Sugary or Salty - what's your vice? What's your substitute?

Deena_Bean
Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
in Food and Nutrition
I swear I could eat my "pounds lost" in chips and salsa or cheese and crackers - but throw some cookies/cakes/donuts at me and I turn up my nose. I've always been this way...preferred salty snacks to sweeter ones (although I have a mad love affair with gummy bears). What's your preference and what do you eat now to help satisfy it?

My salty substitutes - salsa is a-ok & healthy (thank God) so with that I'll eat some 'better' version of tortilla chips and put more salsa on each bite to avoid overeating the chips. I've also substituted regular chips with veggie straws or air popped popcorn with a little salt on it. Cheese and crackers...I've found a few varieties of crackers that make a fine sub for the former fatty stand-bys, but cheese...well it's just not good 'low fat' in my opinion, so I just eat it sparingly now :)
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Replies

  • har465
    har465 Posts: 8 Member
    Me too! Chocolate can almost go bad in my house but an open bag of chips is an empty bag of chips. Chips and Philly herb and spice dip, or buttery, salty popcorn are my favorite. I keep buying Kale to make kale chips, so many people have recommended them, but forget and the kale is wilted by the time I get to it. And cheese, mmmmm, cheese. I have onyl met one cheese I didn't like. I am finding I just have to ration it, weight it out and put the rest away fast. I make pita chips and hummas sometimes, or those small bags of smart pop popcorn with some of the flavored seasonings, like white cheddar. I also buy those 100 calorie salty roasted almonds for a salt fix.
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    I am totally the opposite. In fact, since being on MFP I have almost completely stopped eating salty/crunchy snacks because I never truly liked chips, pretzels, popcorn, onion bagels, crackers, etc...I just kind of ate those things because they were a vehicle for dips, cheese, etc. I can take or leave it all.

    SUGAR and sweets though -- I am a fiend. Ahhh actually, I am probably not as extreme in this regard as some people, but I definitely get a craving for chocolate or other sweet things daily. I have had success with substituting smaller amounts - one of my favorites is to have 1 square of higher quality dark chocolate (I prefer the kind with nuts or other flavoring) or something like 5-10 semisweet chocolate chips and a few nuts or dried fruit, or even a small amount of marshmallow crème along with the chocolate chips. It satisfies me pretty well. I like Clif mini Zbars and other bars like Zone Perfect or Atkins (even though I don't follow those diets)...they aren't very low calorie, but at least they are somewhat better nutritionally than say, Little Debbies or Snickers bars. I'd love to say fruit has completely taken the place of less healthy sweet foods but that would be a lie ;-)

    One of the biggest things for me has been changing my mindset. I used to make a list of meals for the week and it included 2-3 dessert ideas. I was a huge baker in addition to making other delicious treats frequently. Now I only do that when I am headed to a get-together or already know I'm going to give away more than 1/2 of the stuff, so my husband and I don't have it around us constantly. I am more likely these days to go to a coffeehouse or bakery on Saturday after a hike/walk/bike ride, and buy 1 good cookie or cupcake, or go out for ice cream, instead of having that stuff around every day.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    I try to avoid the bags of popcorn - I haven't heard great things about the stuff in the bag. I have, however, resorted to putting kernels in a brown paper bag and popping them in the microwave that way...and it works just fine. You can control what you're putting on the kernels yourself so you know how good....or bad it is for you :)

    I tried zucchini chips once and they were ok, but I couldn't get them crispy enough. Darn salt cravings! I love, love, love cheese and my local farmers market (opens June 1) has a cheese tent with 30 or so different cheeses every weekend. Delish. I am going to have to walk myself to to the farmers market so I burn off what I sample (it's about 1.5 miles from my house).

    Oh and hummus is totally a go-to for me. I love the stuff and it feels like a salty treat even if it's not really salty :)
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    One of the biggest things for me has been changing my mindset. I used to make a list of meals for the week and it included 2-3 dessert ideas. I was a huge baker in addition to making other delicious treats frequently. Now I only do that when I am headed to a get-together or already know I'm going to give away more than 1/2 of the stuff, so my husband and I don't have it around us constantly. I am more likely these days to go to a coffeehouse or bakery on Saturday after a hike/walk/bike ride, and buy 1 good cookie or cupcake, or go out for ice cream, instead of having that stuff around every day.

    The mindset thing definitely works. While I prefer the salty snacks, I do want something sweet on most days as well. Sometimes fruit is enough to satisfy me, but I've become a HUGE fan of these self-serve frozen yogurt places. You can top the delicious yogurt with fruit and nuts - and it's really not bad for you (if you don't get a pound of it lol). I love gummy bears and used to love starbursts, but they seem way too sweet for me now. Oh and dark chocolate with hazelnuts - love that combo!
  • seltzermint555
    seltzermint555 Posts: 10,740 Member
    One of the biggest things for me has been changing my mindset. I used to make a list of meals for the week and it included 2-3 dessert ideas. I was a huge baker in addition to making other delicious treats frequently. Now I only do that when I am headed to a get-together or already know I'm going to give away more than 1/2 of the stuff, so my husband and I don't have it around us constantly. I am more likely these days to go to a coffeehouse or bakery on Saturday after a hike/walk/bike ride, and buy 1 good cookie or cupcake, or go out for ice cream, instead of having that stuff around every day.

    The mindset thing definitely works. While I prefer the salty snacks, I do want something sweet on most days as well. Sometimes fruit is enough to satisfy me, but I've become a HUGE fan of these self-serve frozen yogurt places. You can top the delicious yogurt with fruit and nuts - and it's really not bad for you (if you don't get a pound of it lol). I love gummy bears and used to love starbursts, but they seem way too sweet for me now. Oh and dark chocolate with hazelnuts - love that combo!

    I do like frozen yogurt, my problem is with that I find myself feeling unsatisfied usually...I am more satisfied with one small scoop of ice cream from Braum's than a big thing of fro yo even with yummy stuff on top! hehe I really don't know why that is, I think more psychological or something. I've never been a fan of sugary non-chocolate candy like gummies/Starburst but I am all about the chocolate/nut combos, too...and most baked goods as long as they tend toward sweet or fruity, rather than breadlike (muffins or cinnamon rolls for example do nothing for me).
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    Neither...I'm more of a savory type
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    I love salt. I still salt the hell out of my meat and veggies, but I really had to cut salty carbs (like popcorn, chips) out because I cannot control intake. If I buy chips now, I buy a single-serving bag, and I only do it on days that I do Aikido.
  • BarbieAS
    BarbieAS Posts: 1,414 Member
    SALTY. For sure. I like a little sugar every now and then, but even when I'm treating myself I can wander around a bakery for a long time and find not much that interests me, though if I do go sweet then I'd prefer something more like a muffin or a donut to a piece of candy or heavy ice cream or an overly sweet decadent dessert. I actually don't even LIKE chocolate, like at all. Even when I do go sweet, I always salt more than the typical person - salted caramel is a fave, plus I always bake with salted butter (ironically, I LOVE to bake).

    But put me in front of a bag of pretzels or cheesy poofs or anything...look out. Or cheese, salami, stuff like that...honestly, I just try to plan for it and be really careful of my serving sizes, and I also try to include some protein (that's where the cheese and stuff helps) if I'm going to have a salty/crunchy snack so that the possibility exists that I might actually be somewhat satisfied by my snack instead of pounding 150-200 calories that leave me just as hungry as I was before. Or if I'm just bored snacky, I go for popcorn (air popped in the microwave in a lunch bag - works perfectly, TONS cheaper, far less risk of growing a third head from the chemicals [unless you count the radiation from the "death box"...lol, someone needs to find that post and bump it] - and then I top with a bit of butter mixed with Frank's hot sauce - makes it a little soggy but the flavor is worth it).
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    Well, I like both, but all of my teeth are sweet. I've had a huge desire for sweets for most of my life. Eating less of it now, but still want it.
  • annette_15
    annette_15 Posts: 1,657 Member
    Sugarrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrromnomnomnomdrooolchocolateeeeeeeemmmmmmmusthavechocolaaaaaaaaaaaaate
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    LOL - some funny comments in here - the death box and must have chocolate.

    I do like savory as well....ok, who am I kidding - I at least "like" basically every type of food out there or I wouldn't be trying to lose weight. But salty treats and cheeses...mmmm. I basically avoid cheese because I have zero self control if it's one I love. It's a sad story.
  • bnsnwldwmn
    bnsnwldwmn Posts: 38
    I kind of have trouble with both. A lot of times when I'm craving something salty, after I eat it I want something sweet, and vice versa.

    I like Cheez-its or other crackers for my salty fix usually, and sweets are almost always snack cakes - if I have them in the house.
  • arabianhorselover
    arabianhorselover Posts: 1,488 Member
    I LOVE chips and dip. Sadly I have had very little of that in the last eight months.
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    I kind of have trouble with both. A lot of times when I'm craving something salty, after I eat it I want something sweet, and vice versa.

    I like Cheez-its or other crackers for my salty fix usually, and sweets are almost always snack cakes - if I have them in the house.

    Cheezits are the Pringle's of my chip-world. Once you pop you can't stop....my kids love the cheddar jack cheezits in their lunch - which always makes packing their lunch a massive resistance challenge for me. I love any form of cheezits...but not really the reduced fat variety (of course).
  • Bella0531
    Bella0531 Posts: 309 Member
    Definitely salty!

    My favorites are Trader Joe's Baked Onion Ring O's and their Sweet Potato Tortilla Chips. Whenever I buy them I have to immediately portion them out into smaller baggies, or else the whole big bag is going down!
  • melissajane83
    melissajane83 Posts: 54 Member
    I have always loved salty foods more than sweets. I like salty foods so much i even drink pickle juice.

    My biggest down fall has always been cheese dip and chips. Now i just eat Guacamole without chips.
  • jbee27
    jbee27 Posts: 356 Member
    Both. Even better if they are together. Chocolate sea salt caramels? Heaven.

    I try to limit instead of substitute. I get so much more happiness from one piece of good candy, or having chips and guac every once in awhile than eating something that isn't really what I want. I've found that most substitutes don't do much to stop me from craving the actual thing I wanted in the first place.
  • GretaGirl8
    GretaGirl8 Posts: 274 Member
    both. chocolate or caramel spinkled with sea salt.
  • GretaGirl8
    GretaGirl8 Posts: 274 Member
    Both. Even better if they are together. Chocolate sea salt caramels? Heaven.

    I try to limit instead of substitute. I get so much more happiness from one piece of good candy, or having chips and guac every once in awhile than eating something that isn't really what I want. I've found that most substitutes don't do much to stop me from craving the actual thing I wanted in the first place.

    lol...i totally did not see your post until after i posted mine.
  • _celesse
    _celesse Posts: 75 Member
    Both, really. I think it depends on the week. My biggest salty vice is chips! I could seriously eat a whole bag of chips in a day if nobody stopped me :( So now I try to have one individual size bag of chips per week. I figure if I could cut the coke out this way, it should work for my other vices as well~

    But, I just can't give up on the sweets! I love me some chocolate! I used to want chocolate cake like, ALL the time. Instead of making one every couple weeks or so, I renewed my love for the Fiber One 90 cal fudge brownies. Delicious and low cal, yay! Aside from that, I prefer to indulge in the higher-end dark chocolate bars. My favorite right now is the Lindt bar with strawberry bits in it. :)) And because it costs a bit more, its easier for me to sit and eat a couple squares instead of the whole bar. Truthfully, if I tried to eat a whole bar now I'd probably puke.

    Uhh I do get Talenti gelato somewhat frequently (maybe every other week I buy a tub?). I just work my day around it XD
  • MattyFTM
    MattyFTM Posts: 68 Member
    Just throw it all in a bucket and I'll eat it. Sweet, salty, I don't care.
  • Confuzzled4ever
    Confuzzled4ever Posts: 2,860 Member
    Depends on the day...

    I make chips out or potatoes, sweet potatoes, vegetables or I put dip on sliced tomatoes or eggplant. I also use salted tomatoes if I want something salty and salted celery if i'm craving salt and crunch.

    I make protein pudding out of oats, yogurt or cottage cheese, protein powder and a little milk if I am craving sweets. Or throw some cottage cheese ina bowl with strawberry jam, truvia and pure vanilla extract.

    I buy sugar free ice cream or make my own ice cream or frozen yogurt.

    If I get a chocolate bar I opt for the high percent dark chocolate. I just like it better. I don't even like milk chocolate anymore.

    Oh and Pineapple all by itself. If you let it get ripe it's so sweet! that's cure any sweet craving!!

    Sometimes i really jsut want to crunch something. I'll spread PB and honey on a salt free rice cake for that. :)
  • susannamarie
    susannamarie Posts: 2,148 Member
    Both. Even better if they are together. Chocolate sea salt caramels? Heaven.

    I try to limit instead of substitute. I get so much more happiness from one piece of good candy, or having chips and guac every once in awhile than eating something that isn't really what I want. I've found that most substitutes don't do much to stop me from craving the actual thing I wanted in the first place.

    Haha, my sister sells those!
  • ilmb87
    ilmb87 Posts: 216 Member
    Definitely salty. I have about 5 huge chocolate bars from Trader Joe's that I haven't touched in months, but a bag of chips will only last a week (at most) in my household.
  • PJPrimrose
    PJPrimrose Posts: 916 Member
    Sugar. Ice cream, chocolate, donuts, candy,fruit and sugary *kitten* yogurt...I would eat it exclusively if I didn't need to get my protein up.
  • missylectro
    missylectro Posts: 448 Member
    Sugar and I eat fruit
  • MartialPanda
    MartialPanda Posts: 919 Member
    Salt - I drink a crap ton of water
  • Deena_Bean
    Deena_Bean Posts: 906 Member
    I like the idea of making my chips out of my own veggies...but putting the idea into action is where ya lose me! Tried it once and it took forever and wasn't any good so now I don't even want to wast my time or effort on it. I have major time issue in my life, juggling a blended family and games/practices/rehearsals/etc. makes anything that takes a lot time completely undesirable.

    Salted caramel frozen yogurt by kemps is awesome. Gives me sweet and salty in one shot :)
  • WendyTerry420
    WendyTerry420 Posts: 13,274 Member
    I don't consider sugar or salt to be a "vice." My vice is cigarettes. As for food, I like to mix sweet and salty, like chocolate-covered nuts, for example.
  • Shauneerae21
    Shauneerae21 Posts: 17
    I'm a junk food addict, I love salty and sweet, but sweets are the worst for me, I could eat sweets all day if it wasn't unhealthy. I've been making my own healthy sweet treats lately. My two favorites:


    -Plain Greek yogurt with mixed fruit and honey
    -Full fat cottage cheese with honey (it reminds me of rice pudding)


    My cravings haven't been bad this week, since beginning a high fat and protein diet, so hopefully it sticks.

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