Dieting has always been on your New Year’s Resolution List but you are struggling so hard to fight the temptation of eating food that is not healthy. You always have this cravings for oily food or too much sweet and you just can’t say no. No matter how hard you try it’s hard to resist not eating junk food. But there are other options to satisfy your cravings without the added guilt. Just remember, it is not just about what you eat, it is also about the discipline in your eating habits. Here’s a list of healthy snack alternatives that you might want to try.
Pizza
Instead of adding triple cheese and loads of meat to your pizza crust, why not replace it with chicken strips or shrimp? You can also add vegetables like zucchini or eggplant to make it healthy. There is also a way to make a low carb pizza out of cauliflower crust that is easy to make. Top it with tomato sauce, mushroom and other vegetables and your cravings will be satisfied. Quinoa pizza bites is also a good alternative to satisfy your pizza cravings.
Soda
It is hard to resist not drinking your favorite soda especially if the weather is hot and you want something to quench your thirst. But soda don’t have any benefits at all and can just add more sugar and calories in the body that can cause obesity and diabetes. Why don’t you try drinking water with lemon or lime instead? It can help lower your blood pressure and it is also good for losing weight since it is calorie free.
French Fries
It is okay to indulge yourself with french fries once in while, but it is not advisable to eat as much as you like. Yes it is delicious but not really healthy. But there are many ways of how to enjoy fries and maintaining good health. One way is not frying them but baking them with coconut oil. Another is a much healthier version of this which is baked sweet potato fries. Sweet potatoes have less fats and good for your eyesight because it contains Vitamin A in a form beta-carotene. Zucchini fries is good alternative too which can help you lose weight by satisfying your hunger without adding too much calories.
Ice cream
If you are craving for something cold like ice cream but wants something that much healthier then here are the few delicious alternatives for you. Switch your regular ice cream with vegan ice cream. There are many recipes that you can find online to make your own ice cream at home. You can make healthy ice cream using fresh fruit and coconut milk. Try using yogurt too and add a fruit of your choice to make a quick and easy yogurt popsicle or sorbet that will satisfy your taste buds.
Candy
Having a sweet tooth is not easy when you are trying to eat healthy. You are always tempted to eat candies to give in to your cravings for sweets. Ignore the call of Skittles and grab a frozen grapes instead. Frozen watermelon is good for you too because it contains natural sugar that is much healthier for your body.
Potato Chips
For the fans of potato chips and want to change their eating habits, there are some alternatives that you might want to try. Why not eat baked spinach chips instead or you can use kale chips as a substitute. Multi grain pita chips with hummus dip can be an alternative to your potato chips cravings, it has less saturated fats and tastes delicious too.
Cakes
Nothing is better than a piece of cake when you want to cheer yourself. But it is much better if while making yourself happy, you’re making sure you are eating healthy too. Instead of buying grocery store cakes, why not make your own cake? You can substitute oatmeal flour for the white flour and reduce the number of ingredients to make a healthier version of cake. You can also use non-fat plain Greek yogurt as substitute for milk, with combination of non-fat cream cheese.
Cookies
There are too much calories and fats in one piece of cookie and we all know no one ever eats just one cookie. Imagine the amount of calories in one bag of your favorite chocolate chip cookies? Yes it is delicious but definitely not good for your body. A much better alternative to this craving is to eat fig bars or nutrition bars that have low calories and fat intake. There are also recipes online that will guide you in making healthy and delicious cookies. Making your own cookies can help you balance the amount of sugar and fats you will put into your food.
Ramen
Ramen is fast and convenient but it’s lack of nutrition and the MSG it contains makes it not good for your health. Fresh ingredients are better and with more health benefits than eating instant food like this.
Making your own noodle soup is much cheaper and more healthier than buying instant ramen. You can also try miso soup with buckwheat noodles, it contains lower calorie and fat than your regular cup noodles. Cook homemade ramen with beef or pork and soft boiled eggs using a slow cooker is another option too.
Popcorn
Watching movies can’t be complete without popcorn and soda. But did you know that buttered popcorn contains saturated fats and approximately 1,600 calories per tub? Definitely bad for your health especially your heart. If you really can’t watch a movie without eating something, try baked cauliflower popcorn instead of the regular one. It is healthier and easy to cook too. There are also ways to flavor your popcorn without using butter that you can enjoy eating. You can use spices and herbs and olive oil or citrus to add flavor. Or you can add trail mix with your popcorn to add variety of flavors and it tastes good too.
