For every junk food craving, there’s always healthier alternative waiting

Photo by Charles Deluvio and  Patrick Perkins/Unsplash

Sometimes when your snack cravings hit, they hit hard. And it makes it difficult to eat healthy. The best way to overcome this is to find alternatives that are just as good but healthier than what you’re craving.

Instead of ice cream, go for sorbet

Ice cream is made with cream and sugar. The difference with sorbet is that it’s not made with dairy products. In effect, sorbet is lighter on the calories and has significantly less fat, with a cup having less than a gram. It’s made with a lot of fruits, so it’s also higher in vitamin C but albeit with less calcium due to the lack of milk.

Instead of fries, go for kale chips

Though fries aren’t heavy on calories, you may have the tendency to consume more than the recommended amount, so a better option is kale chips. It has less calories and sodium and is more nutritious. Baking kale keeps its nutritional value; you only need to add a little olive oil. It’s rich in vitamin A, which is good for the eyes, as well as antioxidants that decrease inflammation and high cholesterol. Kale chips are just as light and crunchy as fries but a lot healthier to binge eat.

Instead of potato chips, go for seaweed snacks

If you’re craving potato chips, swap it for seaweed snacks or nori. It might look like just thin wrappers, but they’re actually filled with vitamins A, B12, and calcium. Since it’s made with sea vegetables, it contains more iodine, potassium, and magnesium than land vegetables. You can easily get your daily dose of vitamins and nutrients and not worry about calories. It’s a great alternative for salty cravings so much so that some people have even managed to swap their salt with nori for seasoning.

Instead of pastries, go for apple and peanut butter

If you have regular sweet cravings, then apples and peanut butter is the combo for you. Separately, these two are already pretty good on their own, but together you have a snack that is rich in protein and fiber. Men’s Fitness even recommends this as a pre-workout snack to boost energy. This is sweet enough to replace any candy craving you have without the added calories and the blood sugar spike. As long as you stick to natural peanut butter and the two-tablespoon limit, you won’t have to worry about eating too much calories.