Fruit is a healthy dessert option.

I’d like to tell you that products boasting dramatic, unsubstantiated weight and fat loss claims are finally paying off for some consumers. Unfortunately, I can’t. But I do have some good news.

Researchers at the Mayo Clinic say there’s no reason to give up dessert just because you’re on a diet. Desserts made with fruit healthy after-dinner treats–and consumers can make them even more nutritious by reducing the sugar and fats in a recipe. Other healthy dessert tips:

• Grill fruit slices: Cut apples, pineapple, pears or peaches into chunks, brush lightly with canola oil and sprinkle with cinnamon. Grill fruit on skewers or wrap in foil and grill over low heat for three to five minutes.
• Make a fruit dip: Mix together 1/2 cup of low-fat , sugar-free lemon yogurt, 1 teaspoon fresh lemon juice and 1 teaspoon lime zest. Serve cold as a dip for fruits.
• Add a dollop of fat-free plain or vanilla yogurt to frozen or canned fruit, packed in its own juice.
• Slim down baked goods: Try to reduce sugar by one-third to one-half in your favorite recipes. To enhance the sweetness, increase the amount of vanilla, cinnamon or nutmeg. Applesauce, mashed banana, prune puree or commercial fat substitute can replace up to half the butter, shortening or oil in many recipes.
• Replace high-fat products in recipes with fat-free or low fat options, like skim, 1 percent or 2 percent milk, evaporated fat-free milk, fat-free plain yogurt or low-fat sour cream. You can also try light cream cheese or low-fat cottage cheese instead of cream cheese.

Changing your diet is a better option than looking for a quick fix through pills, topical products, nutritional supplements or untested exercise devices, federal regulators warn. In the past few years, the Federal Trade Commission has cracked down on companies promoting questionable weight loss products, including a Miami firm that claimed its dietary supplements would melt away as many as 36 pounds in two months.

The FTC also cracked down on a Utah-based company with making numerous false and unsubstantiated claims for weight-loss and fat-loss gels and supplements. Three of them were sold as topical fat-loss gels with the same active ingredient. Two others were identical weight-loss supplements marketed for “significantly overweight” people, and another was sold as a weight-loss supplement for children. The FTC alleges that the company has no evidence for any of its claims.

Be skeptical when you shop for diet and health products. Ask yourself:

• Does the ad promise a quick and easy cure?
• Is the product advertised as effective for a wide range of ailments or for an undiagnosed pain?
• Does the promoter use key words such as “miraculous,” “exclusive,” “secret,” or “ancient”?
• Is the product advertised as available from only one source, requiring payment in advance?
• Does the promoter use undocumented case histories that sound too good to be true?

If you answer yes to any of those questions, reconsider your purchase. Talk to your physician, a nutritionist or an exercise physiologist at a hospital instead. Just don’t expect overnight results. It can take as much time to get into shape as it took to get out of it.

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