Is It Healthy to Eat Dessert Every Day? - Baton Rouge Clinic (2024)

FAQs

How often is it OK to eat dessert? ›

Sweets can be part of a healthy, lifelong eating pattern. But for the least harm and -- don't forget this -- the fullest enjoyment, they should be eaten in moderation. That means in small amounts, or only a couple of times a week.

Rich in Nutrition (Benefits Of Desserts)

Not only sweet and delicious, desserts are rich in nutrients such as vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants that are needed by our body. These nutrients come from basic ingredients of desserts such as milk and eggs.

The sugar that makes treats so sweet has been linked to weight gain and chronic diseases ranging from Type 2 diabetes to cancer; many desserts also have an abundance of saturated fats, which potentially harm the heart, and plenty of empty calories.

The experts say that after lunch is the best time to eat dessert. If you indulge in the afternoon, you have a bit of time to burn off the calories during the rest of the day. You should try and eat dessert an hour after you eat your lunch.

So instead of swearing off ice cream, Girl Scout cookies, and doughnuts, she suggests digging into a treat once or twice a week. She says this shouldn't derail your progress as long as you keep your portions in check.

More Vitamin D

For some people, however, moving to the desert is not about air quality at all, but rather about an abundance of sunshine. Sunlight helps the body to synthesize vitamin D, an essential compound that contributes to good bone health, improved immunity, better mood and reduced symptoms of depression.

Many sugar cravings stem from a blood sugar imbalance. When your body ingests sugar, your blood sugar spikes and your body releases insulin to lower it to a safer level. If the insulin brings your blood sugar level a bit too low, as often happens, your body craves foods that will raise it and increase your energy.

Without access to healthful foods, people living in food deserts may be at higher risk of diet-related conditions, such as obesity, diabetes, and cardiovascular disease.

An excess of sweetened foods and beverages can lead to weight gain, blood sugar problems, and an increased risk of heart disease, among other dangerous conditions. For these reasons, added sugar should be kept to a minimum whenever possible, which is easy when you follow a nutrient-dense diet based on whole foods.

What is the unhealthiest dessert? ›

You gain weight when you take in more calories than your body needs, and sugary foods and drinks contain a lot of calories. So you can see if too much sugar is making you put on weight, then you are increasing your risk of getting type 2 diabetes.

Your body craves sweets as a way of getting a QUICK spike of energy to support the digestive process. Digesting your food is hard work! Your body burns calories (or energy) while digesting your food. This is called the Thermal Effect of Food (TEF) – a subject for a whole other blog post.

Researchers surmise that not only is the morning an ideal time, metabolism-wise, to eat something sweet (you have the rest of the day to burn off the calories), but a treat in the morning can keep you from from craving carbs and sugar all day.

The general consensus: after lunch is best. "If you indulge in the afternoon, you'll have the opportunity to burn off the calories throughout the rest of the day," says Kristy Rao, a nutritionist and health coach. She suggests eating dessert about an hour after lunch.

1) Cream Brulee (FRANCE) -

Back in the 17th century, this dessert was introduced by Francois Massialot, a chef of a kitchen of a Duke of Orlean, who wrote about its recipe in a book. A creamy pastry a thin, crisp caramel layer is what is referred to as cream brulee and which has stolen everyone's heart.

Some examples of junk food are chips, aerated beverages, sweet desserts and other fast food items like pizzas, burgers, hot dugs etc. These foods are fat-containing and low in nutritional value. They contain many harmful ingredients like refined sugar, trans fat etc.

Upset stomach, irritability, and sluggishness are all possible warnings you're overdoing it on the sweet stuff. Sugar gets a bad rap, but the truth is that it's a vital source of energy and essential to our survival. Of course, not all sugars are the same.

For many people, eating dessert (or chocolate) after meals is a habit. Rather than a physiological sugar craving, the desire occurs simply because you're used to ending your meal with a sweet. It's something you want versus something your body actually needs.

Does your body save room for dessert? ›

Several studies have looked at human's uncanny ability to always find room for dessert, and they've all come up with a similar answer. We do have extra room for dessert, mainly because of something known as sensory-specific satiety.

But it's also one of the earth's harshest environments: Lack of water, extreme heat, and rugged, occasionally disorienting terrain can put unprepared hikers in danger in minutes.

In food deserts, healthy foods like fruits, vegetables, whole grains, dairy, peas, beans, meat, and fish are often expensive or unobtainable. The lack of access to healthy foods in these communities translates to health disparities and high rates of chronic disease ( 4 , 5, 6 ).

Lack of water, the most evident disadvantage to deserts in general, results from the combined effects of insufficient rainfall and rapid water evaporation by nearby land masses.

Keep fruit handy for when sugar cravings hit. You'll get fiber and nutrients along with some sweetness. And stock up on foods like nuts, seeds, and dried fruits, says certified addiction specialist Judy Chambers. "Have them handy so you reach for them instead of reaching for the old [sugary] something."

The other defining characteristic of food deserts is socio-economic: that is, they are most commonly found in black and brown communities and low-income areas (where many people don't have cars).

Study results also showed that the individuals who live in food desert are at an elevated risk for obesity. Together, these findings suggest that Americans who either do not have enough to eat or live in areas without access to stores that sell affordable nutritious foods are at greater risk for obesity.

Desserts are often piled high with calories, fat, and added sugar — so caution is essential. Excess calories, added sugars, and too much saturated fat can lead to chronic disease, so the trick is to find desserts that don't sabotage an overall healthy diet.

Is it OK to eat sugary foods everyday? ›

Eating too much sugar on a regular basis has been shown to increase rates of obesity, high blood sugar, high blood pressure, inflammation, and atherosclerosis. All of these issues are risk factors for heart disease, and an unhealthy heart can make you more susceptible to heart attacks.

Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 sugar cubes). Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 sugar cubes).

The evidence doesn't suggest that you should cut out sugar completely. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans recommends getting no more than 10% of your daily calories from added sugar. Added sugars are sugars that are put into foods or drinks when they're being processed or prepared.

Some of the most unhealthy foods in the world include high-sugar cereals, sugary coffee drinks, canned soup, margarine, soda, processed lunch meats, ice cream and frozen french fries.

Ditto sucking candies that stay in the mouth a whole lot longer than your average bite of ice cream, coating the teeth in sugar. And even after the candy has been swallowed, remnants stick to the grooves atop molars and the typically wider spaces between kids' teeth, leading to more plaque and decay.

When most people think of a diet that leads to poor diabetes control, they may think of a diet high in carbs and sugar. While those types of food do impact your blood sugars, consuming too many saturated fats can be an enemy against diabetes control,too.

Seniors may crave sweets if they don't consume enough carbohydrates to meet the body's energy needs. Prevent this type of craving by not allowing seniors to skip meals, encouraging them to eat a snack even if they don't feel hungry, and including complex carbs such as whole grains, protein, and fats in meals.

What time of day is sugar highest? ›

The dawn phenomenon is an early-morning rise in blood sugar, also called blood glucose, in people with diabetes. The dawn phenomenon leads to high levels of blood sugar, a condition called hyperglycemia. It usually happens between 4 a.m. and 8 a.m.

Summary: The circadian system increases hunger and cravings for sweet, starchy and salty foods in the evenings, according to new research. Eating higher-calorie foods in the evening can be counterproductive if weight loss is a goal since the human body handles nutrients differently depending on the time of day.

While experts caution against eating meals late at night, Langer says if you want a small treat in the evening, it won't do serious harm. “People think if you eat [dessert] earlier in the day, you burn it off and it's not going to affect your weight,” Langer explained.

Sugary foods, such as ice-cream and sweets, send blood sugar levels spiking at first, which then crash whilst you are asleep. A crash in blood sugar alerts the adrenals that there is an emergency, which, in turn, increases cortisol levels, and wakes the body from slumber.

However, there is some evidence to suggest that eating dessert for breakfast could help stave off hunger for a good part of the day. According to a study from the Endocrine Society, eating a 600-calorie high-carb breakfast including a small dessert such as a sweet cookie or chocolate could help to improve weight loss.

An excess of sweetened foods and beverages can lead to weight gain, blood sugar problems, and an increased risk of heart disease, among other dangerous conditions. For these reasons, added sugar should be kept to a minimum whenever possible, which is easy when you follow a nutrient-dense diet based on whole foods.

Yes, it's true, treat and cheat meals can be a strategic part of a fat-loss plan. Here's how to fit treats into a healthy eating diet, and the best treats to choose.

Routinely consuming too much added sugar can increase your risk of obesity, heart disease, diabetes and liver disease. The American Heart Association® recommends limiting added sugars to 9 teaspoons (150 calories or 36 grams) per day for men and 6 teaspoons (100 calories or 24 grams) per day for women.

How many sweets can I eat a day? ›

Adults should have no more than 30g of free sugars a day, (roughly equivalent to 7 sugar cubes). Children aged 7 to 10 should have no more than 24g of free sugars a day (6 sugar cubes). Children aged 4 to 6 should have no more than 19g of free sugars a day (5 sugar cubes).

Eating dessert every day is fine and won't negatively impact your weight, so long as the dessert you're eating is comprised of healthy ingredients. To get toned, lose belly fat, and sport a great physique, you need to know what foods to eat and how to prepare them.

Summary: The circadian system increases hunger and cravings for sweet, starchy and salty foods in the evenings, according to new research. Eating higher-calorie foods in the evening can be counterproductive if weight loss is a goal since the human body handles nutrients differently depending on the time of day.

Foods that satiate you without spiking your blood sugar or forcing your digestive system to work overtime trying to process them while you sleep. Bananas, cherries, mango, grapes, oranges and dark chocolate are all sleep inducing foods – and they're easy for your body to digest.

Nutrient Deficiencies

Deficiencies in certain minerals such as zinc, chromium, iron, calcium, and magnesium may lead to sugar cravings as well, Elia says. Magnesium deficiency is specifically worth paying attention to.

Sugar cravings on their own are probably not an indication of a health concern. In fact, they're one of the most common cravings people experience. You could be craving sweets because you're: used to eating them.