Dessert nightmares: 4 of the unhealthiest sweet treats to eat

It may be true, that for many, dessert is the highlight of any meal. Although no dessert is exactly healthy, enjoying a small block of dark chocolate or a thin slice of pound cake may fit within a balanced diet. But nowadays, the notion of a sweet treat is no longer the way it used to be and things have gotten out of hand.

Today, the average restaurant serves desserts that are heavily laden with saturated fat and sugar and that range between 800 to 1500 calories per portion, exceeding the calories found in a full stick of butter.

Dedicated to everyone with a sweet tooth, here are the 8 worst desserts that you should watch out for to avoid packing on the pounds.

Cheesecake

Rich, smooth and creamy - cheesecake is hard to resist, but this dessert is not only high calories, it is also full of fat and saturated fat. A standard slice of commercially prepared cheese cake contains 18g of fat, of which 8g saturate. Based on a 2000 calorie diet, that’s almost a third of your 22g saturated fat intake limit. But that doesn’t apply to all cheesecakes, as some might exceed the standard caloric content. It’s important to always read nutrition facts. For example, Adam’s Peanut Butter Cup Fudge Ripple Cheesecake at Cheesecake Factory contains 1330 calories and 40g of fat per portion.

When you’re craving cheesecake, opt for homemade versions and have an occasional sliver.

Carrot cake

It look and sounds healthy, but just because it contains carrots does not make it healthy. This dessert is usually loaded with oil, butter, cream cheese, and sugar in addition to carrots making it difficult to fit into a healthy diet. The average slice of carrot cake contains 800 calories, with 480 of these calories coming from fat.

If you’re keen on having carrot cake, then prepare it at home. Reduce the amount of oil the recipe calls for by half. Eliminate the butter in the cream cheese frosting and use only a drizzle. Bake it in a fluted bundt cake pan to reduce the portion size.

Banana split

Again, how can bad can it be when it’s main ingredient is fruit? Unfortunately, that’s the only healthy part of the dessert. Topped with ice-cream, chocolate drizzle, cream, and nuts, this deceitful dessert exceeds the daily allowance of fat that the average person should consume. With over 40g of fat and anywhere between 700 to 1000 calories, you can say goodbye to your healthy diet.

Make a healthier version at home by topping banana with Greek yogurt, dark chocolate morsels, fresh berries and a tablespoon of nuts.

Molten lava cakes

These cakes are popular for a reason: they’re cakey on the outside with an irresistible center of warm rich chocolate flowing in the middle. But this dessert calls for a lot of dark chocolate, butter and sugar and as a result contains a lot of calories, fat and sugar. For example, Chili’s Chocolate Molten cake contains a whopping 1180 calories, 62g of fat, and 107g of sugar.

Although molten lava cakes are often made with dark chocolate, which contain antioxidants and can be beneficial to your health, they still can’t be considered healthy. After all, dark chocolate doesn’t need any accompanying – it’s tasty all alone. Enjoy 20g equivalent to two squares of dark chocolate for 100 calories. Remember, the higher the cocoa content, the better. Choose dark chocolate with 70-90 percent cocoa content. You might find it bitter at first, but once you get accustomed to it, you surely won’t let it go.