Delicious yet nutritious desserts that will satisfy you sweet cravings without breaking your diet. Photo / Getty Images
Watching your waistline and trying to be healthy often means cutting out decadent desserts from your diet.
But one nutritionist reveals there is a way to satisfy your sweet tooth whether you want to shed the pounds or simply stick to a healthier lifestyle, reports the Daily Mail.
Lily Soutter, who is also a nutritional therapist, has revealed the eight sweet treats you can still tuck into no matter what diet you're on - and some of them are still deliciously indulgent.
This decadent mousse makes for a perfect dinner party dessert and really tastes as indulgent as it looks.
You may worry about using avocado in sweet treats, but in actual fact, the avocado is the secret ingredient to the dessert's rich and velvety texture.
Avocados are not only bursting with nutrients and heart healthy monounstaturated fats, there is also evidence to show that they may support weight loss.
One study demonstrated that those who ate half an avocado with their lunch felt 23 per cent more satisfied and had a 28 per cent lower desire to eat during the next five hours.
Calorie content: 220 kcal
RECIPE: Lily's Skinny Chocolate Mousse
Ingredients
1 ripe avocado, 4 tbsp cacao, 3 tbsp coconut oil, 1 ripe banana, 100ml almond milk.
Method
Blend, set in the fridge and top with raspberries.
This is a perfect low calorie dessert for colder evenings when you're craving something comforting and warming.
The walnuts give this dish a tasty crunch whilst providing a good dose of protein and fibre.
It is this protein and fibre which slows the rate at which sugar enters the bloodstream, which ultimately reduces output of the fat storage hormone insulin.
Calorie content: 80 kcal per half baked pear
RECIPE: Lily's Baked Pears
Ingredients
One pear, sprinkle of cinnamon, handful of walnuts.
Method
Slice pear in half, scoop out seeds, sprinkle over cinnamon and fill holes with walnuts.
Place in oven 170 degrees celsius for 30 mins.
Optional: serve with natural yoghurt
This is a blend of natural yoghurt, berries and cinnamon which can be frozen into ice block molds.
This super simple dessert takes just minutes to whiz together, and makes a great choice for a summer's day.
The combination of the protein-rich yoghurt, low sugar berries and insulin-sensitising cinnamon, makes this a fantastic dessert for balancing blood sugar.
By stepping off the blood sugar roller coaster, you may minimise weight gain, and further cravings for sugary indulgences.
Calorie content: 27 kcal per ice block
Bananas contain very few calories, around 100 at the most, yet they're full of fibre so can be filling at the same time.
Increasing our fibre intake from fruit and vegetables has repeatedly been shown by science to help with weight loss.
RECIPE: Lily's Banana Sushi
Ingredients
One banana, some melted dark chocolate, crushed pistachios.
Method
Dip one banana into good quality dark chocolate, place onto plate and sprinkle over crushed pistachios.
Slice into sushi pieces and then place into fridge to set. This sushi dessert can be eaten with chop sticks.
Soak chia seeds in almond, coconut or regular milk overnight, with a small drizzle of honey and a pinch of cinnamon.
There's a reason this pudding has been hailed by nutritionists and clean eating influencers.
These little super seeds so are much more than just another craze. They give this dessert its 6g fibre and 4g of protein.
Fibre can increase feelings of fullness which is exactly what we need for weight loss.
Calorie content: 160 kcal
This is one red apple sliced, with each slice topped with a dollop of natural peanut or almond butter, dark chocolate chips, coconut flakes and walnut pieces.
Many people associate dieting with living off low-calorie vegetable sticks. The same people tend to shy away from nuts which are higher in calories than vegetables, they are in fact a dieter's best friend.
Numerous studies have shown that just a handful of nuts a day can significantly reduce hunger, leading to a lower overall calorie intake throughout the day.
These effects come from their protein and fibre, which both have satiating properties.
And there really is nothing more tasty than an apple topped with a dollop of indulgent nut butter and some healthy toppings to give it some crunch.
Calorie content: 130 kcal per apple slice
At 35 calories per scoop, you can't really go wrong when it comes to sorbets.
Try making your sorbet with 100 per cent fruit for a lower sugar, and higher fibre dessert.
RECIPE: Lily's Mango Sorbet
Chop mango (or other fruit) and freeze.
Then place frozen fruit into a blender and blend until smooth and creamy.
Serve immediately.
Simply dip strawberries in yoghurt, place on a tray and freeze.
Strawberries score low on both the calorie and sugar scale, which is great news for dieters.
By coating your strawberries in natural yoghurt with live cultures, you will also receive your daily dose of good bacteria.
There is some super exciting emerging research, suggesting that gut bacteria may have significant effects on body weight.
Calorie content: 30 kcal per 50g serving
She never told them the five-course meal was vegan. So a cousin decided to act.