After a festive meal often rich in dishes and sauces, dessert arrives as the final gourmet touch. To avoid the feeling of heaviness, it is relevant to look at its composition.
Pastry log: a combo that combines fat and sugar
The pastry log is often the most generous. It is generally composed of a sponge cake (made from flour, eggs and sugar) and a butter cream.
As dietician Claire Trommenschlager explains, this composition combines two highly caloric elements: sugar and lipids. Butter, in particular, quickly adds to the counter. “The pastry log will be a little richer overall. However, its contribution depends on its garnish. A chocolate log will be more caloric than a fruit log or a version made with low-fat mousse.
Frozen log: the cooler alternative, but which also contains cream
The frozen log often represents a lighter alternative, especially in the mouth. However, its caloric profile varies greatly depending on its base.
If it is made from ice cream, it also contains fat, via the cream, and added sugar. “It can thus get closer to the values of the pastry log, even if the sponge cake that accompanies it often uses less butter than a classic buttercream, which gives it a slight advantage.
adds our expert.
The sorbet log, champion of lightness
If the objective is to find the dessert that is lightest on the stomach and lowest in calories, the winner is clear: the sorbet log.
“The sorbet is made only from sugar and fruit, and contains no fat. This absence of lipids is crucial since lipids are the most caloric nutrient“reminds the dietician. Choosing a sorbet is not only a lighter choice in calories, but also an easier choice to digest after a hearty dinner.
The essential message: pleasure above all
If the sorbet log is the lightest from a nutritional point of view, the dietitian points out a fundamental point: nutrition should not be a source of frustration during the holidays.
“The most important thing in my opinion is to choose a log that will give you pleasure and that you will enjoy. It is better to eat a log with pleasure than the least caloric one if you get a little frustration out of it.”
A few holiday meals will never have a significant impact on your overall health. A balanced diet is built throughout the year. “So, even if the pastry log is the richest, treat yourself to the one you really want and enjoy the present moment” she concludes.