The calories are quite high. With that in mind should we just eat the regular sugar-coated desserts, in moderation, and remember the calories in versus calories out method or is it honestly helpful to eat the sugar-free desserts?

sugar free deserts usually have unhealthy chemicals. try to stick to regular/healthier desserts just in moderation.

only if it's sugar-free because it's sugar-free
not because it's artificially sweetened
you're better off eating fruit or something
OR like...yogurt. yes, it has sugar, but yogurt's good for you.

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First we have to set aside abiout diabetics who have to be super careful about what they eat. There is definitely debate about artifically sweetened items. Without saying for sure, there seems to be a link between certain artificial sweeteners and lowering metabolism (calorie burn rates) and also an insulin type response that may cause more calories to become fat, and a strain on liver and kidneys. There is also talk of digestion issues in some people. It may just be specific to certain sweeteners vs other ones. I would certainly skip the diet sodas and opt for seltzer with fruit juice instead.
My preference is skip the prepared desserts from packages and opt for berries and fruit instead, and I think even a little low fat frozen yogurt is something for moderation. 1/3 cup is not a diet breaker on a total healthy diet overall. I would say none of them help weight loss, and it becomes a scale from bad to worse, and I really get a bad feeling about artificial sweeteners if not for diabetics, but full fat full sugar desserts don't win any weight loss awards either even in moderation. That kind of product talking a taste maybe is enough.
I have been passing through extra info about ideal weight, good foods, how to eat, nutrition tables that some people find very helpful and useful.
http://answers.yahoo.com/question/index…
Ignore it, or learn a little more. Just trying to help.
Adding: If referring to a Skinny Cow ice cream that also adds fiber but is a mess of chemical thickeners, a couple of times a week is OK where I don't think an equivalent ice cream sandwich is better in the net.