By Hannah Muehlberger
We all love a tasty treat now and then, but sometimes now and then can turn into every few hours. Which can cause upset, whether it’s your body or your mind, and it can be challenging to pull away from sweets if you are trying to lose weight or stick to a diet. Luckily we are in a day and age where diet culture is more popular than ever, and this leads to modified sweets right in the grocery store or online that are desserts without all the sugar and fats. Unfortunately, many alternative sweets can taste nowhere near the real thing and cause even more discouragement to stick to your diet. Well, you are in luck! We have compiled a list of amazing brands and foods that will leave you guilt free and satisfied (and that taste like the real thing)!
1. BelliWelli
IBS or Irritable Bowel Syndrome affects between 25-45 million people in the US, about 2 in 3 IBS sufferers are women and 1 in 3 are male. Not only is IBS unpredictable, but it is a condition that can take away your ability to eat the foods you love. However, BelliWelli’s desserts provide sweet relief for people with IBS or even anyone who suffers from tummy issues! BelliWelli is low FODMAP food, FODMAP stands for fermentable oligosaccharides, disaccharides, monosaccharides, and polyols, which are short-chain carbohydrates (sugars) that the small intestine absorbs poorly. Some people experience digestive distress after eating them. With drool-inducing flavors like Strawberry Shortcake, Birthday Cake, Peaches and Cream, Fudge Brownie, Lemon White Chocolate, and Cinnamon Swirl you will be able to enjoy your favorite desserts without the regretful aftermath. In addition to skipping out on the trigger foods, each of our bars includes a healthy dose of belly BFFs like oats, probiotics, chia seeds, almond butter, cinnamon, and ginger. All BelliWelli treats are 100% vegan, gluten and dairy free. BelliWelli was founded by Katie and Nick, a match made in heaven! Katie suffers from IBS and wanted to find a way for her and other IBS sufferers to find relief in their comfort treats. Her husband Nick is a chef who spent countless late nights in the kitchen crafting a gut-friendly treat she could eat without worrying about the consequences.
2. Toto Foods
Another dessert brand that is a delicious oasis for tummy trouble sufferers, Toto Foods was designed by Sydney Webb. Sydney was diagnosed with colon cancer at age 21, after fatefully being introduced to an extremely rare, powerful, healing class of superfoods called adaptogens, her life was never the same. Three months after introducing them to her diet, she was completely cancer free. After her experience of healing, she created Toto as a way to share the same powerful superfoods with the world in a delicious way that no one could resist. Toto comes in the form of cookies or cookie dough that are plant-based and include 8 superfood ingredients while also being vegan, gluten-free, low sugar, and high protein. They have decadent flavors like Hazelnut Cocoa Cookies, Peanut Butter Chocolate Chip Cookies, and instant classics like Chocolate Chip and Sugar Cookie. These cookies make great after-dinner treats or even breakfast, perfect for before work that won’t make you have to call in sick.
3. Lillabee Snacks
These snacks are perfect if you’re a sucker like me for brownies and blondies. At Lillabee, they’re here to help and understand others that real, whole foods are essential. Their delicious modern snacks deliver positive nutrition to support you in living your very best life. Made with six organic ingredients like Avocado Oil, Pure Nib Cocoa, Cage-Free Eggs, Coconut Flour, Hemp Seed, and Maple Syrup. They have three flavors of brownies including Classic Chocolate, Chocolate Mint, and Salted Caramel. These Brownie Thins are Paleo friendly, and sure to satisfy your sweet tooth and fuel your active lifestyle-low calorie, crunchy, thin, and crispy treat. 4 grams of protein and only 120 calories per serving of 5 Brownie Thins. Their blondies are made with Sweet Potatoes and are in delicious flavors like original, Cocoa Nib “Chip”, and Toasted Coconut.
4. Catalina Crunch
Haven’t you ever just mindlessly eaten cookies out of the package until before you know it, they are gone? Yeah, me too, more times than I’d like to admit. Catalina Crunch’s Sandwich Cookies won’t make you feel guilty if you “accidently” eat the whole package before you realize what you have done. In 4 flavors Chocolate Vanilla, Vanilla Cream, Chocolate Mint, and Peanut Butter, these cookies will remind you of the ones your parent used to pack you for lunch in elementary school. These cookies may taste like those childhood snacks, but they do not have all the bad, sugary ingredients like them. Catalina Crunch’s Sandwich Cookies are Keto-Friendly, Low-Carb, Low-Sugar, and packed with protein and fiber. With nothing artificial, 100% vegan, and non-GMO, these cookies will make you filled with glee instead of feeling filled with regret. Using those childhood snacks as inspiration, Catalina Crunch’s founder Krishna Kaliannan was diagnosed with Type 1 Diabetes at a young age and wanted to find a replacement for those snacks he loved in his youth. Kaliannan was fed up with the low-carb snacks he had to eat as a replacement that tasted like cardboard. With his talents in culinary arts and drive for finding an alternative for those sweet treats, he created Catalina Crunch!
5. Lily’s Sweets
Another keto-driven brand, Lily’s Sweets offers different sweet treats without all the sugar and carbs. The founder of Lily’s Sweets, Cynthia Tice, decided in 2003 to kick her sugary habits, however, she wasn’t ready to give up chocolate yet. So to combine her goal and love for chocolate, she started Lily’s Sweets, chocolate (and other sweet treats) that have less sugar and are gluten-free. Sweetened with all-natural ingredients like stevia, and vanilla extract, their chocolate bars, and baking chocolates are sweet, satisfying, and guilt-free. Some of the flavors include Crispy Rice, Almond, Coconut, Blood Orange, Salted Caramel, and White chocolate bars. They also have a variety of filled chocolate bars, filled with decadent fillings like caramel, peanut butter, and hazelnut butter. Lily’s Sweets are perfect for those who are looking to kick sugar but keeping their sweet tooth!