Guilt-Free Summer Treats

By Kara Ryan, Nutrition Education Specialist for the MA Department of Public Heath

It’s hot outside. Are you craving a cool summer treat?

There are many treats out there that guarantee to cool us down. The most popular choice on a hot day is an old-fashioned ice cream cone. Unfortunately, if you are watching your weight, this heat buster isn’t always the best answer. There are other options out there that are healthy, low in calories and in fat.

Before you have your next craving, make sure you have some cool sweet treats in your freezer.

Some great choices include:

• Frozen unsweetened fruits such as blueberries, grapes, strawberries and raspberries by themselves or topped with a little lowfat yogurt

• Homemade fruit and cream pops. All you have to do is fill small paper cups up with a blend of fruit and lowfat yogurt, add a popsicle stick, and freeze. Or freeze 100% fruit juice into paper cups for frozen ice

• Banana chips are easy and delicious. Slice up and freeze bananas. Place in a bag and you’ve got yourself a cold, portable, creamy treat

• Jell-O is always a hit. Put a dollop of light whipped cream on top to make it extra special

• Slice up a peach and top with some light whipped cream or lowfat yogurt

• Try sorbet or sherbet—a half a cup is the perfect amount—low in calories and fat

• No-calorie lime spritzers are a good thirst quencher. All you need is seltzer, crushed ice, and a squeeze of lime. Mint leaves are also a great addition to plain seltzer or water

• Finally, my personal favorite is making pistachio pudding with skim milk, place in a paper cup with a popsicle stick and freeze

When the next heat wave strikes you’ll be happy to have guilt-free summer treats on hand!
Do you have any guilt-free summer treats you’d like to share? We’d love to hear from you!

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This article was originally published on the MA Department of Public Health blog, Commonwealth Conversations, and is reproduced here with the kind permission of the MA DPH.