Make Junk Food Healthy and Low-Calorie for Weight Loss

Written by Kelsie Young
Part of National Nutrition Month 2013

Have you ever tried to lose weight by cutting out junk food, but you failed because you couldn’t stand to stay away from it? If so, you’ve come to the right place. No one wants to eat bland diet food when you are tempted by other delicious options. You need to learn a way to still eat the junk food so you don’t feel deprived, but make it healthy. In my quest to do this for myself, I have found my one quick snack that fits both the delicious and healthy categories. That snack is popcorn.  

The trick is to use plain popcorn with no butter, and then add your own low calorie flavoring. I use the “I Can’t Believe It’s Not Butter!” spray. Adding the spray plus a little salt to plain popcorn can make you feel like your indulging, while still being healthy. Since the salt and the spray butter have such a small amount of calories per serving, you’re only dealing with the popcorn, which has only 31 calories per cup ("Nutritional information," 2011). You can make two of the worst items, butter and salt, good for you as long as you use the butter and salt in reasonable and small portions. Popcorn is also a very filling snack. Making a one hundred calorie snack out of the popcorn will keep me full in between meals. 

There are other junk foods that can be made healthy too. What are some of your tricks to eat junk food that is still healthy and low calorie for weight loss?

References

Internet Brands, Inc.  (2011).  How many calories are in popcorn, air-popped (no butter or no oil added). Retrieved from http://www.fitday.com/webfit/nutrition/all_foods/snacks_and_sweets/popcorn_air_popped_no_butter_or_no_oil_added.html

The Popcorn Board.  (2013).  Nutritional information. Retrieved from http://www.popcorn.org/NutritionRecipes/NutritionYou/NutritionalInformation/tabid/96/Default.aspx

Pixaby.  (2010).  Popcorn snack fast food cinema sweet salty maize [Photograph]. (2010). Retrieved from http://pixabay.com/en/popcorn-snack-fast-food-cinema-3482/

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