Control Your Diet with Homemade Desserts

I am a lucky girl.

I am reminded of this especially during the holidays.

I try not to brag about it too much, but my husband cooks.

The best part?  He’s really good at it.

It’s something he learned when he was a cash-strapped college student. But as you get older and more health conscious, you realize that not only is making your own food less expensive than eating out at restaurants, it’s usually better for you.

If you’re trying to lose weight, creating your own meals is one of the easiest ways to cut back sugar, calories and fat while increasing nutrition.

Take, for instance, the pumpkin pie.

If you buy one from the store, you’re going to be eating ingredients that you can’t even pronounce. Don’t believe me? Look at the label next time you’re in the store.

Using canned pumpkin and following a recipe may be no healthier either. A new study published in the Journal of the American Medical Association found that bisphenol-A, also known as BPA, lurks in cans. This so-called endocrine disruptor has been linked to infertility, breast and prostate cancers, diabetes and obesity.

I don’t know about you, but that’s not what I’m looking for in a piece of pie.

When I serve dessert this Thanksgiving, I’m going to fully enjoy knowing that my husband used fresh pie pumpkins for his recipe. In five minutes flat, he had them cut, scooped and sliced for the steamer.

Did I mention I’m a lucky girl?

Alice Warchol is a freelance health writer and fitness instructor.

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