When you’re craving something sweet, it can be downright impossible to ignore it, even if you’re committed to eating well. To find out how professional healthy eaters—a.k.a. nutritionists—handle their sweet tooth’s demands, we asked what they reach for when they need a little sugar. Below, find five of their favorite sweet snacks.
Bean “Cookie Dough”
“P.S. Snacks is the best thing you can buy: beans made into edible cookie dough. You seriously will not believe there are beans in there (the black bean fudge brownie is my favorite!).” – Carlene Thomas, Healthfully Ever After
Dark Chocolate Hershey’s Kisses
“Sometimes at night I look for a little chocolate. I will grab two to three dark chocolate Hershey’s Kisses because they are low in sugar and don’t trigger an intense desire for more. They’re also the perfect portion size!” – Danielle Omar, Food Confidence
Banana Froyo
“If I’m craving something sweet, but looking for a healthy alternative I love banana froyo—blended with just bananas, cocoa powder and a small amount of peanut butter.” – Allison Tepper, Allison Tepper Nutrition Consulting
Jif Whipped Peanut Butter and Fresh Strawberries
“My favorite healthy sweet treat is fresh strawberries and peanut butter. I love dipping strawberries into peanut butter. Strawberries are loaded with nutritional goodies such as vitamin C, fiber, polyphenol (a super antioxidant), natural sugar, and low in calories. My favorite peanut butter is a whipped peanut butter by Jif. The whipped peanut butter has less fat and overall calories than the regular peanut butter.” – Charmaine Jones, Food Jonezi
Cinnamon Sugar Popcorn
“I make a cinnamon-sugar or dark chocolate-glazed popcorn using an air popper. It’s sweet and filling since corn is a whole grain! It’s very little fat (only the fat I add) and I control how much sugar is in it. Using ‘sweet’ spices, like cinnamon or cardamom, satisfies my sweet tooth.” – Kate Gardner Burt, Kate Gardner Nutrition
Caroline Cunningham joined Washingtonian in 2014 after moving to the DC area from Cincinnati, where she interned and freelanced for Cincinnati Magazine and worked in content marketing. She currently resides in College Park.
