Heart-healthy desserts are a delicious way to get nutritional benefits from your favorite sweet treats. Whether you’re hoping to prevent heart disease or looking for delicious ways to manage your health with a heart issue, dessert can still be part of the equation.
“Everything can fit into a healthy diet,” Theresa Gentile, a registered dietitian in New York City and a spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells TODAY.com. In fact, Gentile eats dessert pretty much every day, usually in the form of chocolate, she says.
Along with other lifestyle strategies, such as getting good quality sleep and staying physically active, choosing the right dessert foods can help you hit your heart-health goals.
“Incorporating desserts you love, either occasionally or regularly, is possible with a bit of thoughtful planning,” Emma Laing, Ph.D., clinical professor and director of the didactic program in dietetics at the University of Georgia and spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, tells TODAY.com.
Part of that planning includes choosing satisfying desserts, as well as “being sensible with portion sizes and eating slowly and mindfully without a lot of distractions,” Laing adds.
Even if you don’t have a cardiac issue, like high blood pressure or cholesterol, it’s not a bad idea to eat with heart health in mind, Gentile says. Heart disease is common — and the leading cause of death in the U.S., according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. So heart health “should be a concern for most Americans,” she says.
What to look for in a heart-healthy dessert
In general, the experts suggest making desserts yourself whenever possible.
“The more you can make your dessert at home, the more you can minimize the unhealthy oils and hydrogenated fats that might be in a commercially prepared product,” Gentile says. You could also get your dessert from a local bakery, she says, which will likely be using healthier ingredients than you’d…
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