Core Tip: Many women love sweets. When starting a diet, they strictly avoid them, but after a while, they'll have a strong craving. So, how can you eat sweets while on a diet? The editor shares healthy ways to eat 5 common types of sweets below. Learn them now!
Calculating Calorie Intake for Sweets
Generally, desserts should account for about 10-20% of your total daily caloric needs. If you are less active, eat less; if you are more active, you can eat more. Most commercially available desserts now have calorie and nutritional information listed.
If we quantify the calorie intake for desserts, the daily allowance for someone with low activity is between 150-200 calories, for someone with moderate activity it's 250-300 calories, and for someone with high activity, it can be around 400-500 calories. Of course, the calorie range for desserts is also related to your body weight, personal constitution, and the calories consumed in your three main meals, so it should be designed and adjusted according to your individual situation and meal strategy.
Category 1: Cakes, Western Desserts
The mere thought of Tiramisu and a freshly baked strawberry cake is enough to make one's mouth water. Unfortunately, these delicious treats are a major test for your figure. It's said that three slices of cheesecake can provide the daily calorie needs of a petite person.
Healthy Portions:
Cheesecake: 1/3 of a slice
Tiramisu: 1/2 of a slice
Butter cake: A small amount of butter, 1 slice
Easy Tip: Sharing a dessert with someone is a great way to enjoy it. Chatting while eating can also slow down your eating pace.
Category 2: Bread, Donuts
Bread with low sweetness or whole-grain is better. However, since bread is a processed food, the manufacturing process also adds calories. Those drizzled with chocolate or filled with cream and sausage are even higher in calories.
Healthy Portions:
Bread: 1 small sweet roll
Meat-filled burger or hot dog: 1/2
Donut: 1 per serving
Sandwich: 1/2
Easy Tip: Among all breads, toast has the fewest calories, while sweet-filled breads and Danish pastries are higher in calories. Consume them according to your discretion.
Category 3: Cookies, Cream Sandwich Cookies, Chocolate Pies
Although cookies don't have as many calories as chocolate, they are still high-calorie foods, similar to bread. It's better to choose those with lower sweetness. Oily-looking cookies are the enemy of weight loss.
Healthy Portions:
Cookies: 30g of soda crackers
Regular cookies: 4-5 pieces
Butter cookies: 2-3 pieces
Cream sandwich cookies: 3 pieces
Wafer sandwich cookies: 3 pieces
Chocolate pie: 1 per serving
Easy Tip: Among these desserts, chocolate pies have the highest calories. Although they are rich in flavor, it's best not to eat too many. It's also best to eat them for breakfast.
Category 4: Jelly, Chinese and Japanese Desserts
Jelly and Japanese desserts are relatively low in calories and fat. Although some are very sweet, their fat content is not too high, so you can eat them more worry-free. Chinese desserts are generally higher in calories, so it's best to eat them in moderation.
Healthy Portions:
Jelly: 2 cups per serving.
Japanese desserts (small): 2 per serving
Chinese desserts: 1/2 of a mooncake
Egg yolk pastry: 1/2
Pineapple cake: 1
Easy Tip: When eating these desserts, it's best to pair them with some herbal tea. This not only helps with fat reduction and cleansing the intestines but also enhances the taste of the dessert.
Category 5: Chocolate, Ice Cream
Chocolate is one of women's favorite snacks. Its characteristics are high fat and high sweetness. However, as long as you eat it in moderation, it's not completely off-limits. Although ice cream is high in calories, it contains a lot of water, so eating one scoop won't pose a major threat to your figure. For crispy-skinned ice cream, it's best not to eat the skin along with it, otherwise, you're consuming the calories of an extra dessert!
Healthy Portions:
Chocolate: 1/3 of a chocolate bar
Chocolate chunks: 3 pieces
Ice cream: 1/3 of a platter (with fruits)
Ice cream scoop: 1 scoop
Fresh milk ice cream: 2 scoops
Easy Tip: A smarter choice is fresh milk ice cream, which has only half the calories of cream-based ice cream and is more nutritious. Generally, dark chocolate has slightly fewer calories than milk chocolate. You surely know which one to choose.
Recommended Desserts: Low-Calorie and Filling Perfect Snacks
1. Low-sugar desserts rich in gelatin, such as jelly.
2. Vegetable sticks, made from vegetables like celery, carrots, and cucumbers.
3. Soda crackers paired with unsweetened, fat-free herbal tea, such as jasmine, chrysanthemum, or rose tea.