If you’ve got a sweet tooth, dessert may be the hardest thing for you to give up when cutting back on calories or sticking to a healthy diet. You can reach your diet goals while giving in to your cravings if you choose sweet treat with fewer calories:

• Use artificial sweetener instead of real sugar.

• Replace the cream in recipes with evaporated skim milk.

• Use healthier whole wheat flour instead of white flour.

• Use apple sauce as a baking substitute for up to half the oil in a recipe.

• Use 3 tablespoons of unsweetened cocoa powder as a baking substitute for every 30 grams of unsweetened chocolate.

• Make up for using less sugar by adding flavor with vanilla extract or lemon zest.

• Substitute just the egg whites for whole eggs.

• Skip the top crust when making pies & use fresh berries.

• Sprinkle cookies, brownies or cakes with a little cinnamon, cocoa powder, or powdered sugar in place of frosting.

• When you’re making your own dessert, you’re also in control of portion sizes. Bake mini-cupcakes, tarts & cookies; if baking brownies or a similar dessert in a large pan, cut the finished product into small portions so you won’t be tempted to take too much. Don’t go back for seconds.

• Make low-sugar fruit sorbet trying flavors like mango, raspberry & strawberry.

• Make fresh fruit salads discovering new tastes like star fruit or opt for a mixture of berries or melon cubes.

• Try fat-free frozen yogurt topped with fresh fruit or a fresh fruit puree.

• Try a baked apple-cooking fruit can intensify its flavors.