lifestyle | healthy eating
Sweet Treats Dieters commonly avoid desserts because of their high sugar and fat content. With the right recipe and moderation, however, people can have a sweet treat without the empty calories. story victoria reick-mitrisin | photo sierra whitlock Each issue, Spark explores nutritious dining options for each meal.
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plenda-sweetened cupcakes and Coke Zero Zero will not kill you. According to Spark People nutritionist Tanya Jolliffe, there have been “no published, peer-reviewed, controlled scientific studies to support the accusations [that artificial sweeteners are detrimental to one’s health].” But for those not prepared to risk proving the common health myth wrong, there are other options to getting that sweet “quick fix” in even the healthiest of diets. One healthy substitute for a sugar carvings is a bag of fruit snacks, which is part of East junior Lauren Haller’s diet. She returns home for a balanced meal and her “minor [fruit snack] indulgence” after she runs track and spends a quick hour at the gym. Haller eats three square meals and an after-track Powerbar during her busy day, but she regrets not spacing her intake out with a greater quantity of smaller meals. “[My habits are] just healthy,” says Haller, who is adamantly against attempting only to “look good” instead of considering the longterm health effects. “I feel accomplished when I work out and eat right over a long period of time.” Jolliffe recommends that those seeking a better post-meal option should consider fruit as something that will satisfy sugar needs, while maintaining healthy proportions. Additionally, Jolliffe suggests spacing out several servings of dried fruit between meals, allowing people to indulge in a sweet treat multiple times per day without the health risks of sweets. Haller feels that her family has not allowed for her to indulge too often, as her parents do not purchase an excess of unhealthy foods. Haller feels this has conditioned her to not snack on junk food each time she passes the kitchen. Instead, she goes for fruit or yogurt from her fridge, which helps her to eliminate the “crash-and-burn” feeling in her diet. “I will only want [unhealthy food] really badly if I know we have it. If we do, when I’m really hungry or just bored, the junk food that we have on hand is the first thing that I want,” says Haller. “I have a plan that works and gives
42 | Spark | April 15, 2011
Apple Crisp Ingredients me time to relax while staying fit and active.” According to Haller, eating several small meals throughout the day curbs cravings and binging. “Students always eat once or twice per day and binge on junk food because they can. They don’t worry because it doesn’t affect them right now,” says Haller. “When they are older, these habits will stick, and people won’t be quite as successful staying fit with [the same] lifestyle.” East junior Emily Morrell agrees that eating large quantities during the day has detrimental effects on teens. Having lost 20 pounds since December 2010, Morrell attributes her weight loss to the elimination of most desserts and a portion-conscious, healthy routine. Morrell eats a calorie-heavy dessert once per week but attempts to simply skip over the unhealthy food in her home for a healthier option, like berries and cream. Morrell only indulges at social gatherings or when she goes out to dinner with her family. “There’s a lot of stuff out there that tastes like dessert, but is a healthier diet food instead of dessert food,” says Morrell. “I don’t think that people, particularly high school students, fully understand the difference.” East senior Victoria Brooks disagrees with Emily’s method of dieting. Brooks only eats dessert about three times each week, but she eats more in order to fully satisfy her cravings. “[Eating a lot] gets it all out of my system and then I don’t want dessert for awhile,” says Brooks, who reiterates the fact that portion size in all other areas of dieting is key, so that snacks are not utilized to relieve boredom. She feels that her method, though not the healthiest, is the most practical way for her. “I generally only eat desserts during social events, and they tend to be larger than a normal portion size,” says Brooks. Brooks considers herself an individual who plans for her future health. She refrains from over-indulging by limiting herself and finding healthy alternatives to her usual desserts. “As long as you keep yourself motivated and tell yourself when to stop, it doesn’t matter what you eat,” says Brooks. n
3 medium sized baking apples, cored, sliced thin 1 tsp cinnamon 2 tbsp sugar 2 tbsp flour Topping: 1 cup quick oats 1 tsp vanilla 1/2 tsp cinnamon 1/4 cup brown sugar 2 tbsp heart-healthy margarine
Directions
1) Mix the first four ingredients and place in a nine-inch dish. 2) In a small bowl, mix topping ingredients until they are crumbled. Sprinkle topping over apples. 3) Bake at 325o until apples are soft and topping is goldenbrown (about 30 minutes).
Nutritional Info Serving Size: 9 Servings per recipe: 1 Calories: 131.5 Total Fat: 3.6 g Cholesterol: 0.0 mg Sodium: 33.9 mg Total Carbs: 24.4 g Dietary Fiber: 2.6 g Protein: 1.5 g