Tame your sweet tooth

After several weeks of healthful eating, cravings for the junk food you left behind may be creeping up. Now it is to tame those hankerings with calorie-conscious sweet and salty treats. Instead of letting your sweet tooth lead you into the candy or ice cream aisle at the grocery store, or letting the urge for something salty drive you to rip open a bag of chips, substitute one of your between-meal snacks with a tasty treat below. Find the taste and texture you crave, and choose a treat from the list below.

Sweet and Smooth
Diet root beer float (1/2 cup low-fat vanilla ice cream and diet soda)
Small (12 ounce) vanilla skim latte

Sweet and Crunchy
1 small sliced apple with 1 ounce low fat caramel dip
1 cup crunchy cereal (such as Kashi Go Lean Crunch!™)
100-calorie pack of cookies

Salty and Smooth
Whole grain tortilla with melted string cheese
1 Tablespoon peanut butter on 1/2 of 100 calorie English muffin

Salty and Crunchy
100-calorie bag of popcorn with a sprinkle of salt
20 almonds
100-calorie pack of chips

Chocolate
Portioned ice cream sandwich (such as Skinny Cow)
Fat-free chocolate pudding cup with 1/2 cup raspberries
Chocolate mint patty (such as York Peppermint Patty)
6 Hershey Kisses

TIP: Keep foods you're likely to indulge in out of reach -- in the back of the refrigerator or pantry. Research shows the easier junk food is to get a hold of, the more likely you are to eat it.