2.25.2014

Week 8 - Choosing Unhealthy Foods

I wanted to talk about how I have been choosing foods from stores, and by this I mean the foods that aren't exactly super healthy. I also wanted to share a few of my choices because not everyone has super health food stores near them and I know as common as Walmart is in the US that they don't exactly have an extensive isle of organic and healthy foods (outside of the produce isle) like a typical grocery store may have. In some cases you have to go down every isle and pick the best food option, and reading labels can become time consuming (which is why I don't drag anyone with me to the grocery store right now) so you may have to set a little time aside for yourself when grocery shopping. Below you can find a few of my unhealthy healthier food choices, while not having to give up a lot in terms of flavor or your waistline...

Tostitos Crispy Rounds - I picked these chips in the store because they're actually lower in calories than most tortilla chips or even organic varieties of chips that I've came across. They're 140 calories in 13 chips (so about 11 calories a chip), and most chips I have found to be higher in calories with a serving of around 7-9 chips.

Kraft Reduced-Fat Shredded Cheese - When it comes to picking out a cheese you do have your healthier options such as cottage cheese, but sometimes you just need a different variety of cheese to go with what you're making in the kitchen. I found it surprising that Kraft actually seemed to offer the lowest calories for shredded cheeses that I came across which was 45 calories in 1/4 cup. Also note that reduced fat cheeses seem to generally have lower calories than other varieties, and also lower calorie cheeses do not always taste that great (like some of the Kraft cheese singles I did not care for). I also feel like when it comes to dairy products you're usually just getting a more watered-down food option which can make for a blander taste. This cheese isn't going to be good for melting purposes since it lacks oil, but I find it fine for salads or tacos.

1% Milk - Sure there are tons of other dairy-free products on the market like soy, almond, rice, etc. (none that honestly come close to tasting like regular milk in my opinion) but when it comes to those who aren't lactose intolerant... milk seems to be a perfectly fine option to getting some Calcium and Vitamin D. After having done some research on good ole fashion milk it seemed 1% was the popular way to go, and I've noticed a lot of people I have came across in person have left soy milk in their past.

Kombucha
When in doubt on unhealthy foods to pick-out look at the nutrition labels to check the calories, ingredients, or you can even look for information online. If you take time to compare items now, it will become easier to make choices that are more beneficial to your health down the road. The real test is usually just tasting the foods and seeing if it is something you actually like and would purchase again in the future, and you may be surprised on what new items you enjoy eating (for goodness sake I now drink Kombucha, haha).

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