Sweets
by Amy Magnuson, MS, RD

Quick Tip: "There are no bad foods"
During the summer months, I do a number of nutrition lectures with teenagers in sports camps. They are always surprised when I tell them "there are no bad foods." I start by placing three snacks on the table, usually a banana, a granola bar and a candy bar. I then ask them which one is the "bad" food. The candy bar usually wins hands down. After I tell them it's not the candy bar, half will say the granola bar and the other half will say nothing. Believe it or not, after I tell them it's not the granola bar, a few will scream "banana." The first one to say "none" or "there are no bad foods" gets to choose one. You'd be surprized how many choose the banana.

Why do we need sweets?
Sweets add flavor and fun to our diets. They provide very little nutritional value with the exception of energy and simple carbohydrates. All foods can fit into a healthy diet and there are no "bad foods," therefore, we should never give up our favorite foods. Sweet treats can fit into a healthy diet on occasion as long as our other nutritional needs are being met.

How much do we need?
The higher your calorie requirement, the more sweets you will be able to consume and still maintain a healthy body weight. Some refer to sweets as "empty calories" because they are high in calories, but low in nutritional value. Therefore, if you are trying to lose weight, thse foods would be the best to cut down on first.

What constitutes one sweet?

  • 1/2 cup fat-free (or low-fat) ice cream
  • 1/2 cup frozen yogurt
  • 1 Popsicle
  • 1/2 cup sherbet
  • 1 fat-free cookie
  • 8 ounces soda, sugar sweetened coffee or tea
  • 8 ounces fruit punch or juice (the first 6 ounces of 100% fruit juice count as 1 fruit serving)*
  • 2" x 2" low-fat cake
  • 2" x 2" regular cake (in addition to 1 fat),
  • 2 ounces chocolate candy
  • 1/2 cup low-fat pudding
  • 1/2 cup regular pudding (in addition to 1 fat)
Each serving from the sweet group should have about 50 calories each (approximately 1 tablespoon of sugar).

*Fruit juices are a good source of vitamins C & A, but they tend to be much higher in calories and lower in fiber than the actual fruit. Therefore, whole fruits should be chosen more often than their processed fruit juices.

 

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