Eating healthy when you have a sweet tooth can be challenging, but it’s possible by employing specific strategies and incorporating alternatives into your diet. Building flexibility into your food choices will help with moderation and portion control, which means it’s okay to enjoy an occasional indulgence. 

When you eat healthy, focus on flexibility and not restriction. Restricting your diet may be doable for a short period of time, but it can prove difficult as a lifestyle. 

The tips below are strategies for obtaining and maintaining a balance so you can enjoy the foods you love while still maintaining a healthy diet.  

• Set up a “treat zone.” Choose to have treats when you’re away from home. Easy access to treats around the clock can pose a challenge when you want to limit how often you eat sweet foods.
• Avoid distractions when enjoying a treat. Decreasing distractions, such as watching TV or looking at your phone, while you eat allows for greater connection with your food. According to scientists, when you avoid distractions, you become more aware of when you are satisfied, so you are better able to avoid overeating both savory and sweet foods.
• Limit treats to a certain time of day. Enjoy a small treat after your daily meals, instead of in between meals. Fullness helps you to avoid overeating desserts, so you’ll naturally portion control. Remember to eat only until you are satisfied, not stuffed.
• Pre-portion easy–to–overeat foods. Knowing portion sizes and limiting yourself to the recommended amount is a healthy way of enjoying the occasional indulgence. Reusable snack bags and containers are ideal for portion control. Portion out your treats as soon as you bring your groceries home and keep them handy in your pantry or refrigerator. This intentional and mindful practice will save you time and will make satisfying your sweet tooth more pleasurable. 
• Stay informed. Reading labels and learning how the foods you eat affect your nutrition goals can be empowering. When you read labels, you’ll feel more in control of your nutrition.
• Choose a few go-to healthy treat recipes. When setting up a treat zone away from home is not an option, switch to a healthier version of the treats you love at home. Check out these heathier versions of treats, such as the delicious Chocolate Chia Pudding, Chocolate Coconut Milk Truffles, Tofu Chocolate Pudding or Berry Granita. While you still need to be mindful of calories and sugars with made-over dessert recipes, they are not as nutritionally empty as many store-bought treats. Enjoy making them, enjoy eating them – and don’t forget to share! 

A healthy diet is part of a balanced lifestyle which includes room for your healthy sweet tooth. Create a strategy for how you will manage a little bit of decadence in your diet while still being mindful of limiting processed sugars. Maintaining a healthy lifestyle is about making it achievable, sustainable and enjoyable.