Healthy Desserts for Christmas

Healthy Desserts for Christmas may seem like an oxymoron; however, there is no need for Christmas desserts to be unhealthy. For many, dessert is the best part of the holidays – a season filled with delicious cakes, pies, cookies, custards, puddings and more. What’s a dessert lover to do during the holiday season if they are trying to stay healthy or lose weight? Read on for suggestions.

Finding healthy desserts for Christmas may seem like a daunting task, but it doesn’t need to be. There are a number of media resources that have not only healthy desserts for Christmas, but also healthy desserts that you can enjoy all year.

• Food and Wine Magazine offers up this wonderful slide show, linked to recipes, of delicious healthy desserts for Christmas. Desserts include brown sugar custards with orange zest, yogurt and apricot pie with crunch granola crust, angel food cupcakes with raspberry swirl, brownie bites, citrus gratin with toasted almonds, minty lime baked Alaska, fudgy chocolate-walnut cookies and five other sumptuous healthy dessert recipes that will tempt your taste buds.
• Eating Well offers healthy Christmas dessert recipes including citrus ginger cake with spiced orange compote, festive apple galette, maple walnut cake, marmalade glazed orange cheesecake, maple walnut pralines and several other delicious healthy Christmas desserts.
• Delish.com has a number of tasty healthy holiday pies, tarts and custards including maple-pumpkin custard with crystallized ginger, pumpkin pie with rum, squash pie and pecan-cranberry tart, just to name a few.
• Jenny Craig has a number of low fat, healthy holiday dessert recipes on their site, including crustless pumpkin pie that weighs in at 144 calories and 2 grams of fat per serving. Registration is required to access the recipe database.
• If you don’t feel like baking for yourself, Light Touch Food will bake for you and ship to your home. Light Touch Food creations include brownies, cheesecakes, cookies, crepes and fruit pies.
• Food Fit has a number of healthy holiday menus including Christmas desserts such as English trifle, Mexican hot chocolate and Chocolate raspberry yule Log. They also offer recipes for other winter holidays like Hanukkah and Kwanzaa.

A number of health and weight loss magazines offer options for healthy and delicious holiday desserts. Below is a list of magazines that you can find at your local magazine stand.

• Cooking Light magazine offers year ‘round advice on healthy cooking. Their November and December issues quite often feature delicious low calorie takes on Christmas Desserts, including hot chocolate fudge cakes, pecan tassies in cream cheese pastry and pear galette with brandied cranberries and raisins. The magazine also offers advice for lighting your own recipes and quick snack ideas.
• Self Magazine offers healthy recipes. Their November and December issues often feature Christmas Desserts that have been lightened up.
• Weight Watchers magazine has more than 30 recipes in every issue. Their November and December issues feature holiday recipes including gingerbread cupcakes, baked apple streusel, buche de noel and holiday eggnog.

• Low Carb Holiday by John Owen has a number of healthy low carb dessert recipes, including sweetened condensed coconut milk, pumpkin cheesecake, crème brulee, chocolate soufflé and key lime pie. All recipes are sugar free and free from processed grains like white flour.
• Sugar-free, Gluten-free Baking and Desserts by Kelly Keough offers healthy dessert recipes without the gluten or sugar.
• BabyCakes: Vegan, (Mostly Gluten-Free and (Mostly) Sugar-free Recipes from New York’s Most Talked About Bakery by Erin McKenna offers recipes for all sorts of favorite desserts including holiday favorites. This cookbook is terrific for anyone with special dietary needs that are looking for a healthy way to eat their favorite dessert recipes.
• Olive Oil Desserts: Delicious and Health Heart Smart Baking by Micki Sannar features heart smart baked goods without the trans fats, saturated fats and hydrogenated oils. Recipes for cakes, cookies and bars, muffins, pies and crisps are all included.
• The South Beach Diet Parties and Holidays Cookbook by Dr. Arthur Agatston offers up delicious holiday recipes – including dessert recipes -- from the creator of the popular South Beach Diet.

With a little time and research, it’s easy to find healthy Christmas dessert recipes that taste great and will help to keep your health intact.

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