Seven Snacks to Curb Your Sweet Cravings

Do you have a fierce sweet tooth? There’s no need to let your sweet cravings get the best of your healthy intentions. While it’s true that sometimes the best way to answer the cloying call is to indulge, the good news is that it often doesn’t take much to put your cravings to rest. In fact, just a small taste will do the trick. Skeptical? Give it a try. Check out these naturally tasty snacks to calm your sweet cravings. The best part?  These little treats are all around only 50 calories – definitely nowhere near hot-fudge-sundae-diet-meltdown territory.

Cravings Check:  7 Sweet Snacks Under 50 Calories

• 2 Sunsweet Prunes Ones: That’s right. Prunes.  Before you turn up your nose, tear into a package; we’re betting you’ll be “plum” delighted. Sunsweet’s got the formula down: Individually wrapped, ultra-moist, sweet, and juicy prunes make you feel like you’re unwrapping a candy. An all-natural and good-for-you “candy” loaded with antioxidants, potassium, and fiber, that is!

• 8 cocoa-dusted almonds: Chocolate + protein = satisfying sweet cravings fix. Give kicked-up flavored almonds, such as Blue Diamond’s Dark Chocolate Almonds, a try if nothing but chocolate will do. Measure these snacks out, and savor the flavor!

• Grape spritzer: Satisfy your sweet cravings with a fizzy, healthy drink that’s reminiscent of grape soda.  Pour ¼ cup 100% grape juice into a cold glass and top off with icy, unflavored seltzer water. Sweet, tart, and refreshing!

• 12 fresh cherries: Not only are fresh cherries sweet to eat, but the pit slows you down, making it impossible to scarf down your treat without slowing down to enjoy. Best of all, there’s no prep, and the answer to curbing your sweet tooth is as simple as opening your refrigerator door.

• Banana freeze: If a banana is sweet, a frozen banana is that much sweeter – after all, its creamy, cold texture is akin to ice cream. Try splitting a small half of a banana lengthwise and adding a light sprinkle of cinnamon – then freeze for an hour.

• Whole wheat graham cracker: Give whole grain graham crackers a try for a sweet and healthy craving-kicker. Mi-Del makes a healthy cracker you can feel good about nibbling, and with just 35 calories per square, it’s a guilt- free fling.

• Sorbet: For a cold and sweet treat, give no-sugar-added whole fruit sorbet a spin, such as Whole Fruit’s No Sugar Added Strawberry Sorbet. For just a few more than 50 calories (60, to be exact) you can dish up ½ a cup of frosty goodness.

The Bottom Line

You don’t have to throw away a couple hundred calories simply to shut down your sweet tooth. For a few bites, and only around 50 calories, these sweet snacks will be sure to satisfy your sweet cravings.

Beth Ehrensberger, RD

Alumni: University of Tennessee, Knoxville – Beth Sumrell Ehrensberger is a Registered Dietitian and holds a Master Degree in Public Health. An experienced nutrition counselor, writer and public speaker, Beth specializes in translating complex nutrition information into practical concepts. Beth was awarded a Nutrition Communications Fellowship to the National Cancer Institute, and has worked on the internationally recognized Nutrition Action Healthletter of the Center for Science in the Public Interest.