by Julie Spaur

Created on: April 08, 2009

It may seem like having dessert while on a diet is a big no-no. In actuality, if you are dieting, you should have dessert on a regular basis for the simple reason that if you deprive yourself completely from something you love, eventually you are going to lose control and binge on the same food you are trying to stay away from.

One of the major reasons dieting doesn't work and weight loss doesn't usually last when a person stops dieting is that as soon as the diet stops and normal pre-diet eating resumes, the weight piles back on.

Instead of having "diet" friendly dessert, a more logical approach to health and weight loss that will last a lifetime is to change your eating habits to include mainly "lifestyle" friendly choices, with a few indulgences thrown in on a rare, infrequent occasion.

The most successful and lasting way to achieve permanent weight loss involves changing your attitude about eating and about the foods you regularly eat. For example, while the diet mentality of never having a piece of French Silk pie ever again may seem like something you don't even want to consider, it doesn't seem so difficult to make healthier choices on a daily basis and be able to have a piece of that pie maybe once every 3 or 4 months as a treat.

While the thought of always having to eat "healthy" food may not appeal to you, it has been shown that once you start eating in a way that is better for your body, your taste buds gradually adjust and eventually the foods you loved, such as fried donuts or heavy, calorie laden cakes, may no longer taste as good. You may find that you actually crave a lighter, healthier dessert after awhile!

What is considered a "healthy" dessert choice? First of all, let's define "dessert." According to Dictionary.com, the most generic definition says "A usually sweet course or dish, as of fruit, ice cream, or pastry, served at the end of a meal." Of all the words in the definition, fruit is obviously the healthiest choice, so it would seem that desserts that use fruit may be the best choice for diet-friendly, or lifestyle friendly, meal plans.

Considering the number of fruits that are available, and the amount of various types of desserts that can be made, the possibilities are vast! Fruit salads, fruit pies, fruit sorbet, and fruit topped with yogurt or whipped topping, just to name a few. If you want to get fancier, why not try a dessert using baked fruit, such as baked ginger pears or baked apples. Anyone would be impressed if a plate of bananas

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