High Time For Lower-Calorie Desserts by Mindy Hermann, R.D. (NAPSA)—What’s the secret to enjoying dessert without the weight gain? Keep the portion sizes small and get at least 30 minutesof physical activity daily. Health experts such as Dr. Barbara Rolls, author of “The Vol- umetrics Eating Plan,” and the scientists behind the Weight Watchers program say that including favorite foods is important, if not essential, for managing your weight. Dr. Rolls suggests choosing between a Mindy Hermann small portion of a dense dessert—say, a brownie—or a larger portion of a dessert that is less dense, like strawberries. Weight Watchers provides a weekly “allowance”for extras like desserts. I asked Evelyn Tribole, R.D., author of “Healthy Homestyle Cooking” and “More Healthy Homestyle Cooking,” to share a few of her ideas for reducing the calories in desserts. She recommends substituting applesauce for up to half the oil in a cake, using ricotta cheese or light cream cheese instead of regular and switching to reduced-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt. That said, Evelyn’s favorite lower-calorie desserts require no recipe modification. “I dip strawberries in melted chocolate, enjoy a bowl of mango sorbet topped with fresh raspberries or savor a small, high-quality chocolate bar,” says @ Tribole. “A 220-calorie bar has fewer calories than most traditional desserts.” Give this scrumptious lowercalorie dessert a try. Pecan-Blueberry Crisp 1 can (21 oz) blueberry pie filling with more fruit 1 bag (10 to 12 oz) frozen blueberries (do not thaw) 1% cups Total cereal % cup chopped pecans 2 tablespoons packed brown sugar 1 tablespoon butter or margarine, melted 1. Heat oven to 375 F. Spray bottom and sides of8inch square baking dish with cooking spray. In baking dish, mix pie filling and frozen blueberries until well blended. 2. Place cereal in plastic bag and crush with rolling pin. In small bowl, mix cereal, pecans and brownsugar. Drizzle with butter; toss with fork until mixture is coated. Sprinkle cereal mixture over fruit in bakingdish. 3. Bake 20 to 25 minutes or until bubbly around edges and golden brown on top. Let stand 10 to 15 minutes before serving. 12 servings (4 cup each) Mindy Hermann, MBA, R.D., is a nutrition writer for women’s, health and fitness magazines. She is the co-author of “Change One” and the American Medical Associ- ation’s “Family Health Cookbook.” ---------------------------- PM. --------------------------Note to Editors: This is Series VI—21 of26.
