The Best of The Worst
20 junk foods that are actually OK to eat
by Elizabeth M. Ward, M.S., R.D.
| Print Page | Email to Friend
What you're craving: cookies
What to buy: gingersnaps
Ounce for ounce, gingersnaps naturally contain less sugar and less fat than almost any other cookie you can buy. And since the ginger flavor is so potent, a few cookies will fill you up much more quickly than a whole bag of gut busters like Oreos or double-chocolate chips.
What you're craving: crackers
What to buy: Triscuits
Snack on just 12 Triscuits and you'll get 6 of the 38 grams of fiber you need each day. And if you think fiber is only good for keeping you regular, think again. Studies show that people who take in the most fiber also have the lowest levels of C-reactive protein (a known risk factor for heart disease and cancer) in their blood.
What you're craving: chicken nuggets
What to buy: Perdue Baked Chicken Breast Tenderloins
These glorified McNuggets are baked in the factory, rather than being fried like your typical chunk of frozen chicken. Aside from that, like all poultry, they're still a great-tasting-and super-convenient-source of muscle-building protein.
What you're craving: chocolate
What to buy: Hershey's Extra Dark
Dark chocolate may be the perfect food. It's loaded with a chemical called phenylethylamine that mimics feelings of being in love, along with feel-good compounds called cannabinoids and antioxidants called polyphenols, which have been shown to help reduce heart-disease risk.
What you're craving: potato chips
What to buy: Wise Lightly Salted
Wise chips actually look like real potato slices-not processed potato blobs. What's more, the chips are crispier and less greasy than a standard chip and contain significantly less salt than most other brands.
What you're craving: cheese
What to buy: Cabot 50% Light Cheddar
Most low-fat cheeses do an excellent job imitating rubber. But Cabot Light is the exception to the rule. Made with skim milk, one ounce of this cheese (available shredded, in blocks, and in to-go packs) contains just 70 calories and 20% of your daily calcium requirement. And it melts!
[on Facebook, Digg, Reddit and more]
