MONTREAL- Is it Salt? Fat? Sugar? Maybe it's some combination of all three? Whatever your guilty pleasure, there are some strategic ways to avoid over-indulgence while maximizing reward (otherwise known as treat). This is, however, a tough task since most of the junk foods we have come to love are engineered and packaged in ways that only make us want more – not less. In fact, these foods have been linked to the addiction centers in our brains.
We often hear about healthy food substitutions for our guilty pleasures, which are an obvious way to reduce the salt, fat, and/or sugar in our food. Some common suggestions include choosing baked potato chips over fried, low-sodium pretzels over the ones with the giant salt cubes, air-popped popcorn instead of the stuff you get at the movies or microwave, dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate, and more generally choose low-fat and low-sodium alternatives, naturally-sweetened foods or those with artificial sweeteners, and fruits and vegetables over most other choices (sweet and crunchy)! BUT, if you don't want to make substitutions because they just don't compare in one way or another for you – the best suggestion is to remember the adage "everything in moderation". There is no magic number or solution to helping you find the best treats – so many factors come into play, including the amount of calories you consume, the amount of exercise you get, the amount of water you drink, your health conditions, etc. Snacking really is a personal match. It is possible that you can continue to eat all your favourite treats – if you reduce the serving size, eat it in moderation, and use mindfulness eating to pay attention to your food and to appreciate the treat rather than scarfing it down and forgetting you ate it in the first place, your indulgences might not be so bad.
Here is a suggested list of the "best of the worst" treats, in no particular order, picked based on the combination of salt/sugar/fat, and provided here based on whether you tip the guilty pleasure scale towards salt or towards sugar:
Salty Snacks
Baked pita chips
(cut pitas into small pieces, brush with olive oil, sprinkle your spice (such as ginger, cinnamon, oregano, basil, parsley) Low-fat, whole wheat banana bread (with or without dark chocolate chips)
Air-popped popcorn: (add seasoning not salt, such as cayenne pepper or hot sauce, oregano and basil, low-sodium taco seasoning, or dry salad mixes) Dried fruit (figs, dates, apricots) – mixed with dark chocolate chips or pieces as "required"
(unsalted) nuts
Dark chocolate (the higher the percentage of cocoa, the better)
(Unsalted) pretzels
Peppermint Patties
Rice cakes and crackers
Ginger Snap cookies
Wheat thins or other whole grain crackers
Frozen yogurt
Dry cereal (might also appease the sweet tooth with certain varieties)
Low-calorie sport drinks
Cereal bars
Sweet Snacks
Low-fat, whole wheat banana bread (with or without dark chocolate chips)
Dried fruit (figs, dates, apricots) – mixed with dark chocolate chips or pieces as "required"
Dark chocolate (the higher the percentage of cocoa, the better)
Peppermint Patties
Ginger Snap cookies
Frozen yogurt
Low-calorie sport drinks
Biscotti
Some other tips:
(1) Mix foods for the most ‘pleasure' and protection: For example, if you eat sugar, try to mix that consumption with some fiber and protein to reduce the load on the body. Try mixing nuts and dried fruit; or frozen yogurt and dry cereal and fresh fruit. Mixing foods helps you feel more satisfied – but remember, moderation!
(2) Know your poison – if you are trying to lose weight or address a health concern (diabetes, hypertension, high LDL cholesterol), chances are you would benefit from reducing sugar, fat, and salt. In fact, most of us consume far too much of all of these since sugar and salt (and trans fat) are "hidden" in most of the packaged and processed foods.
(3) Be informed: As a general rule, women should add no more than 6.5 teaspoons (or 100 calories) a day from added sugars whereas men should add no more than 9.5 teaspoons (or 150 calories). For salt, it is generally recommended to have no more than 1,500 milligrams per day. Pay attention to food labels and use trustworthy websites to find the content of sugar and salt in your favourite foods.
