The dessert flip can help you eat healthier while still getting a sweet treat

Do you have a terrible sweet tooth? Researchers have figured out a better way to satisfy it.It’ll keep your favorite dessert on the menu while lowering the fat and sugar — and boosting whole-food nutrients and fiber.No artificial sugar, cream or butter substitutes required.It’s not a bad proposition.

But to sweeten the deal, consider this: After actually eating it, people actually prefer the healthier version to the traditional one, according to new research.Authors are calling the change a “dessert flip.”Here’s how it works: Rather than a slice of cake with a berry or two on top as decoration, swap for a small slice with a heaping portion of fresh fruit and nuts.

The same concept works for ice cream, waffles, parfaits and more.“I’m a huge dessert lover,” author Amalie Kurzer told the Washington Post.“But you can make a delicious dessert that has a lot of fruit, and it will be better for you.”And according to a study, most people don’t feel like they’re missing out.

Yes, really.Researchers gave participants three desserts.Some got a traditional cake with a small side of berries and nuts (about 80% cake, 20% berries and nuts).Another group got cake stuffed with peach puree — this was a kind of “stealth” dessert Kurzer compared to hiding the veggies in your kid’s meatballs.The last group got the flipped dessert, which had 80% fruits and nuts with just a little (20%) cake.

Participants liked the first two options about the same.But the “flipped” dessert was rated much higher than the other options, meaning the participants liked it more.Kurzer says that people don’t even really want the bigger slice of cake — they ended up tossing leftovers.“As humans, we crave variety in our diets.

So, a big piece of cake gets boring fast, especially if it’s a cake that you know is not necessarily good for you,” she said.“People would just get tired of their cake.

They would eat a little and then be like, ‘Yeah, I’m done.’�...