What makes junk food worthy of the trash bin is a double aspect: on the one hand it is about the almost zero nutritional value, lacking fiber, vitamins, healthy proteins; on the other hand there is a series of health implications linked to its consumption: the excess of sugars and saturated fats that open the doors to obesity and various forms of diabetes, as well as to known cardiovascular problems .
It is no coincidence that many countries have begun to put notices on the packaging of these foods, a bit like cigarettes, related to health damage caused by the consumption of snacks and junk food.
But why give up taste? Is there a way to enjoy the pleasures of gluttony without hurting yourself ?
It is known that junk food is fast and cheap, but this cheapness must be suspicious, because it often indicates an extremely low quality of ingredients.
In short, do we have alternatives to junk snacks ?
Let's find out why junk snacks do so badly and what are natural and healthy alternatives.
Junk snacks
Fries
They are officially recognized as one of the 3 most important negative factors that cause obesity : rich in oils of very poor quality, over-cooked and therefore carcinogenic, they give a sense of satiety (especially due to the frying that engages the abilities of the stomach) without but nourish. Zero fiber and high levels of sodium, one of the worst combinations.
Donuts and donuts
It seems that to understand something in the list of ingredients that make up these foods it is necessary to be chemistry experts.
Caloric bombs, rich in dyes, sweeteners, preservatives and other synthetic discoveries, are also dipped in liquid and fried sugars. You do.
Sweet drinks with "zero sugar"
Here we are to comment on other artifices of chemistry: sugary drinks are enemies of health, often exciting, linked to the increase in obesity, with the bait of "zero sugars" without specifying that the sweetening properties are given by synthetic elements suspected of causing cancer and other serious health damage.
Ready-made pizzas and trousers to be heated
It's easy to go in the fridge, open a package, heat a pizza or calzone in a few minutes and satisfy your hunger; but what are we eating?
Generally it is a mixture of low quality and hydrogenated seed oils, corn syrup, creams with artifical flavors, fake mozzarella made with dairy-production scraps, and other beautiful little things.
Mood Food: food for every mood
Alternative snacks to junk food
Snack with oats
And who said that oats are ideal only for breakfast? Eating a nice cup of oats with fresh fruit, or muesli, or dried fruit, or seeds like cashews, hazelnuts, walnuts and pine nuts, is an excellent snack, to which molasses, honey, malt and other natural sweeteners can be added, together with vegetable milk or chocolate flakes.
Many studies show that oats have the ability to prevent type 2 diabetes, heart problems and a tendency to gain weight.
Oat fiber is in fact able to absorb cholesterol and glucose in the blood, while all fiber-free snacks only increase the level of glucose and insulin in the blood.
Curd and Greek yogurt
If produced healthily, curd and Greek yogurt are a good source of animal protein, with a low fat level, perfect for those with high blood pressure problems.
They accompany and complement very well with sesame seeds and unrefined natural sweeteners, as well as with other seeds and fruit.
They are also indicated for those who want to avoid binges, since curd and Greek yogurt give a sense of prolonged satiety .
Pistachios and pumpkin seeds
These snacks are the furthest thing from a junk snack: excellent sources of monounsaturated fats, few carbohydrates, which makes them perfect for keeping the level of bad cholesterol low.
Buying pistachios and pumpkin seeds still to be shucked helps not to overdo them, avoiding excess calories. Nothing is better than a handful of these precious allied snacks a day.
Kombucha
Don't know how to give up sweet and sparkling drinks? Choose the kombucha, a functional drink, given by the fermentation of tea or mint or citronella tisane .
It is obtained by colonizing the drink by special bacteria and yeasts; the result is a product to drink, sweet, slightly effervescent, excellent for keeping the immune system poised.
