Meal planning is a significant factor for successful weight loss after bariatric surgery. However, researching healthy meals that work with your new diet can be challenging. It’s even harder to find options to indulge your sweet tooth. While it’s true that your diet will look significantly different after bariatric surgery, you won’t succeed if you don’t enjoy the food you eat. If you limit yourself to a strict, bland diet every day, it’s not likely to last. To ensure long-term success, you need a variety of healthy food options that are also flavorful to keep you satisfied.
Many people worry that incorporating desserts into their diet will derail their progress. However, planning for desserts now and then can give you something to look forward to and help you stick to your meal planning. In addition, dessert doesn’t always have to mean unhealthy. The following are several bariatric desserts to satisfy your sugar cravings without breaking your diet:
Slow Cooker Triple Berry Cobbler
Traditional cobbler recipes call for buckets of butter and sugar, but they can be bariatric-friendly by making healthier substitutes. This recipe also dramatically reduces the work of making a cobbler by letting your slow cooker handle the task.
Ingredients
- Nonstick cooking spray
- 21 oz can blueberry pie filling
- 14 oz bag of frozen berry mix
- 2 tbsp sugar
- 5 oz blueberry muffin mix
- 1/3 C water
- 2 tbsp vegetable oil
Directions
- Spray the interior of the slow cooker with the nonstick spray and set it aside.
- Combine the berries, pie filling, and sugar inside the slow cooker.
- Cover the cobbler and cook it on low heat for three hours. After the time is up, combine the muffin mix, water, and oil in a medium-sized bowl. Mix well to combine all the ingredients and spoon the mixture over the berries in the slow cooker.
- Turn the heat up to high on the slow cooker, cover, and cook for an additional hour or until you can insert a wooden toothpick and pull it out clean from the muffin mixture.
- Turn off the cooker and allow the cobbler to cool uncovered for 30-45 minutes.
Nutrition Information
This cobbler recipe yields 12 servings. The nutrition information below is for one serving.
Calories: 162
Total fat: 4g
Saturated fat: 1g
Sodium: 116mg
Carbs: 31g
Fiber: 3g
Sugar: 14g
Protein: 1g
Skinny Brownie in a Mug
The challenge with many traditional dessert recipes is that they leave a lot of leftovers. Baking an entire pan of brownies when you only want one can test even the strongest of wills. It’s also wasteful if no one else is around to eat them. Opting to make single-serving bariatric desserts eliminates both of those issues. Additionally, this recipe only requires four ingredients and is ready in under two minutes!
Ingredients
- 1 tbsp unsweetened cocoa powder
- 2 packets of Truvia or any other sugar substitute
- 2 tbsp all-purpose flour*
- 3 tbsp almond milk, regular milk, or yogurt
*Can substitute with almond flour
Directions
- Put all of the ingredients in a microwave-safe mug and mix with a fork or small whisk.
- Microwave on high for one minute
Nutrition Information
Calories: 96.6
Total fat: 2.2g
Saturated fat: 1g
Sodium: 33.8mg
Carbs: 9.2g
Fiber: 2.2g
Sugar: 0g
Protein: 1.2
Cheesecake-Stuffed Strawberries
These cheesecake-stuffed strawberries provide all the decadence of cheesecake without the caloric punch. With less than 17 calories per strawberry, you can savor the sweetness without breaking your diet. These sweet treats only require five ingredients, making them a convenient and simple dessert.
Ingredients
- 1/8 tsp vanilla extract
- 1 graham cracker (low-fat), crushed in a small bowl
- 3 tsp Truvia/sugar substitute
- 4 tbsp cream cheese (fat-free), softened to room temperature
- 12 strawberries
Directions
- Cut the tops off the strawberries. Using a sharp knife, cut an X into the top of the strawberries taking care not to cut through them. Gently remove the centers.
- Mix the cream cheese, Truvia, and vanilla extract in a small bowl.
- Fill a pastry bag or plastic bag with the tip cut off with the mixture. Pipe the filling into the strawberries taking care to distribute it evenly.
- Roll the tops of the strawberries and exposed filling in the graham cracker crumbs
Nutrition Information
This recipe creates six servings. Each serving (two strawberries) contains the following:
Calories: 34
Fat: 0g
Sodium: 22mg
Carbs: 8g
Fiber: 0g
Sugar: 2g
Protein: 1g
Adjusting to a bariatric diet can be challenging, but it doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy what you eat! Bariatric surgery helps improve your health so you can enjoy life to the fullest, which includes eating great-tasting food. Bariatric desserts like the above can help you stay committed to your new diet while enjoying delicious food.
Contact us to learn more about bariatric surgery.
Other Bariatric Recipes To Try:
3 Bariatric Pumpkin Spice Recipes
4 Bariatric Puree Recipes for Phase Two of Post-Op
3 Bariatric-Friendly Birthday Dessert Recipes
