Most of us have a sweet tooth that shows up, more often then we like. We, as dentists, are often asked by our patients what would be considered healthy foods that they can eat while occasionally indulging our sweet tooth. While we are often told that indulging that sweet tooth is most often a no-no, there are foods that we can eat that are healthy, even as they satisfy your sugar cravings. In this article, we’ll talk about some of these foods.
- Dark chocolate: You can whip up several recipes with dark chocolate. This is not as bad as you may think and some consider it good for the teeth even effective at fighting cavities, plaque, and tooth decay in the mouth. Compounds in dark chocolate may even be effective at fighting cavities. Some of the more popular recipes that you can whip up using dark chocolate include chocolate milk, Café mocha, and peanut butter and chocolate pretzels. You can even create a healthy and delicious chocolate pudding in a jiffy and so also, a satisfying hot chocolate drink. You can even create a trail mix, which is a healthy mix of nuts like almonds and pistachios, with a dark chocolate pieces. If you want to be even more creative, you can make Choco-nut popcorn, with 1 tablespoon melted peanut butter or Nutella, and a dusting of shaved chocolate or a sprinkling of cocoa powder.
- Fresh fruit and other fruit dishes: This is one of the simplest offerings to satisfy your sweet tooth. Fresh fruit offers natural sugar to satisfy your cravings and also provides nutrients and fiber. You can also create other recipes using fresh fruit, such as chocolate-dipped strawberries, frozen chocolate banana, an all-fruit popsicle, banana ice cream, sorbet, and baked apple.
- Yogurt Parfait and other yogurt recipes: Yogurt is one of the healthiest dishes you can eat and is also very good at satisfying those sweet cravings without hurting your teeth. Some yogurt recipes you can whip up include yogurt parfait, which is plain Greek yogurt with your choice of topping. The latter could include granola, nuts, and fruit with a sprinkling of dark chocolate shavings to boot. Other yogurt recipes include Nutella yogurt dip with fruit. This is a healthier take on chocolate fondue. You need to mix Nutella with Greek yogurt and use it as a dip with fresh fruit or with low-sugar cookies or crackers. You can also make and eat Frozen Greek Yogurt Drops. This consists of combining non-fat plain Greek yogurt with half a cup of frozen berries and stirring it until the fruit has broken down and the mixture has an even consistency. Line a baking sheet with parchment paper and drop a bit of the mixture onto the sheet, leaving space between the drops. Freeze for a few hours and then store till you are ready to eat.
- Smoothies: These are easy to make and taste even better, whether they are for breakfast, lunch, or dinner. Some smoothies include recipes such as Oaty Banana, Peachy Oat Smoothie, Banana Java, Strawberry Banana, Orange Crush, and so on. As you can imagine, you can create any number of recipes for smoothies, by combining ingredients in a creative way.
- Peanut butter and jelly sandwich and other bread recipes: A peanut butter and jelly sandwich is a classic recipe that satisfies many a sweet tooth in a healthy way. Take a slice of whole wheat bread and spread peanut butter as well as any fruit jelly you like, such as grape or strawberry. This not only provides sweetness, but also protein and a bit of fiber to boost. You can also make and eat Cinnamon Toast by toasting up a slice of whole-grain bread, adding a half teaspoon of butter, a quarter teaspoon of sugar, and as much cinnamon powder as you want.
- Cereal and milk: Opt for a healthy, high-fiber, whole-grain cereal and sweeten with a little honey or cinnamon. Again, you can create as many recipes as you like by being creative. You can also combine chocolate with cereal and milk for a sweet but healthy treat. Kick-start your day with cereal and milk and satisfy that sweet craving.
- Pudding: You can create a pudding with any flavor you desire, such as chocolate, vanilla, pistachio and the like. You can add these flavors with skim milk and then top with berries or other fruit, for added fiber. You can also create Fruit and Cottage Cheese pudding. You can do so by mixing fruit and cottage cheese and then mixing in a teaspoon of chocolate or cocoa powder and a drizzling of honey.
These are some easy-to-make recipes for healthy dishes that will help satisfy your sweet tooth, without hurting your teeth. Whip these up and enjoy, content that your teeth are in good shape with these recipes.
For more information on healthy foods as well as other dental questions, contact Dr. Libby Finnessy of Bellevue Dental Health at 425-641-3311 or at info@bellevuedentalhealth.com.
