ArcaMax

Do Artificial Sweeteners Make You Fat?

I pulled the following from USA Today.

Maybe switching from regular soda to diet doesn’t help as much as we thought.

A new study from the Medical College of Wisconsin and Marquette University links artificial sweeteners to obesity and diabetes, claiming sweeteners change how the body processes fat and uses energy...

Read the full column at PlanZDiet.com

Peach Parfait

The parfait is a serious twist on a Cooking Light recipe I came across, so I need to give them credit but I also wanted you to know it’s light and rather healthy.

When you’re making the peach parfait, keep your creativity hat on. You can make the parfait with several combinations of fresh or canned fruit. Use your imagination. Mixed berries are an idea. Banana and strawberry. You can even mix in dessert sauces.

I used canned peaches because I came up with this idea at the last minute. In regular “Zola fashion,” I made it much simpler than the Cooking Light version so you can do this quickly and it looks beautiful.

If you use fresh peaches, just make sure they are ripe. I wouldn’t even bother to peel them. The peel is good for you. It’s up to you.

Servings: Serves 4

Ingredients:

1/2 cup of cream cheese, softened
3 tsp Truvia
1 cup vanilla yogurt
2 cups of sliced peaches or chunks
1 cup of strawberries, raspberries, or blueberries

Optional: toasted nuts, crumbled into bits (for added oomph, use my cinnamon buttered pecans.

Instructions:

Whip cream cheese, Truvia and vanilla yogurt in a bowl until smooth. Pick out your favorite tall glasses. Clear ones are good because you are going to layer this stuff and it looks pretty if you can see the color changes. You can also use margarita glasses or champagne flutes. Any dish will do in a pinch.

Put in a tablespoon of the cream mixture. Next put in a layer of fruit. You’re going for the layers. Make the layers one-half to one inch each in thickness. If you are using canned peaches, a little of the juice is good. Don’t worry about straining them too much, and don’t concern yourself if your layers aren’t all even. It’s part of the fun.

Layer, layer, layer. Top with a dollop of the cream mixture. Store in the refrigerator until ready to serve. Top with the nut crumbles right before serving. You can even sprinkle on a bit of ground nutmeg to top it off.

Enjoy!
Cheers,
Zola