How to Make 5 Healthy Desserts on the 4th of July

The 4th of July is an exciting holiday that includes plenty of grilling and baked foods. With activities ranging from backyard cookouts, pool parties, to fireworks, the 4th is a day that the entire family can participate in. Of course, whenever there’s a holiday, food is involved, so make your list and hit the grocery store early! If you’re looking for five healthy yet delicious desserts, the following list should get you started!

1) Fruit Salad

Not only is fruit salad an extremely healthy dessert, it’s also great to eat on an extremely hot day, such as Independence Day. One of the best ways to prepare fruit salad is to mix fruit with a sugar syrup that can be made from boiling sugar and water together. In addition to the sugar syrup, another trick to making the perfect fruit salad is to use the perfect types of fruit. In the summertime, fruits such as peaches, berries, nectarines, apricots, and plums are more available. For an additional touch, serve the fruit salad with gelato or ice cream.

2) Red, White and Blue Parfaits

Celebrate the 4th of July with this festive, healthy dessert. Taking only 15 minutes to prepare, you’ll need 8 ounces of vanilla yogurt, 1/4 teaspoon almond extract, 3 cups fresh strawberries or raspberries, and 3 cups of blueberries. Once you have the ingredients, all you have to do is combine the vanilla yogurt with the almond extract and stir to make a whipped topping. Next, alternate the topping with layers of blueberries and strawberries or raspberries to make a patriotic, healthy desert that only consists of 129 calories per serving.

3) Whole Wheat Carrot Cake

For those who love carrot cake, this is a healthy version of the all-time favorite. The ingredients use healthy alternatives, such as whole wheat flour, nonfat buttermilk, and reduced fat cream cheese to make carrot cake a healthier dessert. Total time to prepare and cook is 1 hour and 10 minutes.

4) Drunken Chocolate Strawberries

This dessert recipe allows you to eat one of your favorite summertime desserts without feeling guilty. Instead of using milk chocolate, this recipes suggests dipping strawberries in a bar of dark chocolate for a healthy, delicious alternative to chocolate covered strawberries. Recently, dark chocolate has been discovered to have eight times the antioxidants of strawberries and has similar health benefits to dark vegetables. Also, it increases the production of endorphins in the body and can help lift your mood.

5) Honey Peach Salad

This dessert can be served in either a parfait glass, or bowl. Similar to the red, white and blue parfait, you can layer yogurt and peaches to make a delicious and healthy summer dessert. This recipe calls for 2 cups of peaches, 1 cup sliced pears, 1 cup low-fat vanilla yogurt, 2 tablespoons chopped pecans and honey based on taste.

When thinking of healthy desserts to serve on July 4th, remember to use your imagination and remain health conscious!