Achieving an equilibrium between food and fitness has been the biggest challenge for our generation. We sacrifice the hard work done by us in the gym or on track by eating snacks that are unhealthy. It is true that most snacks or junk foods are unhealthy but some are healthy if consumed properly.
Why are snacks and junk food unhealthy?
Most of the junk food or snacks that we eat are bad mainly because of less nutrients and significantly more calories which in part results in obesity and heart problems. Most of the snacks that taste delicious are either high in sugar and salt or fried or both. The oil that is used in the preparation alone, accounts for half of what is bad with junk foods.
Take A Look At These 10 Healthy Snacks
Today we have compiled a list of 10 snacks or junk food that can be healthy if consumed moderately.
1. Pita Chips
Wait, What? Are Pita chips healthy? Yes, they are an excellent snack. Pita chips are cracker snacks made from pita bread. The main advantage of this snack is that, unlike other chips, Pita chips are baked rather than fried. They are made from flour so they have few nutrients too. So if you’re looking for a crunchy and tasty snack, then Pita chips are an excellent choice.
2. Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate is another food that has a reputation for being unhealthy. But truth be told, real Dark chocolate is everything but unhealthy. The point of focus here is how much sugar your chocolate bar has and how much cocoa it has. A bar of Real dark chocolate has more than 70% cocoa in it, anything less than this is not considered healthy. On top of that, the Cocoa in dark chocolate gives energy and benefits your blood circulatory system.
3. Popcorn
Here is another snack that is tasty and healthy at the same time. Popcorn is made from corn which is a whole grain. It’s not just healthy but it also tastes very good and you can make it taste like whatever you want. The key to enjoying popcorn in a healthy manner is to bring the kernel home and then cook it yourself with less oil or butter.
4. Ice Cream
Who doesn’t love ice cream? Now we’re here to tell you that ice cream in moderate amounts is not unhealthy. Ice cream is a great source of Protein and calcium due to the milk present in it.
5. Sweet Potato Chips
Contrary to the name, Sweet potatoes do not have a lot of sugar in them. They are a good source of energy as they are high in carbs but on top of that, they also have more vitamin A and fibres than regular potatoes, making them an excellent healthy snack.
6. Cheese
Cheese is nothing but solid milk. The whole purpose of making cheese was to store milk for a long time. Cheese is made from cow, buffalo, goat, or sheep’s milk. Milk contains 87
% water and during the process of making cheese, this water is separated from the milk curds and then those curds are turned into cheese. This is the reason why cheese is healthy as it contains all the protein and fat that milk does.
7. Chocolate Chip Cookies
Choco chip cookies are not at all unhealthy. It’s the market version, the processed version that is unhealthy. Choco chip cookies only contain a few ingredients like flour, egg, chocolate powder, and choco chips and none of these ingredients are bad for you if you eat them moderately.
8. Fried Chicken
Due to fast food chains, fried chicken has garnered a rather bad reputation. But what if we tell you that fried chicken is not unhealthy? Yes, Fried chicken is not at all unhealthy, but the process makes it unhealthy.
To make fried chicken in a healthy way, all you have to do is take your chicken, marinate it in skimmed milk, and then coat your chicken in a mixture of flour and spices of your choice. Now, rather than deep frying your chicken, air fry it. This way all the access oil is not present.
9. Burger
Now you might be thinking how can a burger be healthy? Well, the answer is very simple, make it yourself at home. For making the patty, you can use either chicken or veggies and instead of deep frying the patty, air fry it. Then take your bun and make your burger with fresh veggies and a healthy patty with a little touch of sauce of your choice.
10. Pizza
Pizza is another food that has a bad reputation mainly because of fast food chains. A simple pizza is a healthy pizza. Just take your crust and spread some tomato sauce onto it, then add your cheese and vegetable toppings and enjoy a healthy and tasty pizza.
It’s the topping that matters, toppings like pepperoni have a lot of fat in them that melts and makes the pizza oily and greasy.
Final Thoughts
Junk food is only bad due to the process through which it is prepared. So there you have it, these are some junk foods that can be made in a way that they no longer are unhealthy. Make sure to eat these foods in moderate amounts.