Top 10 Snacks and Desserts - Naturally Sweet

When we look around us we see so many people overweight. Fast food restaurants are being criticized for their attributing to this weight epidemic and obesity is fast becoming a serious issue for people ages 6 to 50 years old. At a time when doctors and health practitioners are calling for healthy food diets it is essential that people who love desserts turn to sweets that are naturally sweet. This means lower calories and better health.

Artificial Sugars can give you a false high and give your energy levels a boost when you are feeling down but within a couple of hours you slide back down to the lowest of energy levels. That means with artificial sugars you are always on a high and this causes you to feel as if you are riding a roller coaster. Too much sugar can cause dizziness, nausea and headaches, which you may attribute to stress. Having soda, chocolate, sweetened coffee and sugar in other such food and drinks causes you to be constantly moody, which again is blamed on your hard working day.

The intake of sugar is necessary to maintain your energy but always opt for natural sweeteners. Natural sweeteners help maintain your adrenalin levels with a slow releases of enzymes. That means you maintain a balanced level of energy giving you energy with stability throughout the day.

Are naturally sweet desserts and snacks easily available? Sure, if you know where to look.

Top 10 Snacks and Desserts- Naturally Sweet:

1. Fresh Fruits: Snack on fruits throughout the day. This will mean less calories and fruits have natural fructose sugar that helps keeps your energy levels high but not artificially so. The fruit in combination with a glass of water every few hours will ensure that your hunger pangs are reduced as well.

2. Dried Fruits: Opt for dried prunes, plums and raisins that have the sugar content without the artificial flavors. Snack packs are available in every grocery store and they help restore your energy without adding to your weight.

3. Honey on Whole Wheat Toast: When you feel like something sweet at any time of the day, take a piece of toast and slather it with honey. It's a natural alternative to sugar and does not upset your sugar balance. It also aids digestion increasing your metabolic rate and keeping your weight in check.

4. Maple Syrup and Honey on Fruits: For those with an extra sweet tooth pour honey or malted maple syrup on fruits like banana and strawberries to give you a sweet kick without any side effects.

5. Date Syrup: Date syrup poured on home-made pancakes or eaten with a spoon is delicious. The rich taste is perfect for one of your low energy times. High in iron content and other minerals it is low on calories.

6. Sugar Free Chocolate cake: Indulge with this dessert that uses only natural sugar. Substitute 1 cup sugar with a cup of applesauce for a moist rich cake. Use oat bran and oat flour for a healthy alternative to white flour and you get a cake that is delicious and sweet without any artificial sugar! Ingredients are: 2 eggs, 1 c. natural applesauce, 3 small pkgs. Sugar free hot chocolate mix, 1 c. oat bran, ½ tbsp. butter flavoring, 1 c. oat flour, 1 tsp. baking powder. Mix together and put it in the oven at 350 degrees for a delicious cake!

7. Coconut Strips: Munch on coconut strips or coconut powder when you have a sweet craving. Containing natural sugars it helps alleviate the sweet craving with less calories and more nutrients

8. Cheese Cake without Sugar: You can make cheese cake which is sugar free. Simply do not add sugar and instead use natural juice. If you are making pineapple cheese cakes use pineapple juice. e.g. Ingredients: 2 cans sliced pineapple in natural juice with no sweeteners, 3 tsp gelatin, 24 oz cream cheese. Simply take the juice from the pineapple cans and see if it equals 3 cups if not add some apple juice to make 3 cups. Boil the juice and then add gelatin until dissolved. Pour into a bowl and add cream cheese, whisk lightly till smooth. Add in small chopped pieces of pineapple. Pour onto a spring form pan and chill until firm.

9. Desserts with Unrefined Cane Sugar: Refined sugars are bad for your health. They create a metabolic rate you're your system cannot deal with and causes increase in weight. Using unrefined cane sugar to replace your 'white' sugar will help you have sweets and desserts without the added side effects.

10. Desserts with Agave: This is a sugar alternative being used in most desserts. Extracted from a South American cactus, it has a sweet taste and when added to desserts keeps your glucose levels controlled. So replace sugar in your dessert with agave for a naturally sweet dessert.