10 Healthier Alternatives to Your Favorite Junk Foods
Junk foods are perceived as unhealthy foods because they are high in calories, and are low in nutritional value. If they are so harmful, the question is, “why do people like then so much?” According to Science ABC, we love junk food because of its composition. Junk foods mostly contain sugar, sweeteners, and additives, which make them attractive and thus highly wanted.
Also, the body is generally wired to take in sweet things. That is why junk foods can be addictive. They taste so great, and so it is impossible to overlook. It is possible for one to replace unhealthy foods with healthier alternatives. In this article, we will look into ten healthier options of your favorite junk foods.
What Do We Mean By Healthier Foods?
The simple truth is that junk foods are bad for one’s health, but challenging to do without. Healthier alternatives are foods that are equally attractive, less in calories, and offer some nutritional value. In the real sense, they are foods that can replace your favorite junk foods entirely. Below are ten healthier alternatives to your favorite junk foods.
Kale Chips
Kale chips are a healthier alternative for potato chips. Kale chips contribute more to your health and offer some nutritional value. People love or get addicted to eating potato chips because of the crunchiness and taste. Why not replace it with some greens, which are lower in calories? It is equally satisfying and crunchy, depending on how you make it. Some researchers have concluded that kale could be directly linked to weight loss, and contributes to youthful skin and enrichment. The kale chips can also be baked into all sort of flavors just the way you love it.
Fries
For lovers of french fries, instead of frying your deep frying your potatoes in vegetable oil, try baking in coconut oil. Baking your potato in coconut oil will provide you with all the health benefits coconut oil has to offer. Some of these benefits include:
- It helps maintain insulin level
- It alleviates eczema
- It enables quick healing from wounds
- It may enable adequate sleep daily
- It helps alleviate fungi infections such as athlete’s foot or toe fungus
- It minimizes sunburn and improves sun tolerance
Dark Chocolate
Chocolate is another common junk food that is high in calories and offers about 600 calories per 100 grams. It is an attractive junk food because of its sweet taste. Chocolate freaks or addicts can replace it with milk or dark chocolate which is better and rich in nutrients. Actually, you may even find it better than chocolates. dark chocolate provides the body with a lot of benefits which include:
- It is a very strong and reliable source of antioxidants
- It helps protect the skin against irritations and sunburn
- It Improves brain functions
- It assists in preventing depression
- It improves blood flow and lowers blood pressure
- It alleviates cardiovascular diseases
Frozen Yogurt
Ice-cream is a frozen snack usually made from milk or cream and contains sugar or sweeteners. Everyone loves it. It contains about 210 calories per 100 grams. However, a better and healthier alternative is yogurt, which has more nutritional value than ice-cream. Frozen yogurt offers lower calories (ranging from 117-127) than ice-creams. They are also rich in calcium, vitamins, protein, iron, and fiber.
Power Balls
Another very attractive and addictive junk food is a donut. They offer about 500 calories and are in high fat. An excellent alternative for donuts is power balls. Power balls can give that donut-like “feel.” They are easy to make, and baked like doughnuts but faster and soft. They are nutritious and are high in protein, healthy carbs, fat, and fiber.
Wine
Beer is one of the most common drinks in the world, aside from water and tea. They are alcoholic and high in calories. This is to inform you that it is unhealthy and can be replaced by wine. Wine is lesser in calories and beneficial. A bottle of red wine is low calories and composed of antioxidants.
Chicken Burgers
Beef burgers are a popular afternoon snack that is high calories and termed by health practitioners as unhealthy. Generally, beef constitutes a lot of cholesterol and saturated fat which is bad for one’s health. Too much cholesterol and saturated fat can cause harm to the heart. According to the American Heart Association, five to six percent of calories from saturated fat is required. Instead of gulping this 220-calorie snack, try out chicken burger. They are richer burgers that are low in calories (about 127 cal.) and high protein.
Smoothies
If you were to select between homemade smoothies and milkshakes, the majority would choose milkshakes. They are both sweet drinks, but one is healthier for consumption than the other. Milkshakes are high in fat and can cause unhealthy changes in the blood and red blood vessels. Try to substitute milkshakes with homemade smoothies. Green smoothies are low in fat and rich in vitamins and other minerals.
Fruit
Eating candy occasional can be part of a healthy and nutritious diet. However, it is not very easy to stay clear of these delicious, sweet and attractive candy bars. Many people still suffer from addiction to candy bars. Too much candy bars can result in serious health issues because of their composition. They contain saturated fats, sugars, and a lot of calories. Therefore, excess intake of candy can be detrimental to one’s health. A healthier alternative to candy is frozen grapes or watermelon which contain natural sugar, vitamins, and minerals.
Margarine
Which do you prefer between butter and margarine? Most people prefer using butter for baking pop-corn, cakes, and so on. However, there is a confusion in this aspect on which contributes more to a healthy life. If you are a butter lover, try substituting with margarine sometimes.
This article has laid emphasis on healthy food consumption rather than the quantity of food consumed. Many foods we love to consume may not be healthy. Take a bold step into living a healthier life by trying the aforementioned healthier alternatives to your favorite junk foods.