Low Carb Dessert Recipes: Berry-Cherry Cheesecake Mousse

I try my best to stick to low carb diets most of the time. I allow myself to have “days off,” like on holidays and special occasions, but typically, I follow a regular diet that’s pretty low in carbohydrates. I’ve always had a weight problem, and a low carb diet is the only way I’ve ever been able to lose weight successfully and to keep it off for months. I’ve tried low calorie diets, frozen meal diets, low fat diets, and liquid diets, but nothing has worked for me as well as restricting the amount of carbohydrates I eat. I think that’s because I never feel hungry, and I don’t have to worry about counting calories. With low carb diets, I never feel like I’m deprived, either, and that goes a long way in sticking to a diet. If you’re interested in learning to make a yummy low carb dessert, read on!

From my experience, following a low carb diet has additional health benefits other than weight loss. I was diagnosed with Type 2 Diabetes several years ago, but I’ve been able to control and manage my blood sugar through diet, without ever having to go on prescription medications for diabetes. My blood glucose and my A1c are both normal now.

I’ve also experienced other benefits of low carb diets. My LDL cholesterol – the “bad” kind – has lowered significantly, and my HDL cholesterol – the “good” kind – has increased slightly. One of the biggest changes was in my triglycerides level. They really plummeted! And that’s a very good thing, as triglycerides are related to coronary artery disease, especially atherosclerosis. Some studies show that the triglyceride level is more important for women than cholesterol readings are, so I was ecstatic to discover mine had dropped so much. This was because I was largely avoiding refined and simple carbohydrates like sugar, white flour, pasta, white rice, and potatoes.

I also had an added benefit that I really hadn’t expected – less pain. I have degenerative disc disease, foramenal stenosis, nerve damage, and a joint deformity in my right knee, so I have a lot of pain every day. Of course, some days are worse than others. I’ve found by eating a low carb diet, my pain is less severe. I asked my doctor about this, and she said it was because I was avoiding foods that caused inflammation. These are the very foods that are largely avoided or limited on typical low carb diets.

Although low carb diets are extremely popular, some people still don’t know much about them. They also don’t understand which foods are considered high in carbs, moderate in carbs, low in carbs, and carb free. Some individuals actually think low carb diets don’t allow followers to eat anything other than meat, fish, cheeses, and eggs. Nothing could be further from the truth!

I think some of the confusion comes about because of the terminology. Some folks think “low carb” is equivalent to “no carb.” This isn’t the case. Low carb diets include carbohydrates, but at a lower daily level. The typical American "healthy" diet is made up of around 300 or more grams of carbs a day, and that’s considered a healthy diet. Lots of Americans eat a lot more carbs than that. On the other hand, low carb diets might restrict carbs to anywhere from 20 to 100 carb grams a day, depending on the specific diet. Personally, my “magic” number is around 50 grams or less a day. That’s enough to afford me the benefits of low carb dieting while still allowing me to enjoy most of the foods I love.

To start with, I love meat, poultry, seafood, eggs, and cheese, all of which is either low carb or no carb. I also eat lots of non-starchy vegetables like green beans, spinach, summer squash, zucchini, kale, lettuce, cabbage, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower, peppers, mushrooms, asparagus, and onions. I also usually eat a serving of nuts and a serving of fruit every day. Sounds pretty healthy, huh?

Low carb desserts are actually pretty easy to come up with, and they can even be purchased ready made from most supermarkets: low carb ice cream, sugar-free angel food cake, and sugar-free pies. They’re also easy to make at home yourself, with some basic ingredients and a little creativity. I try to keep such ingredients on hand, including Carbquick low carb flour, low carb tortillas, nuts for pie crusts, sugar-free Cool Whip, flax seed meal, sugar-free puddings, sugar-free Jell-O, eggs, coconut flour, cream cheese, cocoa powder, no calorie fruit syrups, and Splenda granulated sweetener. I use these to create mousses, pies, crepes, trifles, cakes, cupcakes, and frozen desserts.

The mousse I made to go with dinner tonight is really delicious! Yeah, I just had to try a few spoonfuls in advance. I don’t want to serve something to my family that isn’t yummy, of course. I haven’t gone to the trouble to figure out the exact carb count per serving, but rest assured it’s a heck of a lot lower than what you’d find in a traditional dessert, thanks to the low carb ingredients: Hood milk, sugar-free pudding, Splenda, sour cream, and cream cheese. Yes, the fruits have some carbs, but they also add healthy fiber, vitamins, and minerals, along with lots of bright flavor, so I think they’re worth the cost in carbohydrates.

You can use this basic mousse recipe to create your own flavors or combinations. In fact, you might want to avoid using fruit at all. For example, you could use chocolate pudding and Hood low carb chocolate milk to create a rich, velvety low carb dessert!