5 Healthy Replacements For Your Everyday Munchies
And their calorie counts
I wouldn’t have ever lost 50 lbs if I followed a diet plan. They’re not just boring and troublesome, but also unsustainable.
I mean, why do we have to follow a chart to eat, eating is the most normal phenomenon for the human body.
Something which helped me a lot was replacing my everyday munchies with something healthy. Something healthy but also tasty!
Healthier alternatives can save you hundreds of calories.
1. Carrots instead of chips
Chips are a go-to when traveling or Netflix. Not only do they not leave you full unless you eat them in large quantities, but they’re deep-fried. It’s an exorbitant amount of fat and salt for your body to take.
Carrots get you full quickly in a lesser quantity. Experts say that they’re good for your eyes, heart, and help prevent cancer.
Calories
- Chips (30g): 165 cal
- Carrot (100g): 41 cal
2. Fruits instead of fruit juice
In India, we get fresh oranges only every winter. 4 oranges make one glass of 250-ml juice. Winters for me have always been about drinking a glass of freshly squeezed orange juice after breakfast.
Last year, my friend (who’s a CrossFit coach) and I were talking. The conversation was something like this:
Can you eat four oranges in one go?
No way!
Then why do you drink so much sugar in one glass? Just eat an orange instead.
That makes sense! Instead of taking in sugar (even if it’s natural) from four oranges, it’s better to eat fruit and feel full as well. Having a glass of juice every now and then is okay too, of course. But we don’t need it every day.
Calories
- Orange juice: 112 cal, 21g sugar
- Orange fruit (large): 61 cal, 12g sugar
3. Lemonade instead of carbonated soda
Carbonated drinks aren’t just crazy high in sugar but also lead to tooth erosion and digestive issues, amongst other side-effects.
Lemonade is a much healthier and tastier choice. It tastes as good (if not better) and does no harm to your body.
Calories
- Coke (250ml): 105 cal, 26g sugar
- Lemonade with sugar (250ml, 1tsp): 6cal, 4g sugar
4. Beetroot + hummus instead of nachos + dip
This change saves you over 500 calories!
This is my favourite evening snack! I also replace beetroot with cucumber sometimes because it tastes great with hummus.
Nachos and dip are yummy and cheesy but also full of fat. While one option makes your body suffer, another nourishes it.
Calories
- Beetroot (100g): 11 cal
- Hummus (2 tbsp): 70 cal
- Nachos (100g): 499 cal
- Cheesy Dip (Dominos): 180 cal
5. Figs/Berries instead of Dessert
When you’re craving for something sweet, eat something sweet.
Replace sweet + unhealthy food with sweet + healthy food.
Desserts like bakery items are empty and have no benefits since they’re made with refined flour, sugar, and butter.
Berries and figs are excellent replacements. Figs are high in calcium and potassium and berries are excellent anti-oxidants, amongst other benefits.
Calories
- Chocolate Pastry (Generic): 410 cal
- Dried Figs (28g): 47 cal
- Mixed Berries (1 cup): 70 cal
Final Takeaways
Following a healthy lifestyle since last 6 years has helped me experiment and learn from various theories on nutrition and exercise. Replacing my unhealthy food with healthy food has played a huge role because it’s led me to a long term habit of choosing healthy food over junk.
And you can try this too!
To summarise, here are 5 healthy replacement for everyday munchies:
- Carrots instead of chips
- Fruits instead of fruit juice
- Lemonade instead of carbonated soda
- Beetroot + hummus instead of nachos + dip
- Figs/berries instead of dessert
*Calorie counts are taken from My Fitness Pal.
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