SELF Editors' Choice Food Awards: The 10 Best Low-Calorie Sweets And Treats
Indulging in treats in moderation is part of a healthy, well rounded, and sanity-saving diet (registered dietitians agree!). And the good news is that it's totally possible for a dessert to be decadent without interfering with your health goals. These sweet winners are ten such desserts. SELF editors analyzed over 150 foods and these were the healthy desserts we loved the most. We tried hard to find treats that fit our registered dietitians' strict criteria as much as possible, and we think you'll like what we found. All of these desserts—part of our SELF Editors' Choice Food Awards—are just as tasty as other sweets, but have no more than 3 grams of saturated fat and 200 calories per serving. See our delicious picks below!
via alterecofoods.com1Alter Eco Deep Dark Sea Salt Organic Chocolate
Oh, hey, salted dark chocolate. Our dietitians were on the lookout for a dark chocolate bar that's at least 65% cacao, made without any hydrogenated oils or trans fats. This 70% cacao bar fit the bill, and we love that a sprinkle of sea salt (fleur de sel de Guérande, to be exact) brings out its natural sweetness. We also love that this chocolate bar is made with 100% fair trade-certified ingredients. The suggested retail price for a 2.82-ounce bar is $3.99.
Per 5-section serving (about half a bar): 223 calories, 5 g fiber, 3 g protein, 12 g sugar, 72 mg sodium, 17 g fat (10 g saturated), 19 g carbs
via annies.com2Annie’s Oatmeal Cookie Bites
These cookie bites are great for when you don’t want a whole cookie (or for when you want a bunch of little cookies!). SELF editors loved that they tasted nice and buttery, without actually having much butter. Our dietitians like that it fits their criteria of being less than 150 calories, no more than 2 grams of saturated fat and at least 1 gram of fiber, with no partially hydrogenated oils, trans fats, or high-intensity sweeteners. The suggested retail price for a 5.5-ounce bag for $2.29.
Per 7 cookies: 130 calories, 1 g fiber, 2 g protein, 7 g sugar, 75 mg sodium, 6 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 16 g carbs
via enjoylifefoods.com3Enjoy Life Soft Baked Snickerdoodle Cookies
Our taste testers loved the delicate cinnamon-sugar taste and chewy texture of these gluten-free cookies. The suggested retail price for a 6-ounce box for $4.29.
Per 2 cookies: 120 calories, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein, 9 g sugar, 110 mg sodium, 4 g fat (0 g saturated), 19 g carbs
via yasso.com4Yasso Cookies & Cream Frozen Greek Yogurt
The chocolate chips in these bars were a big hit with SELF editors. Each bar has 5 grams of protein and a cool 100 calories. The suggested retail price for a box of four is $4.99, and fit our dietitians' criteria for frozen Greek yogurt (under 140 calories, no more than 2 grams of saturated fat, and no high-intensity sweeteners).
Per 1 bar: 100 calories, 0 g fiber, 5 g protein, 13 g sugar, 60 mg sodium, 2 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 16 g carbs
via bluebunny.com5Blue Bunny Cherry Chocolate Frozen Yogurt
This chocolate cherry froyo tastes deliciously decadent. It also fits our nutritionists' criteria of being 120 calories or less, no more than 2.5 grams of saturated fat, and free of high-intensity sweeteners, partially hydrogenated oils, and trans fats. The suggested retail price for 1.75-quart is $4.49.
Per1/2 cup serving: 120 calories, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein, 18 g sugar, 50 mg sodium, 3 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 21 g carbs
via skinnycow.com6Skinny Cow Snickerdoodle Sandwich
The best way to eat a snickerdoodle is with ice cream, obviously. And we love that this one fit our dietitians' criteria for ice cream sandwiches: under 150 calories and no more than 1.5 grams of saturated fat. The suggested retail price for a box of six is $5.49.
Per sandwich: 150 calories, 2 g fiber, 4 g protein, 14 g sugar, 105 mg sodium, 2.5 g fat (1 g saturated), 29 g carbs
via edys.com7Edy’s Slow Churned Chocolate
We were looking for a tasty ice cream that was under 120 calories, no more than 2.5 grams of saturated fat, and free of high-intensity sweeteners. We were happy to find this yummy Edy's flavor. Thanks to the slow-churning method used to make this ice cream, it’s totally decadent and delicious with less fat than regular ice cream. And it contains only all-natural ingredients. The suggested retail price for 1.5-quart is $6.49.
Per 1/2 cup serving: 120 calories, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein, 14 g sugar, 40 mg sodium, 3.5 g fat (1.5 g saturated), 19 g carbs
via talentigelato.com8Talenti Roman Raspberry Sorbetto
This sorbet is truly decadent—eating it will make you feel like you’re roaming the streets of, well, Rome. And it’s made with only six ingredients: raspberries, water, sugar, dextrose, lemon, and carob gum. The suggested retail price for a pint is $2.99.
Per 1/2 cup serving: 120 calories, 3 g fiber, 0 g protein, 0 g sugar, 0 mg sodium, 0 g fat (0 g saturated), 29 g carbs
via weightwatchers.com9Weight Watchers Snack Size Peanut Butter Candy Bar
The size of these sweet and salty bars is what SELF editors liked the most. Each one has only 80 calories and 3 grams of saturated fat. The suggested retail price for a box of 10 is $4.50.
Per 2-bar serving: 150 calories, 1 g fiber, 3 g protein, 12 g sugar, 45 mg sodium, 10 g fat (6 g saturated), 15 g carbs
via sodelicousdairyfree.com10So Delicious Minis Vanilla Sandwiches
The ice cream in these bars is made entirely from coconut milk, which makes it an excellent dairy-free dessert alternative. It meets our RDs' criteria for being 200 calories or less, with no more than 2.5 grams of saturated fat and no high-intensity sweeteners. In fact, each bar is only 90 calories. The suggested retail price is $4.49 for a box of eight.
Per sandwich: 90 calories, 1 g fiber, 1 g protein, 7 g sugar, 45 mg sodium, 4 g fat (3 g saturated), 14 g carbs
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