Substitutions that are healthy and yummy - I miss chips and crackers:(

sw0312

AliceDark wrote: »

Pickles. Very low calories but you still get crunchy and salty.

Great idea

Francl27

Well all substitutions will be 120 calories for 20 chips or something... or 20 pretzels.

If you want volume and crunch, then yeah, go with pickles or raw carrots, lol (I eat carrots a lot with sandwiches and wraps, honestly).

Lasmartchika

sw0312 wrote: »

GuitarJerry wrote: »

I just eat chips. Why do you think they are not healthy?

When I make a wonderful sandwich with great flavors and healthy ingredients for 305 calories it is pitiful to see that 20 veggie sticks is almost half of those calories not to mention other higher calorie chips.

I want to stay within my calorie allotment without blowing it on 20 measly veggie sticks - no pleasure in that lol!

How many calories are you eating daily that you can't fit some chips into your day?

sw0312

Let me rephrase my original post.
I am watching my calories doing a 1200+calorie per day diet. Adding in exercise every day if I can. I can eat chips if I want in fact I can eat anything I want but I was looking for some lower calorie healthier options. I have been logging and staying on this since 01/07 /15 and have lost 6 pounds and all around feel like a healthier person. I want to start enjoying healthier foods rather than the chips that I know would lead me back to where I was. I would rather find a substitution with more nutrients, lower calories and the salt and crunch that I like. 20 veggie sticks do nothing for me (empty calories). Again - I am not saying I can't have them I was only looking for a yummy substitution.

avskk

I like popchips, particularly the Special K brand (not because they're better but because they're available, mostly). Pretty big serving for ~120 calories. Pretzel sticks are good, too, especially if you get the super-salty ones.

aSearch4Me

@sw0312 along the line of raw veggies, I'm a big fan of raw snow peas with sandwiches in place of chips/crackers. Great crunch & sweet. If you need a substitute for crackers for things like chicken salad/tuna salad, endive leaves work well & most grocery stores stock it.

bioklutz

http://harvestsnaps.com/products/snapea-crisps-lightly-salted

I like these.

psmd

I used to always have chips or pretzels with a turkey sandwich. I agree with you, if you are trying to go for stuff that's filling, more nutritious, etc. then chips have to go as a regular item. Now I usually bring a sandwich to work as well as a few pieces of fruit (apple, banana, pear, orange, whatever) and it is really filling and tastes good (I love fruit but don't eat enough of it). Sometimes some soup if I still want something warm to eat. I really don't miss the chips at all.

I also like hummus with pretzels or pita chips (can make these yourself easily) if you are looking for a substition more similar to chips.

astrose00

I love cucumbers. I slice them and eat with vinegar (or lime juice) and salt and pepper. I might drizzle a tiny bit of olive oil on it it along with some crushed red pepper for spice. It's very light and refreshing goes great with sandwiches. Sometime I even use a mandolin to slice the cucumber (length-wise) and put inside the sandwich.

Nature's Harvest also has a low calorie bread (only 40 cals per slice). Tastes the same to me as Sara Lee. I have OCD when it comes to calories so if I can save 10 calories (per 2 slices) I will!

I don't know why people who don't plan on answering the OP's questions feel the need to chime in with useless advice or commentary... Sure, plenty of people fail on their diets by being restrictive. But I would guess that many fail on their diets because they are too liberal with eating high calorie foods that wind up blowing their calorie deficits. It's a lot easier to stop eating pickles or cucumbers or veggies than potato chips. Potato chips don't even fill you up which make them even more "dangerous" if you're prone to overeating. My mom had weight loss surgery and the doctor specifically told her to stay away from chips for this reason.

I restrict my calories to lose weight. Sure, I could have a 1,000 calorie slice of pizza. But my macros will be blown and I will be starving for the rest of the day. In my experience, most of the people on MFP that complain about being hungry all the time are the ones who eat high calorie foods with little nutritional value. That is, when they open up their diaries you see candy, high calorie lattes and other things that have no bang for the buck.

OP I also eat carrot with hummus. 100g of carrots and a tablespoon of hummus are about 70 calories and go pretty far. I know it's not crunchy, but I also eat Danon Light and Fit Greek with about 80 calories if I want a little more tha a small sandwich.

wylandasmith

I name homemade chips. Cut thin slices of potatoes or sweet potatoes and bake in oven after tossing in canola or coconut oil. They are good. I only cook an oz and that is usually the c serving size any way

sjaplo

If you want the chips - only make and eat half a sandwich. The key to losing weight is to adapt your previous eating habits that caused you to gain weight. You don't need to give up food items, just eat less of them to fit into your new calorie reality.

(I'm not even going to comment on the 1200 calories.........)

bluekitty100

I love the snack size bags of Popchips or Pirate's booty.

7elizamae

I love chips. I love crackers. I understand what you're wanting.

I have found air-popped popcorn with plenty of salt to be a good substitute. Lower calories, more nutrients than chips -- and you can have quite a bit of it for the same calories. I had to adjust to the air-popped, no-butter version, but now I really enjoy it.

FunSkittles

Francl27 wrote: »

120 calories for a bag but 21g of protein.

That's a lot of protein! I'm always looking for more protein sources. I'll have to look for these

oncem0re

This one is my favorite.

oncem0re

Here's the nutritional facts.

AmazonMayan

I like making crackers out of Josephs Lavash flat bread. It's 50 calories per serving but sometimes I do 2 servings. I use a pizza cutter and cut it into small cracker sizes then bake. If you want seasoning without adding many calories, brush with a little water then sprinkle spices and/or salt on. Otherwise, do the same with a little olive oil instead of water. Watch it though because this bread gets crisp fast! They are light and crispy and work for me.

oncem0re

I dont know when I want chips, I just dont think I have the patience to cook them I try to find the close to healthiest and what will fit my calories intake for the day and eat it.

SuggaD

Those popcorners look good....will be trying them very soon.