You know you want it. But for some reasons, you just can’t. Desserts are truly enticing just by looking at it. How much more enticing it can be if you sink your teeth into its soft, succulent, dark cake? The downside of eating those rich desserts is that it would surely ruin your hard work at the gym. You then wonder, is there a way you can eat desserts without gaining pounds on the weighing scale?

Well, you can and you cannot.

The answer is vague because there’s no specific answer. What works for some wouldn’t work for the others. If there are those who can eat a whole slice of fruit tart without worrying the fat on his/her thighs, there are those who aren’t so lucky. But for those who adore dessert so much, that is not enough. So to give us dessert lovers a little peace of mind, since we just can’t shun them as much as we would like to, let’s try to make desserts a little healthier for us.

To start with, have an organic meal. If you are expecting a sinfully sweet dessert later on, start with something healthy to cut your guilt feelings. If you are going to have a fattening dessert, then cut down the calories on your meal.

Pile up your desserts with healthy ingredients. Instead of all bad-for-your sweets, add some fruits to balance the healthy factors. But if you are buying instead of making, then read look for those with healthy ingredients and search those with “low fat,” low calorie,” no calorie” etc. on the tags.

Eat desserts in little portions. Those mini cakes you see in high-end bakeshops and restaurants are just the right size. You don’t need to supersize your dessert, a moderate portion will be enough.

Finally, have those sinful sweets only during special affairs. I’m not saying that you should totally banish desserts during common days, but save those really unhealthy but chocolatey and calorific ones during special days. It would just make special affairs more special. During common days, prefer desserts that doesn’t pose dangers to your health, like fruits in parfait or yogurt and fruit salad. They still have the goodness and sweetness of desserts without the guilt trip.

Just like a good tome, a meal isn’t finished without a sweet ending. You may have just had the heartiest feast in your life or the not-so-special dinner, but a meal isn’t done without desserts.