Realistic swaps

When you're trying to cut down on your favourite treats, what do you substitute them with? I've heard frozen mashed banana is just like ice cream!!

I make something similar to that, I'm trying to cut back on eating sweets so I freeze grapes and chunks of banana- they make lovely refreshing sweet snacks

Frozen grapes are pretty good, I've never tried frozen bananas though. I've been swapping strawberry ice cream for frozen yoghurt recently when I want something fruity and sweet.

You should try the frozen banana its so sweet and refreshing- a great snack!

It sounds odd but if when i have a sweet tooth i sometmes have a sweetened vitamin c tablet!

If I have a really bad sweet tooth then I'll sometimes drink hot chocolate with skimmed milk :)

hello

ice cream for me wd be great !!!!!!!

Dark chocolate for milk chocolate is the main swap I do. But also yogurt instead of a fattening, sweet pudding after dinner.

Pink and white marshmellow waffers they are only 50 calories each and low fat and taste good.

Ice cream: I have walls light ice cream  - I just make sure I weigh it 50g is 60 calories so not bad as an end of day treat. Also 0% fage yogurt pots are great. I usually blend 100g (50calories) with frozen berries, a little sugar, stick it in the freezer for a few hours (if you whisk it after an hr or two in the freezer and put it back it will get a really smooth creamy texture).

Biscuits: I try and have fruit in the afternoon instead of sugary snacks/biscuits - melon is brilliant. But if I really have to have something starchy then it's a quakers caramel rice cake - they're around 60 calories and quite big so one is plenty.

Crisps: Usually ryvita's or rice cakes broken up and I have it with hummus, or velvet crunche/snack a jacks.

Chocolate: Usually a home made cereal bar/flapjack with a few dark chocolate chips thrown in for 100 calories. If I don't have time to bake then it's a special k cereal bar, yogurt coated fruit flakes are great as a bag has 120 calories and they last ages. I love dark chocolate esp dark choc mint but if that’s too intense then plain chocolate can be a decent swap as it's quite intense but not over powering so you need less of it.

Velvet Crunch's are really nice! How bad is jelly? Can you get lower calorie/fat versions? That might be quite a nice swap when you need something sweet (if there are healthier versions anyway).

Rowntree do sugarfree jelly satchets (usually with the dried and tinned fruit section/ custart etc in supermarkets). I usually dissolve it as per instructions and pour them into little moulds with slices of fresh strawberries, kiwi, raspberries and blueberries for a fruity kick. Goes perfectly with a scoop of light ice cream/sorbet - for a super low calorie sweet treat :P

That sounds really nice - I like the idea of adding fruit to it too.

This thread is making my mouth water so bad! 

I wouldn't go for the sugar-free jellies, they just contain chemical sweeteners which are generally worse for your body than sugar and have been linked to loads of horrible illnesses.

Frozen banana is really nice in place of ice cream. You can freeze it then blend it in a food processor or blender for an ice cream like alternative. It's nice with some cocoa powder added too. I made some frozen yoghurt with a vanilla yoghurt smoothie from M&S too which was nice.

If it's low-sugar, it's generally higher fat.

If it's low-fat, it's generally higher sugar.

If it's low-fat and low-sugar, it's either fruit and vegetables or it's probably fully of chemicals.

As a general rule, I will pick the fat-containing or less messed with product. Fat is the least of your worries. The main exception for me is fizzy pop because I just don't like the full sugar versions, but I rarely drink it.

Mashed banana works better if you stir it a few times during the freezing process. Well, most frozen yogurts and home-made icecreams benefit from this. It breaks the ice crystals down so you get a smooth texture that is more easily scooped. If you just freeze it, it tends to be more solid and a bit gritty.

Also, how did you get the kiwi into the jelly and make it set? Papaya, kiwi and (fresh) pineapple contain enzymes that break the jelly down and stop it forming a solid shape.

Thanks for this advice - i might try the frozen yoghurt. It's great to see you back on the forums by the way. x x 

I've just put loads of different fruits in the freezer for a couple of hours and eaten that, it's cheap and really tasty, and it acts like a pallette cleanser too!

That sounds good HelenJacks. I like making sorbet instead of eating icecream

How do you make sorbet? I love Solero's and del monte lollies, which don't look too bad, but I can imagine they're pretty high in sugar, so could do with replacing them (sometimes).