AVOCADO: Do not let the “high” fat content of avocados deter you from eating this fantastic fruit. In fact, the healthy monounsaturated oil in avocado will help you feel satiated after a meal and signal your body to burn more fat stores, as well as lower your bad cholesterol and raise your good cholesterol! Avocado also helps lubricate your intestines and assists in regulating your elimination cycles. Avocados are grown, and consumed, throughout the Americas

The fruit bowl is a beautiful thing, especially when it’s laden with some of my favorites—pineapples, papayas, and the supersexy mango, or the intoxicatingly wonderful passion fruit. We are so lucky to now have access practically year-round to tropical fruit like the kind I grew up with in my native Cuba. There’s a whole wide world of fruit, all with different medicinal and tasty powers. Take cherimoya (the custard apple), for example. This tropical, heart-shaped, dinosaur-skinned fruit has a flesh—and texture reminiscent of honey, pineapple, and banana. It’s an excellent source of vitamin C, a good source of vitamin B₆ (which has nerve calming benefits), as well as calcium, iron, manganese—which helps activate some enzymes—and potassium, which helps regulate blood pressure. Compare that with a bowl of chips! Seriously, as in the case of any kind of eating, variety is key; don’t be afraid to try some of those tropical fruit treats.

It seems no matter how much we have eaten or how full we are, there’s always room for dessert.   The bad news is that many desserts like ice cream and cookies are loaded with calories and fat.  If you indulge in these desserts too often you’ll pack on the pounds. 

Here are my top 5 suggestions for curbing those late night cravings:

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1)  Brush your teeth: After finishing your meal, use a minty mouthwash or brush with a minty toothpaste. If that’s not feasible, pop some sugar-free mints or gum into your mouth.  Studies show that a minty flavors will curb your craving for something sweet.  For example, have you ever drunk orange juice right after brushing your teeth in the morning? Yuck! Mints and sweets just don’t mix.

2)  Keep low-calorie, sugar-free dessert options available:  Sugar-free popsicles, fudgesicles, pudding and gelatin are low-calorie ways to satisfy your sweet tooth. 

3) Try fruit: Fruit is not only sweet, but is packed with vitamins and minerals and has only 60 calories per serving, 0 grams of fat, and it’s a good way to incorporate fiber into your diet. 

4)  Portion control treats: If you MUST have something sweet and none of the above suggestions work, try individually wrapped portion-controlled candies.  Hershey’s Kisses, mini York Peppermint Patties or “fun-size” candy bars are pre-portioned, which can help to prevent you from devouring more calories than you realize.

5)  Eat less sugar and refined carbohydrates throughout the day:  The less sugar you eat, the less insulin your body releases.  The less insulin your body releases, the less sugar you crave.

Like any other habit, the craving for something sweet may come as a result of being trained to expect it after a meal.  Try breaking the habit for one week and you’ll be guaranteed to have drastically diminished your after-meal sweet craving. 

Tanya Zuckerbrot, MS, RD is a nutritionist and the creator of The F-Factor Diet™, an innovative nutritional program she has used for more than ten years to provide hundreds of her clients with all the tools they need to achieve easy weight loss and maintenance, improved health and well-being.  For more information log onto www.FFactorDiet.com.

Q:  Is it OK to eat dried fruit if you are trying to watch your weight?

 A:  When you want something sweet, dried fruit is a great option because its sweetness rivals candy and doesn’t contain any fat.  And unlike fresh fruit that spoils if you don’t eat it within a few days, dried fruit can be kept in your desk drawer or kitchen cabinets for weeks.  But be careful with portion size — although dried fruit is chockfull of vitamins and fiber, it also packs as much as four times the sugar and calories per ounce as its fresh counterparts.

Choose dried fruits that are 100 percent natural with no sugars added and limit dried fruits that are sweetened with fruit juice and other sugars, which add excess calories. Dried apples, figs, raisins, apricots and prunes often contain no added sugar. Dried cranberries, dried pineapple and dried mango are among the dried fruit that are often processed with sugar or fruit juice to increase sweetness.

The best way to determine if sugar has been added is to look at the label and ingredient list. Avoid words like “naturally sweetened,” and any fruits where sugar or fruit juice are among the first three ingredients listed on the ingredient list.  If you are watching your waistline, stay away from banana chips, even those that are labeled “natural.”  Most banana chips are fried in coconut oil and contain enough fat to sink a battleship.