Crave Junk Food? Try These Yummy Swaps

When You Crave It, It’s Hard to Resist Junk Food. Luckily, There are Yummy Alternatives. Try These Junk Food Swaps Today!

When you crave some serious junky food, it’s hard to resist. Sometimes your willpower will help you to eat a healthy alternative – but often, it won’t. Instead of fighting it, try these yummy junk food swaps instead. They’re delicious!

Junk Food Swaps #1 – Ice Cream

Store-bought ice cream is often loaded with calories and full of artificial ingredients. Try banana “nice cream” instead – it couldn’t be simpler.

First, you need to freeze some sliced bananas. Peel then slice them and place them flat in a freezer-proof container or freezer bag, and freeze for at least 8 hrs or overnight.

(Tip – whenever you have ripe or overripe bananas, chop them up and stash them in the freezer so you can make this tasty nice cream whenever you like).

Put the frozen bananas into a food processor or blender and blitz on high speed for 1-2 mins. You may need to add a few tbsp of water to help the bananas break down and blend together. When ready, the mixture should be creamy and almost mousse-like.

• Serve immediately as soft-serve ice cream.
• Or, for a firmer texture, transfer to a freezer-proof container, cover and return to the freezer for at least 1-2 hrs to create a more scoopable ice cream.

This is a deliciously simple recipe – but you can make it even more enjoyable by adding extra fruit. For example, try adding

• Add frozen raspberries or mango and blend with the frozen bananas.
• Once blended and soft, swirl through 4 tbsp nut butter before serving or refreezing for a nutty ripple. Sprinkle with chopped nuts to serve.
• Mocha – Add 1 heaped tsp instant coffee and 1 heaped teaspoon cacao to the food processor with the banana chunks and blitz as above.
• Cinnamon nice cream – Add ½ tsp ground cinnamon to the food processor with the banana chunks and blitz as above.

Junk Food Swaps #2 – Chips or Crisps with Dip

Chips or crisps are a nice salty snack – but high in calories and inflammatory oils.

An easy alternative is to cut sweet potatoes – or polenta – into fry-like sticks, toss with olive oil, fresh basil, salt and pepper, and bake.

Add your favorite marinara sauce (tomatoes, garlic, herbs and onions), and you’re ready to start dipping.

Another option is to make scallion pancakes (see the recipe here) – they are made simply from flour and water (and scallions of course). Add a yummy dip by mixing soy sauce, rice vinegar, sesame oil and some red pepper flakes. Add a dash of honey if you wish for sweetness.

Junk Food Swaps #3 – Nachos or Pizza

If you enjoy fried tortilla chips loaded with cheese, or pizza, you’ll know how heavy they are on the calories.  This Mediterranean version is packed to the brim with veggies and flavorful herbs, plus it uses whole wheat pitas rather than fried corn chips as a base.  You just bake the pita breads and add flavors on top. This recipe is adapted from the Domestic Dietician.

1. To serve 4, heat your oven to 400 F or 200 C.
2. Cut 3 wholewheat pitas into triangles. Lay them on a flat tray or baking sheet, drizzle with a little olive oil and bake till crispy (about 6-8 minutes).
3. Put them on a platter and top with chopped tomato, cucumber and onion.
4. Add hummus and/or tzatziki on top, and squeeze some fresh lemon juice over them.
5. Top with dill and chopped olives and voila!

Other Ideas

Swap sugary sodas or soft drinks with sparkling / fizzy water. (Even if they’re sugar-free, they contain artificial chemicals instead of sugar, aspartame for example, which is bad for your health if you have a lot of it).  Don’t buy plastic bottles of sparkling water though, a SodaStream or equivalent will save you a fortune (and the planet). Or try some tinned fruit (in juice, not syrup) instead. Or make a yummy fresh smoothie (the shop-bought ones are often full of calories and sugar). Click the big picture above to download free smoothie recipes.

If you fancy cheese and crackers, choose hummus with sticks of carrot instead.

Choose plain rice cakes or raisins instead of chips or crisps.

Instead of split-pot yoghurts and pudding pots, opt for plain yogurt (add some fresh fruit to it if you wish).

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Warm regards,

P.S.  Don’t forget to download your FREE recipes for yummy smoothies that will keep you feeling full!  Click here.