll into balls and serve with a sprinkling of coconut on the outside. This decadent treat is made from only whole-foods with no added sugars and will satisfy your sweet tooth.

Banana ice cream or nice cream

Peel bananas and put them in the freezer overnight. Add your frozen bananas into a high speed blender and watch as they become the creamiest ice cream around. You can flavour them with berries, cocoa, peppermint, vanilla or almond butter. This is a great healthy alternative to ice cream and is super filling and satisfying.

Banana Bread.

Healthy banana bread

Make a healthy banana bread using whole-grain flours (I love using spelt and rye flour), ripe bananas, unsweetened applesauce, ground flax seeds (as an egg replacement), almond milk and chopped walnuts. Serve hot with some natural jam and almond butter and you have a healthy sweet treat that will keep you feeling full for hours.

Apple Crumble.

Healthy apple crumble

Stew some apples with lemon juice and cinnamon and then bake in the oven with a healthy oat-based crumble. Serve along with some banana ice cream and your sweet tooth will be satisfied for days to come.

Dark chocolate

Dark chocolate is generally lower in sugar (look for the no added sugar options), high in antioxidants and is a great source of iron. In addition, the bitterness of the cacao means that you tend to eat less. Have a block of dark chocolate at night after dinner, melt it onto some strawberries and put in the freezer to make chocolate covered strawbs or wedge it into a banana, cover in foil and pop onto the braai coals for a few minutes for a melty banana chocolate treat.

Related Topics: