- Popcorn.
It's not just for the movie theater anymore. In fact,
you're better off skipping it at the movie theater. A bucket of oil-popped
movie theater popcorn can contain as much fat as three to five double
cheeseburgers. But air-popped popcorn is a pretty benign treat. Three cups of
popcorn have just 93 calories and 1.5 grams of fat. Air-popped popcorn doesn't
have much nutritive value outside of the energy you may get from the calories
and some dietary fiber, but it can satisfy your munchies without getting you
too far off the diet path. The best popcorn comes from your own hot-air
popperoffering no additional fat or salt, unless you add it later. If
you're going for microwave convenience, make sure you read the label carefully.
Even some of the "healthy" brands contain a fair amount of fat and salt. And
many microwave brands contain perfluorooctanoic acid (PFOA), which has been
linked to cancer. You might be better off making your own microwave popcorn.
Just put a 1/4 cup of popcorn into a brown lunch bag and fold the top over
tightly and microwave at your usual popcorn setting. Try to avoid salt and
butter. Instead, enjoy your favorite herbs, or a squeeze of lemon juice with
some garlic powder or cayenne pepper.
- Bean
dip. Beans are a great source of protein and fiber and
don't have tons of calories. One cup of canned pintos only has 206 calories; it
also has 12 grams of protein and 11 grams of fiberalmost half of your
recommended daily allowance. And beans are incredibly filling. Even prepackaged
bean dips are pretty decent (of course, always check the label for the fat and
sodium content). You can make your own dips, hot or cold, by food-processing
canned black or pinto beans (my favorites are the ones canned with
jalapeños). Add water to create your desired consistency, or you can
also use fat-free refried beans. You could add some chopped bell or
jalapeño peppers, green onions, or canned corn to add a crunchy texture
or some chopped tomatoes for a little extra flavor and vitamins. Instead of
fatty tortilla chips, use baked chips, or, better yet, some raw, crunchy
veggies, like carrots, celery, sliced bell peppers, broccoli, or cauliflower.
And if "beans, beans, the musical fruit" make you a little too musical, you
might take a look at Linda York's article below on ginger's degasifying
properties.
- Salsa.
This is the perfect mix of tomatoes, onions, and
peppersall members of the top tier of
Michi's Ladder. And
the great thing is that salsa is so low in calories and so high in fiber, you
can basically eat it by the cupful and not gain weight. If you buy it at the
store though, watch out for the salt contentthat's the secret ingredient in
most canned and jarred salsas. You're much better off making your own pico
de gallo. Just dice tomatoes and onions and mix with as much minced
jalapeño and/or garlic as you can stand. Add fresh cilantro, salt, and
pepper to taste and toss the veggies in the juice of two limes. Let it sit in
the refrigerator for at least 30 minutes before serving. You can eat it with
baked chips or the crunchy veggies that also go great with the bean dip. The
salsa and the bean dip also complement each other well, for the double dippers
among us.
- Crispbread crackers. These crunchy treats
(including Wasa and Rykrisp brands) have around 30 calories a cracker
(depending on the brand, flavor, and style) and a couple of grams of fiber in
each one. And they make great bases for you to play Top Chef with some
healthy ingredients from your refrigerator. Try a dollop of fat-free cottage
cheese with a dash of hot sauce; a slice of turkey breast and roasted red
pepper; a "schmear" of hummus and a couple of pitted olives; or a slice of
tomato and a fresh basil leaf with a drizzle of balsamic vinegar. Even the
pico de gallo recipe above with some shredded nonfat cheddar will make
a tasty treat. By being creative with some wholesome ingredients, you'll forget
all about the halcyon days of eating Ritz crackers washed down with aerosol
cheese right from the can (sigh).
- Pistachios. Pistachios are a great
heart-healthy snack full of antioxidants, fiber, and unsaturated fats (the good
kind). A 1/2-cup serving (with the shells, assuming you don't eat them) only
has 170 calories, with 6 grams of protein and 3 grams of fiber; however, that
serving also has 14 grams of fat, so don't go nuts chowing down on a whole bag.
Walnuts, peanuts, cashews, almonds, pecans, and other nuts all have their
nutritional upsides, too, but the reason I think pistachios make great snacks
are the shells. The shells are difficult to open, so rather than shoveling
handfuls of pre-shelled nuts down your throat, eat shelled pistachios so that
you're forced to slow down. Keep an eye on the sodium content when you buy the
nuts. Either buy unsalted or low-salt versions. And forget those disgusting
pink ones that taste like lipstick. Who needs to leave hot-pink fingerprints
all over the couch? A lot of stores also sell flavored versions that aren't too
salty. Chili-lime is one of my favorite flavors.
- Edamame.
The Japanese have one of the healthiest diets in the world
and soybeans are a great staple of that diet. Edamame, the steamed or boiled
soybean pods, contain all the essential amino acids, many essential fatty
acids, and soy isoflavones. And a 1/2 cup of beans only contains 100 calories,
3 grams of fat, and 9 grams of carbs, with 8 grams of protein and 4 grams of
fiber. Truly one of nature's perfect foods. And like pistachios, you can serve
them in their shells, which slows down your face stuffing, giving you time to
feel full before you've overeaten.
- Mini-pizzas. Forget the
frozen food section. Anyone with a toaster oven or a broiler pan can be their
own Mama Celeste or Chef Boy-ar-dee. Just take half of a whole-wheat English
muffin (67 calories; 2 grams of fiber), add a little tomato sauce or low-sodium
pizza or spaghetti sauce and a sprinkle of low-fat or nonfat mozzarella cheese,
and voilàtasty and healthy pizza! Like with the
crispbread crackers, your imagination's the only limit for toppings. Fresh
herbs like basil and oregano are delicious. Peppers, mushrooms, and anchovies
are popular and fairly healthy. Just stay away from processed meats like
pepperoni which are often loaded with saturated fat, carcinogenic nitrates, and
sodium.
- Pita chips and hummus. Now you can open a
Greek taverna in your living room. While some stores sell pita chips
now, you can easily make your own with very little fuss and muss (and usually
with much less fat and salt). A large whole-wheat pita has 170 calories, 5
grams of fiber, and less than 2 grams of fat. To make chips, cut around the
edge of the pita with a small paring knife, so you have two discs. Then with a
knife or pizza cutter, cut the discs into eighths or smaller chip-size pieces.
Arrange the pieces on an aluminum foil-covered cookie sheet, lightly spray with
some olive oil cooking spray, and sprinkle with a little salt or low-fat
parmesan cheese or your favorite dried herbs. Cook in the oven or toaster oven
until lightly browned and crispy and serve with your favorite hummus or dip
recipe (click
here for a hummus recipe and some other healthy dip
ideas).
- Relish tray. Some of my
favorite snacks are pickled or brined anythingcucumbers, cauliflower,
peppers, artichoke hearts, carrots, okra, baby corn, cornichons, cocktail
onions, olives, sauerkraut, kimchi . . . even herring and hard-boiled eggs!
Extremely low in calories, a plate full of pickled veggies on the coffee table
is great for snacking. But watch out for the sodium! Certain store brands have
more than others. The more ambitious might try marinating their fresh veggies
in vinegar and a little heart-healthy olive oil, to control the amount of salt
involved. If you use salty brands, you might consider rinsing them to get rid
of some of the salt, or mixing them on a plate with some fresh, unpickled
vegetables to mitigate the salt intake.
- Deviled eggs. Eggs, having once been
considered a scourge of the heart-healthy diet, are now getting a better rap
(see "The
Good, the Bad, and the Eggly" for more on the ins and outs of eggs). What's
indisputable is the health value of the whites. If you take the yolks out of
the equation, the egg whites can prove to be small healthy, high-protein
delivery systems suitable for all kinds of nutritious creamy fillings. Cut a
bunch of hard-boiled eggs in half, lengthwise, and scoop out and discard the
yolks. Try mixing some nonfat cottage cheese with your favorite mix of mustard,
curry powder, garlic, paprika, pepper, salt, or other spices and blending or
food-processing until creamy. Spoon or pipe the mixture into the egg whites
where the yolks used to be and you'll have a high-protein snack without the fat
and cholesterol. You can also use the empty egg whites as scoops for your
favorite healthy dip or salsa.
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