Are you looking for sweet snacks to curb your sweet tooth? The good news is, that nutritionists do not advise categorically refusing sweet snacks. Even overweight people can benefit from such sweets as honey, dark chocolate, and dried fruits. These snacks can improve mood, nourish with vitamins, and strengthen immunity, without damaging our figure and without adding extra pounds. Let’s compare three popular sweet snacks and answer the question of which of them is the healthiest one. 

Honey

Honey does not contain a single gram of fat, but 70% of it consists of flavonoids, which have a rejuvenating effect, B vitamins, which stimulate metabolism and strengthen the nervous system, and vitamins E and C. It also contains antioxidants that strengthen the immune system, minerals – calcium, magnesium, iron, and iodine, as well as essential oils and phytoncides with bactericidal and anti-inflammatory action. Plus honey is a low-calorie product: 20 g of sweetness (2 tbsp. l.) contains only 70 kcal, but provides the body with everything necessary for normal metabolism.

Are there any special aspects to consider when enjoying honey? Honey consists of fructose and glucose, which are instantly converted into fat stores if you do not use their energy potential in time. Two to three spoons of honey per day is useful to eat for all people who are not allergic to this product. Add honey to Greek yogurt, and you will get a delicious snack. Enjoy it when gambling crazy time live or between the meals. 

(Dark) Chocolate

The product from cocoa beans is full of useful ingredients. it has polyunsaturated fatty acids, which do not clog, but clean the blood vessels from cholesterol, help to turn fat stores into energy chocolate flavonoids and antioxidants, prolong the life of brain cells, and make it work “at full speed. Tannins contained in chocolate kill oral bacteria and prevent cavities and inflammatory processes. Thanks to vitamins A, B, and E, a few slices of chocolate can improve our mood. The only problem with dark chocolate is its high-calorie content – 500 kcal/100 g. To get the most from this snack, choose dark chocolate with a high content of cocoa beans – from 50 to 90%. And you shouldn’t eat more than 30 g of chocolate per day and after 4 p.m.      

Fruit Paper

If you are tightly “hooked” on sweets and the above products your body refuses to consider a worthy substitute, enjoy a piece of natural sugar-free fruit paper. Such a product is made from fruits and berries, it is much healthier than candy. Marshmallows will retain maximum vitamins and minerals, and they also have a lot of fiber. It is not worth eating marshmallows, even without sugar, but it is quite possible to calm the rebellious brain with a small piece.                                                          

Dried Fruits

Dried fruits are rich in vitamins and minerals. Moreover, they can cleanse the intestines with a large amount of fiber, of which they consist. And each dried fruit has its special benefit for the body. Let’s focus, for example, on the useful and harmful properties of dates. Among other dried fruits, they stand out for their record potassium content – an essential element for normal heart function, healthy muscles, and proper water and salt metabolism. Dates contain 23 amino acids that support brain activity, and mental health, and neutralize stomach acidity. 

Dates are useful in anemia, with low immunity, in the prevention of depressive states. However, the caloric content of the product (275 kcal/100 g) and high glycemic index make you count each fruit eaten, so as not to increase the number of fat cells. And people who suffer from diabetes, deficiency of digestive enzymes, and intestinal disorders, shouldn’t eat them. The rest of the people will not hurt in winter and spring avitaminosis to eat a handful of 10 dates and provide your body with a daily dose of magnesium, copper, sulfur, as well as iron necessary for hematopoiesis.

A lot of people feel a great craving for sweets all the time. If this need is not satisfied, a kind of “withdrawal” begins. But if you limit yourself forcibly, it can lead to irritation, bad moods, and even emotional breakdowns. And then you still can not stand it, eat your stress, get a lot of health problems, and become overweight. It is possible to take this situation under control by avoiding stress and overeating. Choose healthy yet tasty snacks and be healthy!