Healthy Alternatives to Cake & Chocolate

creativechick2014

Hi everyone,

I have a strong sweet-tooth, and was looking for alternative (healthy) snacks as an alternative to cake & chocolates.
The only nuts I can eat are Almond. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

lenac87

I like the dole dippers chocolate covered bananas or strawberries in the frozen section yummy!

etscher

I hear that black bean brownies are actually pretty good and add in some protein so you're less likely to eat too many of them.

Sometimes it's best not to find an alternative, but rather to train yourself to eat only a serving of those foods. Otherwise, you might find yourself trying to eat too many alternatives and you wind up eating more calories or fat than you would have, had you just eaten the thing you really wanted. But if they are trigger foods for you, try not keeping them in your house at all if you have a tendency to binge on them.

Have you ever tried nutella? I loooove that stuff. I have an apple or pear every morning and i dip it in nutella for breakfast. It's a good way to get in your chocolate fix without going crazy.

JesterMFP

Depends what you mean by "alternative"? I mean, what is it that you're getting out of the chocolate and cake that you could replace with something else? Personally I eat chocolate and cake because I like the specific taste of chocolate and cake, and there isn't really a substitute for that. So, I eat chocolate and cake in small portions that fit into a balanced diet.

_Zardoz_

Hi everyone,

I have a strong sweet-tooth, and was looking for alternative (healthy) snacks as an alternative to cake & chocolates.
The only nuts I can eat are Almond. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

Why not just include some of these things in small amounts as part of your calorie goals. As long as you plan there is no reason why you can't have these things normally limiting them too much will make you want them more.

amflautist

Drop the cake and eat lots of dark chocolate. And as for black bean brownies, I thought they sounded luscious. In the flesh, they were dry and nearly tasteless. Stick with good chocolate. Healthy it is!!!

StaciMarie1974

Apple slices & blueberries & fat free or sugar free whipped cream.

chocoholicdiva

Hi everyone,

I have a strong sweet-tooth, and was looking for alternative (healthy) snacks as an alternative to cake & chocolates.
The only nuts I can eat are Almond. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

Why not just include some of these things in small amounts as part of your calorie goals. As long as you plan there is no reason why you can't have these things normally limiting them too much will make you want them more.

I have to agree on this, I have a mega sweet tooth and chocolate is my BIGGEST downfall. Did I give it up when I started out here? HELL no. I just watched how much of it I was eating, and then figured out how much to drop from my diet. Now I buy those Lindt bars, several different flavors at a time, and if I have a craving, I have one or two squares, and save one night a week for the full fledge junky ones like Oh Henry bars or Glosette Raisins. Did that last night with some popcorn. As for the almonds, that's one of my favorite nuts, I say go for it, but remember, IN MODERATION!!! Blue Diamond has a great Smokehouse flavor, if you need a little more kick than just the standard raw or salted kinds.

Stay strong!!! You'll get through this. We all have our weaknesses after all. :happy: :blushing:

adriadawn19

chocolate covered almonds are good.

geebusuk

What do you think is not 'healthy' about Cake & Chocolate for you?

And so - what would you be looking for in a 'healthy' alternative?

I incorporate both into a healthy lifestyle by doing exercise and making sure I meet an appropriate macro nutrient goal for my needs.

kgeyser

Less cake and chocolate?

reklawn

http://www.ambitiouskitchen.com/2013/09/2-ingredient-healthy-banana-bread-breakfast-cookies-with-delicious-add-ins/
2 ingredient oatmeal cookies

smoothies with banana, almond milk, and cocoa powder.

tofu chocolate pudding (1 package firm tofu,stevia and cocoa powder to taste,1 ripe banana, chia seeds (optional))

seismicmuffin

I don't know of any "alternatives" but I'll tell you what I do. I buy low-calorie sweets, for example, Weight Watchers frozen smoothie and fudge bars. Or when my craving is stronger I buy a Hershey bar and eat 1/2 (slowly) and store the rest away for another time.

drew06

Hi everyone,

I have a strong sweet-tooth, and was looking for alternative (healthy) snacks as an alternative to cake & chocolates.
The only nuts I can eat are Almond. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!

Thank you in advance.

Why not just include some of these things in small amounts as part of your calorie goals. As long as you plan there is no reason why you can't have these things normally limiting them too much will make you want them more.

This is the smartest thing to do, that is unless you lose control and find yourself going on a binge. Unfortunately there are not much alternatives to sweets that give us the mental satisfaction of eating sugary/fatty stuff.

If you do bake yourself, you could always try using sweetners such as stevia, less butter/oils and in its place use unsweetened apple sauce. I have found that it has a mild enough flavor to not come through and it really keeps the baked goods moist.

MickeyCastello

There isn't much that can beat the four basic food groups - cakes, pies, candy and ice cream, but I've been finding out that Fuji apples, as an evening snack, seems to satisfy my sweet tooth..

UmmSqueaky

I've limited myself to cake on people's birthday, but have more redirected rather than limited myself in the chocolate realm. I eat a serving or 2 of the ghirardelli 60% cocoa chocolate chips nearly every day, and have chocolate protein powder in my protein smoothie. I find myself very much looking forward to dinner, which is when I have the smoothie and chocolate chips, and haven't been tempted to eat all of the chocolate that is hanging around on people's desks at the office during the day.

ovi212

I like oats (robin hood quick oats, large flakes). I make it with water and it is 110 cal for 1/3c dry oats. I'll do 1/3 or 2/3 depending on my calories. Then I add in cocoa! (Only 20cal for 1tbsp!)

GuyIncognito123

I have two chocolate shakes a day (I like chocolate).

Each shake is 180 calories, 3g of carbs and 30g of protein - with 8 ounces of water.

lemur_lady

I dont know what country you are in but if you are in the UK there are products by 'nakd' that are nice. You can find them in health food shops and waitrose sells them too.

Today I had a cocoa mint bar which is basically made up of blended dates, raisins and cashews with a bit of cocoa and mint flavouring in. Not quite chocolate but very tasty and half the calories.

That said I do make room in my day for chocolate of some kind. Actual chocolate lol.

rutheglen

I make chocolate mousse, using a large bar of dark chocolate and 6 eggs - this makes 8 smallish very chocolatey desserts - at only 59 calories each!! Certainly enough to satisfy my chocolate urges!! (I actually think they are perfectly sized, but my other half thinks they are way too small lol) Anyway, if you want to try it, I can give you the recipe

fxckyeahhappyface

Chocolate Vita Tops! I'm a total slave to cake and cupcakes, and those totally work. They are super good and 100 cals. I usually have one as a treat once a week and I'm not tempted by anything else...

ttknowles01

I've been making protein cakes. Tonight I'm going to have a chocolate peanut butter one: one egg, one scoop protein powder of choice (I used Body Fortress Super Advanced Whey protein vanilla flavor), cocoa powder, sweetener of choice. Mix together and microwave for no more than 1 minute 30 seconds (it will be really dry...play around with the cook time). Drizzle with 1 tbsp melted peanut butter :-)

riverain

Ghirardelli 60% cocoa chocolate chips are a strong dose of chocolate, one serving is 32 chips. Just let them melt in your mouth slowly one at a time, and get that chocolate fix. Alternatively, Ghirardelli cocoa powder only has 40 calories per tablespoon. I mix it iwth skim milk and a little sweetener for a super dark hot chocolate. It fills the cravings! Or, there are the chocolate flavored protein drink mixes. You get chocolate and protein at the same time. Win-win!

Ninkyou

I just work the chocolate and cake into my calorie goal.

Not really sure what the 'healthy' alternative to that would be. Everything in moderation. You don't have to restrict the foods you love, just fit them in.

DancingMoosie

Fiberone 90 calorie brownies
Emerald 100 calorie pack cocoa-roast almonds
South Beach Diet: fudgy chocolate mint or whipped chocolate almond snack bars, Good to Go Bars Chocolate
Brownie mix: use unsweetened applesauce instead of oil and/or sub egg whites or liquid egg for the whole egg
eat a square of high quality dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate or a whole candy bar

SunofaBeach14

Chocolate covered almonds. They're my favorite hiking snack.

Cranquistador

mmm cake.

evastria

Mhmm chocolate, would love the chocolate mousse recipe, @rutheglen!

FortWildernessLoopy

This is me personally, but I'd go ahead and have them when you crave them. I figured out that the second I told myself I am dieting or tried to cut food out, I am destined to fail. The truth is, this is a lifestyle change and there is no way in hell I am going the rest of my life without frosting or white chocolate (my two Achilles heels). I do find that the more 'healthy' snacks I have ie fruit, hummus, oatmeal, the less I crave heavily processed foods. Might I suggest those microwave mug cakes (also known as 3-2-1 cakes)? There's only 150-180 calories depending on the mixes you use and you can get some great chocolate flavor plus the bonus of the carb fueled cake rush :laugh: . With Easter coming this week, I bought a bag of Cadbury mini eggs and (after dinner when I was full), I divided them into snack bags per the serving size on the bag. 12 eggs for 190 calories. It's definitely a treat but nothing that will bust my calories and as long as I am still getting my full nutrition for the day, why not have a splurge?

FlaxMilk

Chocolate Covered Katie has recipes for things like black bean or garbanzo bean brownies and blondies, but she also has a lot of recipes for single serving cookies, muffins, cupcakes if portion control is a struggle.

The garbanzo bean blondies are actually pretty awesome. I like the black bean (or red lentil) brownies a little less, but they do fulfill a dessert need without me want to overeat.

Azurite27

Dark Chocolate Yogurt-covered Raisins are my favorite chocolate indulgence. Low cal and yummy. Also small dark chocolate squares. If you want chocolate, just have chocolate. It can be healthy in small portions (assuming no diabetes).