WaterFilter.com

Fresh Fruit: The Sweet, Healthy Dessert

Americans love dessert so much that some of us eat it before the meal instead of after. Fudgy brownies, gooey layer cake, cookies the size of saucers - we savor them all. But these desserts are high in sugar, fat, and calories. Is there such a thing as a healthy dessert? Yes, and it's fresh fruit.

"The New Mayo Clinic Cookbook" recommends fresh fruit as a regular dessert and for good reasons. Fresh fruit contains fiber, something we need to eat every day. Our bodies also need vitamin C and fresh fruits are loaded with it. Some fresh fruits, such as red grapes, may protect your body from heart disease and cancer, according to Mayo Clinic.

There are other reasons for eating fresh fruit. An article on www.MyPyramid.gov says fresh fruit may reduce the risk for type 2 diabetes, protect the body against colon and rectal cancer, and reduce the risk of kidney disease. When the government and Mayo Clinic recommend fresh fruit, they're talking about plain fruit, not something under a mountain of whipped cream.

You must store fruit properly in order to reap its health benefits. The University of California, Davis, says some fruits should be stored at room temperature. Bananas are an example. If you put bananas in the refrigerator they get black spots on them and the flavor diminishes.

Honeydew melon, cantalope, and other fruits that can be refrigerated should be chilled after they're ripe. Store fruit in a separate bin, away from vegetables and meat. Fresh fruit should be washed just before you eat it.

Choosing fresh fruit for dessert satisfies your craving for sweets and helps you get the recommended five servings of fruits and vegetables a day. These desserts are the perfect ending for a casual or fancy meal. They're healthy, too, so if you want to eat dessert before dinner, do it!

RED AND GREEN GRAPES WITH FRENCH CREAM. Wash grapes, pat dry with a towel, and put them in a large bowl. For French cream, combine 1 cup of fat free sour cream, 1/2 cup confectioner's sugar, 1/2 cup Splenda, 1 teaspoon of grated lemon peel, and 1/2 teaspoon vanilla. Spoon mixed grapes into serving dishes and top with a dollop of French cream.

ORANGE FLOWERS WITH RASPBERRY SAUCE. Carefully remove the peel from four oranges. With a serrated knife, cut tic-tac-toe slices in the top of each whole orange, being careful not to cut all the way through. Place the oranges on serving plates. Spread the orange "petals" apart, leaving the center "stamen" in tact. Combine 1/2 cup low sugar raspberry jam with 2 tablespoons hot water and 1 tablespoon of honey. Drizzle sauce over the orange flowers and garnish with mint.

STRAWBERRY DELIGHT PARFAITS. Wash and slice 1 pint of strawberries. Sprinkle with Splenda and set aside. Break apart mini vanilla wafers until you have 1 cup of crumbs. To make parfaits layer strawberries, fat free, sugar free strawberry yogurt, sugar free topping, and crumbled wafers in parfait glasses. Stick a whole wafer on top of each parfait before serving.

BAKED APPLES WITH CINNAMON CRUMBLE. Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Peel 4-5 Granny Smith apples. Cut the apples into slices and arrange in concentric circles on a 9" pie plate coated with baking spray. Combine 1/2 cup light brown sugar, 2 tablespoons whole wheat flour, 1/2 teaspoon cinnamon, 1/2 teaspoon cloves, 3 tablespoons extra-light olive oil, and 1/2 cup sliced almonds. Sprinkle crumble mixture over apples and bake until the top is golden brown, or about 30 minutes. Serve warm with a spoonful of fat free, sugar free vanilla yogurt.

Harriet Hodgson has been a nonfiction writer for 27 years and is a member of the Association of Health Care Journalists. She was a food writer for the former "Rochester Magazine" in her home town of Rochester, MN. Her 24th book, Smiling Through Your Tears: Anticipating Grief, written with Lois Krahn, MD is available on http://www.amazon.com.

For more information on her work go to http://www.harriethodgson.com

MORE ARTICLES:

Authentic Spirituality: Pure and Undefiled Religion
Because of the bright lights behind me, the golf balls themselves appeared to be glowing that night as they flew through the air. I couldn't avoid hearing a loud voice over the clicking of clubs hitting golf balls.

Tankless vs. Traditional Water Heaters
When you first decide to replace your water heater, you will find that you have multiple options to consider. The two main categories of water heaters are tank and tankless. Each has its own benefits and disadvantages, thus you will want to weigh these heavily to determine what will work best for you. What you need to know about a tank water heater system

Coffee Poses Both Risks And Benefits
Coffee and Your Health

Brief Explanation of Solar Hot Water Heaters
In the 1970?s and 80?s Solar Energy first emerged as a potentially viable and cost-effective alternative to traditional heating sources such as fuel oil, natural gas, coal, wood, and electric. Unfortunately, these first generation solar collectors were expensive, inefficient, and delivered long payback periods and lower returns on the initial investment than expected.

Barriers to Healthy Diets -- Removing them is not as hard as you think
Barriers to healthy diets are placed into four broad categories: External Barriers Psychological Barriers Physical Barriers Dieting Barriers This article examines only the most difficult barriers in each category. Let's remove the barriers to healthy diets.

Honda 2006 Ridgeline Pickup has Superior Honda Replacement Parts at Parts Train
"The Honda Ridgeline delivers all the capabilities of a truck with none of the traditional truck trade-offs.," said Dick Colliver, executive vice president of American Honda Motor Co.

Did You Know That Fiber Diets Can Reduce Water Retention?
Diets high in fiber have been proven to provide many benefits. In addition to facilitating weight loss, high fiber diets are often the solution to common health problems as well. Among other health problems, one issue that can be eased by consuming more fiber is water retention, or edema. Fiber diets have been shown to play a direct role in controlling water retention.

Water District General Manager Announces Retirement
Santa Clara Valley Water District General Manager Stan Williams today announced his retirement from the district, effective Jan. 31, 2008

Coffee and Health
From the year dot, my mother taught all her children that coffee was not bad for you. But of course it is.

Fitness: Lose Weight And Be Healthy
These days many people suffer from excess body weight. High weight is a problem in itself and obese people tend to suffer from many diseases that turn out to be fatal for them. People have become all the more conscious and want to have a perfect figure too. They intend to burn body fat (http://www.officialfatloss.com/). By doing exercising and taking a nutritious diet one can easily lose weight in a healthy way.

How to Choose the Best Drinking Water Purification System
Today, we have a variety of drinking water purification systems Most are best suited for large treatment facilities, where the cleaning begins

Pella Replacement Window ? The Ultimate Choice!
If you plan to replace your old windows which were damaged or want to renovate it, then Pella is the one stop destination which can offer you a huge variety of replacement windows They can offer you with the perfect replacement window

Waterfront Media Announces the Launch of Living Well with Montel: New Subscription Web Site Offers a Prescription for Healthy Living and Permanent L
Waterfront Media (www.waterfrontmedia.com), the largest privately held online health company and operator of the second largest online health property, Everyday Health, and Montel Williams announce the launch of Living Well with Montel (http://www.livingwellwithmontel.com/). Montel's books, DVDs, and long-running TV show have inspired millions to take control of their health and stay in top physical condition. The site is the online companion to his latest bestseller, Living Well: 21 Days to Transform Your Life, Supercharge Your Health, and Feel ...

Home Made Ice Cream Recipe for Coffee Can Ice Cream
The very best thing about having birthday cake is the ice cream that goes along with it. This delicious home made ice cream recipe can be made with a few simple ingredients and a couple of coffee cans.