Favorite low-cal “carrier” foods?

moonangel12
moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
edited November 2019 in Health and Weight Loss
Carrier foods - as in chips, crackers, bread, etc. Things that aren’t the focal point of the meal/snack, just used as support of whatever food you are truly wanting to eat but isn’t as appetizing on it’s own.

ETA: more clarification - foods that sometimes quite literally “carry” the food to your mouth. I like port wine cheese, but not by itself. So the cracker I use to eat it would be the carrier.
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Replies

  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    I am gluten free (have been for 8.5 years) so I have learned to do without bread in most scenarios, but my go to morning breakfast has been a bagel, slice of cheese, and a fried egg on top. To cut back on calories but still have the same flavor/texture profile I slice my GF bagels into quarters instead of halves. Most days my breakfast is around 250-300 calories.

    Rice cakes with PB and jelly.

    I still like corn chips, but I definitely scoop now rather than dip.
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
    edited November 2019
    I'm not sure exactly what you mean. But, I like to get a bunch of kale each week. It's only $1 and lasts me at least 3 lunches. I chop it really small and then cook it with some dehydrated vegetable mix and then whatever other veg or seasonings I want plus a protein. I pick kale because it is cheap, highly nutritious, and you can get a lot of bulk for low calories. Two of my favorites are curry seasoning with a little light coconut milk and chicken or salmon, the other is soy or Bragg's aminos with sesame oil and egg.
    I also like chicharrones with avocado/guacamole, cucumber slices with green olives, carrots and celery with hummus, apple or banana with nuts or nut butter.
  • lalalacroix
    lalalacroix Posts: 834 Member
    I bake tortilla chips in the oven which saves some calories from the store bought fried variety. (Can't wait to get an air fryer). Also baked some pita chips yesterday which were so good with my hummus
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,966 Member
    Hereabouts, I can get a thing called "Coco Lite Pop Cakes." They're about the size of a small tortilla, but crispy. 20 calories. Good with cheese or even peanut butter, but will get soggy with anything really liquid-y, or if microwaved with borderline fluid things like cream cheese. Come in multiple flavors, link below is to whole wheat version.

    https://cocofoods.com/product/coco-lite-whole-wheat/

    Lots of veggies work as a carrier, especially large crispy ones that hold shape sliced thin. Think jicama, celeriac, etc. You know about dipper-carriers like celery. Consider leafy things with some body, like Romaine lettuce or Belgian endive.
  • ThatJuJitsuWoman
    ThatJuJitsuWoman Posts: 155 Member
    Flavoured rice cakes. Salt and vinegar or sweet chilli are my favourites. Great dipped in humous or salsa.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    Raw veg.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    Red cabbage. I am diabetic and chips don’t play well with my blood glucose. Cabbage also works as a great wrap. When roasted and salted it’s more similar to chips, but it’s too raw as well.

    I also like slices of radish or cucumber.
  • moonangel12
    moonangel12 Posts: 971 Member
    Yum - jicama... I haven’t had any of that in years! I went looking for it a while back but no luck. Celeriac is actually one thing I have never really tried before (that I know of), and i tend to be a bit more adventurous with food (although not as much as my parents because I don’t have the time or food budget for what they make/eat).
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 31,966 Member
    moonangel12 wrote: »
    Yum - jicama... I haven’t had any of that in years! I went looking for it a while back but no luck. Celeriac is actually one thing I have never really tried before (that I know of), and i tend to be a bit more adventurous with food (although not as much as my parents because I don’t have the time or food budget for what they make/eat).

    Tastes a little like celery, only milder, maybe a bit sweeter/nuttier. Texture is very different: Similar to other root veg. Good cooked or raw.
  • Safari_Gal_
    Safari_Gal_ Posts: 1,461 Member
    @moonangel12 - baby carrots, bell peppers and celery!
  • icemom011
    icemom011 Posts: 999 Member
    Broccoli, sliced cucumber and radishes, cauliflower, peppers, carrots, sliced beets,celery are great for hummus.
  • lightenup2016
    lightenup2016 Posts: 1,055 Member
    Cauliflower, carrots, Trader Joe’s multigrain crackers (about 10 cal/cracker)
  • OldHobo
    OldHobo Posts: 647 Member
    I haven't bought crackers in six months or so. Would always start out intending to eat five or ten at the most but end up eating a whole sleeve. I cut one large slice of whole-wheat toast into nine pieces and pile high onto those instead. It's enough to "carry" most of the tuna salad made from a 5-ounce can.
  • cosmichvoyager
    cosmichvoyager Posts: 237 Member
    Wasa whole grain crisp bread— it’s like a slice of hearty cracker and very filling.
  • glassyo
    glassyo Posts: 7,585 Member
    I like corn thins which are basically rice cakes but half the height.

    Usually I spread some whipped cream cheese on it topped with lower sodium turkey slices.
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    cosmichvoyager wrote: »
    Wasa whole grain crisp bread— it’s like a slice of hearty cracker and very filling.

    Thanks for mentioning! I haven’t had Wasa in a while because my local grocery doesn’t carry it, but I need to find some. It’s good with fancier spreads and cheeses.
  • ridiculous59
    ridiculous59 Posts: 2,821 Member
    Rice crackers: 16 of them for only 120 calories. I recently re-discovered them and they presently my go-to "carriers" for everything lol

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