Healthy substitutes for junk food

sstout02

What do swap your junk food cravings for or do you? I love chips and wings !

Pastaprincess1978

I hate to say it but diet soft drink. Pineapple, mangoes and berries instead of lollies. I try to substitute coffee wherever possible as I have it without sugar and I love it. distracts me!

RuNaRoUnDaFiEld

Just smaller portions

sstout02

Those are good sub! I can’t do without my coffee though @Pastaprincess1978

acpgee

Here's a good oil free substitute for potato chips. Thinly slice potatoes with a mandolin or food processor. Spread in a single layer on silicon mesh or silicon coated baking paper. Salt (I use vinegar flavored salt). Zap in the microwave on high for 6 minutes. Check if they are starting to turn golden brown. Zap any stragglers in 1 minute intervals, being careful because the margin between done and burnt is very narrow. These continue to crisp up as they cool down.

missysippy930

acpgee wrote: »

Here's a good oil free substitute for potato chips. Thinly slice potatoes with a mandolin or food processor. Spread in a single layer on silicon mesh or silicon coated baking paper. Salt (I use vinegar flavored salt). Zap in the microwave on high for 6 minutes. Check if they are starting to turn golden brown. Zap any stragglers in 1 minute intervals, being careful because the margin between done and burnt is very narrow. These continue to crisp up as they cool down.

^This is a great suggestion for chips (can do this for a lot of different veggies)
For your wings, try baking instead of deep fried, pretty darned good!

RadishEater

I roast sweet potatoes or rutabaga in a fry shape on the oven instead of making fries in my cast iron skillet.

Eat regular popcorn unbuttered instead of goldfish.

Except caramel popcorn is like crack for me so it's either a giant bowlful or none at all. I'm glad they stopped having it a free snack in the office.

AutumnReis83

Air popped corn with a little olive oil and pink Himalayan salt, so good!!

Crafty_camper123

Grill your wings. And/or have them alongside a salad or veggies. For chips? Sugar snap peas and carrots are a nice sub for crunchy. Almonds are good but you have to be careful not to eat too many. They add up fast. Popcorn has been mentioned and can cure the salty crunchy craving. They even make those 100 - 150cal bags so you can have some and keep your portions in check. Baked chips have few calories, but you still have to watch how many you eat.

mutantspicy

this may not work for everyone, but for me I allot two glasses of red wine in the evening, sipping on wine curbs my appetite for snacks.

ritzvin

Pastaprincess1978 wrote: »

I hate to say it but diet soft drink. Pineapple, mangoes and berries instead of lollies. I try to substitute coffee wherever possible as I have it without sugar and I love it. distracts me!

yep- I did start buying diet soda occasionally for nights when we are watching TV, and I'm going to have the impulse to boredom snack or have some wine.

OP- those are extremely calorie dense, so a lot of substitutions will be better calorie-wise. Since those are savory/salty items, maybe popcorn. Plain popcorn isn't too bad on calories, and you can get a fine layer for not too many extra fat calories if you spray the popcorn with those aerosol oil spray cans - they make butter flavor ones. and also different flavors of seasonings that can be sprinkled on for very few calories.

wooblu

Jarrah hot chocolate is 47 calories,


I also have Diet Coke or Pepsi max but do see better weight loss if I can avoid due to sodium and water weight.

But I find portion control is the best option. You can have almost anything you want, but weight it out as one serving instead of just eating away.

avrishabh

I mean there are tons of substitutes of junk food. There is a whole blue ocean for the healthy people but you need to know how to swim in it.
healthy substitution begins from the kitchen:

1. flour- grains
2. white rice- oats
3. white bread- whole grain bread
4. chetos- protein chips
5. mensquats.com

amgreenwell

I still eat chips and wings if I must but I just portion control and log everything. Instead of full fat chips I might do less fat, baked or whatever. There is no substitute for wings. Just eat em and log em.

CarvedTones

I agree with portion control. I eat a lot of minis. If you are hitting macros or at least coming close most of the time you don't have to deny yourself of things you like. If you eat too much calorie dense food you may end up feeling hungry though.

plythacur

So it turns out that pork rinds don’t have that much fat and actually have a decent amount of protein. If I want savory and salty and to eat an entire bag of something, a microwave popcorn size bag only has 200 or so calories and tastes great with most of those popcorn seasoning sprinkles. I feel like I get a lot more crunchy bang for my calorie buck than chips.

acpgee

Nowadays I do wings in a hot air fryer. This machine is good for renderering down subcutaneous fat so that the skin becomes very thin and crisp.

I do find dry brining (salt the usual amount, but just do it several hours in advance or the night before) does make for more tender wings. To help the skin crisp up I shake about 12 whole wings (flat+drummette) with a half teaspoon of baking powder (reduces pH of the skin) and 2 tablespoons of potato starch (helps with dryness) in a plastic bag. About 25 minutes at 200C in the air fryer or a fan assisted oven if you don't have an air fryer.

Replace buffalo sauce (which contains butter) with something fat free like sriracha thinned with soy or equal parts honey, mustard and soy.

cwolfman13

sstout02 wrote: »

What do swap your junk food cravings for or do you? I love chips and wings !

I don't...I just moderate them.

I have a sandwich for lunch 1 or 2 days per week and I usually have a single serve bag of chips of some kind on those days.

I have pizza and movie night most Friday nights with the family.

About once per month we go out for "pub grub" and I'll get some wings or fish 'n chips or something along those lines.

I have desert most days with either lunch or dinner, but not both.

Most of my diet on the whole is very healthful...I don't see any reasons to substitute for things that are less nutritious, but that I enjoy, when I can just moderate them.

ritzvin

acpgee wrote: »

Nowadays I do wings in a hot air fryer. This machine is good for renderering down subcutaneous fat so that the skin becomes very thin and crisp.

I do find dry brining (salt the usual amount, but just do it several hours in advance or the night before) does make for more tender wings. To help the skin crisp up I shake about 12 whole wings (flat+drummette) with a half teaspoon of baking powder (reduces pH of the skin) and 2 tablespoons of potato starch (helps with dryness) in a plastic bag. About 25 minutes at 200C in the air fryer or a fan assisted oven if you don't have an air fryer.

Replace buffalo sauce (which contains butter) with something fat free like sriracha thinned with soy or equal parts honey, mustard and soy.

The standard Buffalo-style hot sauce doesn't contain the butter. We cut Franks with butter only to make the "mild" and "medium" wings.

ritzvin

Although I did recently see a Franks "wing sauce" now where they add butter flavoring (low calorie) for those that prefer mild.

rhtexasgal

Beanitos chips are great for the crunch you seek and have a decent amount of protein for a decent calorie load (150 calories per serving?) ... there are several varieties and flavors. Some made with black beans, some pinto and some white beans. I LOVE the Sweet Chili and Sour Cream flavor and the Hint of Lime flavors ...