You’re Craving…
A warm, fudgy brownie sundae. The pang in the bottom of your stomach suddenly reminds you of your hunger. You’re salivating over the reverie of fluffy chocolate decadence, and with visions of chocolate chips peeking out of melt-y ice cream, you’re surrendering. “You deserve this,” your conscience whispers.
Photo courtesy of Flickr user goodiesfirst.
As you reach for the spoon, you’re probably completely unaware (or in denial) that you’re about to consume 42 g of fat, 18 g of which are saturated (that’s 90% of your daily allotment). Not to mention that this late-night snack can contain anywhere from 500 to 800 calories. To top it all off, a brownie sundae usually has over 50 g of sugar! These sugars come from simple carbohydrates, otherwise known as the “bad carbs” that send chemical signals telling your body to start turning sugar into fat. Basically, once you’ve finished licking the plate clean you’ll only be left with guilt, an impending energy crash and an extra pound or two.
Try This Instead…
Photo by Kirby Barth
Being health-conscious doesn’t mean you have to give up desserts completely. Try this lower calorie sundae instead.
Ingredients:
FiberOne 90 Calorie Brownie
Banana peanut butter Greek frozen yogurt
Photo by Kirby Barth
Directions:
Microwave brownie for 30 seconds and then top with a generous scoop of Greek frozen yogurt.
Photo by Kirby Barth
Each brownie weighs in at less than 100 calories with only 3 g of fat. It has 1/3 less sugar than the traditional brownie and, as an added bonus, 20% of your daily recommended fiber value. The best part — it actually tastes good! Instead of fattening ice cream, throw a scoop of vanilla Greek frozen yogurt on top. Stonyfield’s version is organic, non-fat and only 100 calories for 1/2 a cup. With Greek frozen yogurt, you’ll get the added bonus of protein (up to 8 g per serving). Ben & Jerry’s also recently launched a new line of Greek frozen yogurts with flavors such as Vanilla Honey Caramel, Banana Peanut Butter, Raspberry Fudge Chunk and Strawberry Shortcake. If you’re in the mood for a fruity after-dinner snack, try their new Blueberry Vanilla Graham Greek frozen yogurt, which is conveniently available at Lisa’s.
In total, you’ll save between 300-700 calories and around 40 g of fat without sacrificing any taste.
Stay tuned for the next Eat This, Not That to learn how a few painless substitutions can make your favorite indulgence better for your body, and your scale.