Looking for a sweet or savory treat to enjoy after a meal or as a snack? The WebMD Weight Loss Clinic program prescribes desserts in three categories -- "light," "medium" and "rich."
On occasion, there is room in a healthy eating plan for a rich dessert. But if you include snacks and desserts as a regular part of your weekly eating plan, make them the lower-calorie light or medium types.
Keep this list handy, and when your sweet tooth makes its presence known or a "snack attack" comes upon you, you'll never be at a loss. Some are from the Weight Loss Clinic recipe file; others are simple enough to throw together on the spot.
Light desserts (approximately 82 calories per serving)
- Sliced peach with 2 tablespoons light whipped cream
- 1/2 cup berries with 1 tablespoon light sour cream and 1 teaspoon brown sugar
- Frozen fruit bar
- 2 cups air-popped popcorn with 1 tablespoon grated cheese and dash of pepper
- 1/2 cup sorbet
- 3 Hershey kisses
- 20 jellybeans
- 2 caramels
- 4 vanilla wafers
- 1 slice angel food cake
- Oatmeal raisin cookie
- Rice Krispie treat
- Snickers fun-size candy bar
- 1/2 cup sweetened gelatin
- 2 grilled pineapple slices
- 8 ounces diet root beer with 1 scoop nonfat frozen yogurt
- 1/2 cup lemon or vanilla low-fat yogurt with artificial sweetener and 1/2 cup raspberries
- Almond jelly fruit salad
- Baked apples in fruit sauce
- Cream of grapefruit
- Fruit juice sherbet (orange, apricot, grapefruit, lemon)
- Fruit kabobs
- Fruit mousse (apple, pear, peach, apricot, etc.)
- Fruit sherbet
- Lemon or orange mousse
- Pears with blackberries
- Red fruit salad
- Strawberry or raspberry sherbet
- Creamy vanilla pudding
- Cup custard
- Floating islands
- Gelatin flan
- Marble mousse (vanilla and chocolate)
- Sugar-free chocolate pudding
- Vanilla, coffee or chocolate ice cream
- Baked lemon pudding cake
- Chocolate-mocha angel food cake
- Cranberry pistachio biscotti
- Light and easy pumpkin custard pie
- One bowl (better for you) brownies
- Peppermint brownies
- 2 cups Quick lemon freeze (or slush puppies)
- Lite iced mocha
Medium desserts (approximately 174 calories per serving)
- 1/2 cup low fat vanilla yogurt with 1 cup berries
- 1/2 cup of flan
- 1/2 cup rice pudding
- 1/2 cup tapioca
- Small soft-serve ice cream
- 15 baked potato chips with 1 tablespoon low-fat dip
- 15 regular potato chips
- 6 tiny pretzel twists with 1 ounce low-fat cheese
- 21 frozen grapes with 1 ounce low-fat cheese
- Frozen banana dipped in chocolate sauce
- Choconana smoothie - blend 1 small banana, 1/2 cup chocolate low-fat milk, and ice.
- Fruit smoothie - blend 1/2 cup fruit, 1/2 cup skim milk, and 1/3 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt
- S'more - 1 large graham cracker split in half, topped with one large marshmallow and 1/2 chocolate bar (1.55 oz), microwaved for 10 seconds
- 1 apple with 1 tablespoon peanut butter
- 3 Oreos
- 3 large chocolate-covered strawberries
- 6 ounces chocolate frozen yogurt
- 1 Eskimo Pie Bar (vanilla ice cream with dark chocolate coating)
- 2/3 cup Healthy Choice ice cream
- 3 Nabisco Snackwell Devil's Food cookie cakes
- 1 1/2 servings of Creamy fruit salad
- Inside-out caramel apples
- Lemon and vanilla panna cotta
- Quick vanilla custard
- Matzo lemon sponge cake
- 3 Oatmeal-chocolate chunk cookies
- Baked lemon pudding cake with strawberries and whipped cream
- 1/3 cup Totally tasty trail mix
- 2/3 cup Pretzel potpourri
- Mango papaya salsa and handful of tortilla chips
- Boysenberry-banana blast
- Festive fruity flavored milk
- Mochaccino freeze
- Peanut butter cup shake
- Shamrock soy shake
- Strawberry lemonade smoothie
- Sunshine lemon smoothie
- Kids' banana bread
