6 healthier sweet snack ideas

Source: Best Health Magazine, January/February 2012

We’re hard-wired to love sugar’but you can indulge without reaching for a candy bar, donut or chocolate cake. These good-for-you snacks take advantage of the sweetness found in whole foods.

1. Fold chopped ripe nectarines into low-fat cottage cheese and spoon onto a couple of gingersnaps.

2. Minimalist, yet amazingly delicious: Sprinkle cocoa nibs on canned pears.

3. Stir a little maple syrup into Greek yogurt and dip in slices of apples or pears.

4. Spear the sweetest fruits’strawberries, mango, grapes and pineapple‘with ‘bamboo skewers

5. When it feels like banana cream pie would really hit the spot, try this: Grab some graham crackers, spread them with vanilla Greek yogurt and top with a handful of banana slices and a sprinkle of ground flaxseed.

6. Transform a simple grapefruit into something more like crème brûlée: Halve it, drizzle each half with dark honey and broil until bubbly.

This article was originally titled "The four deadly cravings" in the January/February 2012 issue of Best Health. Subscribe today to get the full Best Health experience’and never miss an issue!