and enhance the color or texture of food. Store-bought pastries, cookies and cakes often include more calories and fewer nutrients than homemade sweets. Sugars do provide energy, but it’s important to limit the amount of calories from added sugars. These extra calories can lead to weight gain and may increase the risk of cardiovascular disease or some types of cancers in adult- hood. Non-caloric sweeteners, no- and low-calorie sweeteners or sugar substitutes may make foods or beverages taste better but are not necessarily fat-free or even calorie-free. They also have not been tested extensively in kids, so the American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) has not made formal recommendations on no-caloric sweeteners. The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners and the AAP recom- mend limiting consumption of sweets as part of an overall healthy diet. Sweets should never replace real foods at mealtimes. Making your own sweet treats can limit the amount of calories you receive from sugar. Try sweeteners such as honey, maple syrup, molasses or coconut sugar in your desserts. Involving your children in the baking


process can teach them about cooking with real food and ingredients, and they can feel proud of what they make and share it with friends. Make it easy by spreading out a large


clean area and setting out all of the ingre- dients you need before you start. Take out the measuring cups, measuring spoons, a few extra soup spoons and paring knives to divide the ingredients. Use a small bowl for cracking eggs individually before you add the egg to your batter. This helps avoid accidentally including eggshells in your dessert. Assign age-appropriate tasks to your kids so each child has a job.


Use Fruit and Other Nutritional Boosters Certain ingredients can act as the base for many desserts and provide added nutritional value to sweet treats. Discuss and discover the different ways fruits and vegetables can be used and transformed into desserts with your children. Very ripe or bruised bananas are perfect


for banana bread because they are very soft, still have their banana flavor and pro- vide moisture to loaves, muffins and cakes. Shredded zucchini and carrots are


frequently included in muffin or cake recipes to give them more substance and moisture. Pumpkin puree and sweet potato puree are also good bases for brownies, muffins or pies. Avocados mix very well with chocolate in cookies or cupcakes. Kids will enjoy seeing the bat- ter turn from green to brown as you bake. Peanuts, almonds, walnuts and pecans can add substance and healthy fats to muf- fins or brownies. Nuts can also be good in pudding, yogurts or ice cream. Oats are good add-ins or toppings for


desserts, especially when toasted with cinnamon or honey. They are whole grains, packed with protein and fiber. Mix oats with peanut butter, milk and semisweet choco- late chips, and roll them into round balls for a small snack. Place them on a baking sheet in the refrigerator for a few hours to harden. Chocolate contains polyphenols, active substances found in plants with antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Many chocolate products have been overly processed and have increased amounts of sugar or other ingredients that limit the healthful properties. When baking, look for dark chocolate with at least 70-percent cocoa to receive more of the health benefits and less sugar.


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