Every grocery and drug store aisle is filled with sweets. Chocolates, gummy bears, and small sugar and fat bars in 20-pound bundles. These will provide you with calories but not much else — except possibly health concerns. Consuming too much candy raises your chances of developing diabetes, cavities, and obesity.
However, those hazards don’t do much to suppress a sweet taste, so if you really want to indulge, there are lots of healthier alternatives to candy.
1. Fruit Leather
Fruit leather is available in grocery stores or can be prepared at home. Mangoes, strawberries, blueberries, apricots, and other pureed fruits are typically used, which are then baked and dried before being rolled out. These thin slabs are chewy and can be sliced to any size for great nibbling, thanks to the natural sweetness of the fruit you choose.
Avoid buying advertised fruit roll-ups because many brands contain a lot of added sugars and corn syrup, lowering their nutritional value.
2. Avocado with Honey and Lemon
Avocados are known for their savory properties, and most people associate them with the flavors of salt, pepper, and tabasco sauce. Maybe they’ll make a guacamole spread out of it. With a little bit of honey and lemon juice, avocados can be a great dessert substitute. Simply put them over half an avocado and mash it up within its shell for a delectable pudding-like treat that may help you lose weight by suppressing your hunger.
Avocados are high in vitamins and minerals, as well as good fats and fiber.
3. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate, unlike most other chocolates, is known for its health benefits. It has a lot of antioxidants and can help with heart health, brain health, and insulin regulation. Flavonoids are antioxidants that help to decrease cholesterol, blood pressure, and inflammation. If you want to spice things up, add some coconut, which has healthy fats that can help with intestinal health.
4. Sweetened Nuts
According to studies, consuming nuts can decrease cholesterol by up to 20% by providing natural unsaturated fats. These nuts can also aid to reduce inflammation and lower your cholesterol.
They are an excellent alternative to candy because they contain protein, fiber, and other nutrients such as vitamins E and B6. Honey, cinnamon, or vanilla can be used to sweeten peanuts, almonds, pistachios, cashews, pecans, walnuts, and other nuts for a salty-sweet crunchy delicacy.
5. Trail Mix
Trail mix is a salty-sweet combination of nuts and dried fruit that can keep you full for hours. These mixes, which are high in fiber, protein, antioxidants, and other nutrients, are a healthy calorie-intake alternative to sweets. Just be wary of store-bought varieties, which may include more sugar per serving.
6. Cinnamon Chickpeas
Chickpeas, like avocados, are known for their savory properties. They’re the key component in hummus and a vegetarian favorite for replacing protein in robust meals. The chickpea, on the other hand, can be sweetened with cinnamon or vanilla for a candy replacement that can actually lower your diabetes risk. Preheat the oven to 400 degrees and bake the chickpeas for 15 minutes. After removing them from the oven, brush with olive oil and sprinkle with cinnamon and brown sugar before returning them to the oven for another 15 minutes.
7. Fruit
Fresh fruit is a tried-and-true candy substitute — nature’s candy, if you will. It’s high in nutrients, vitamins, minerals, and fiber, all of which help boost antioxidant levels and reduce inflammation in the body. Fiber slows the breakdown of sugar in the body, allowing you to feel fuller and more energized for longer. Apples, oranges, berries, and pineapple are low-calorie, high-nutrient delights that are sweet and juicy.
Dried fruit is a good option if you want a more concentrated, chewy kick – just be careful not to consume too much. Your body believes you can eat more because it is smaller, but this is a lie.
Frozen fruit can also be used to spice things up. Bananas are abundant in potassium, grapes have a nice frozen bite, and frozen berries may be mixed into tasty smoothies.
8. Coffee or Tea
Although coffee is bitter, a minimally sweetened version can help your health by lowering your risk of obesity, cardiovascular disease, liver disease, and certain cancers. It can even help you concentrate better.
Coffee is high in B vitamins and antioxidants, but the only calories it contains come from the mild sweetener you add (three tablespoons of sugar puts you back in candy territory, so be careful).
Tea has the same health benefits as coffee, with the extra benefit of being caffeine-free. You can sweeten it with honey to keep the sugar count down, or you can use lemon to completely eliminate the sugar count.
9. Fruit and Veggie Chips
These chips, like the fruit leather, can be purchased or manufactured at home, and they are made from your favorite fruits. To make a crunchy sweet treat, chop the fruit into very thin slices and bake them. You still get all of the health benefits of fruit, such as a lower risk of heart disease, diabetes, obesity, and certain cancers.
So, instead of candy, consider one of these healthy, yet still sweet and full, alternatives this holiday season. Your body will thank you with increased energy, regularity, and a general sense of well-being.
