There's good news for junk food eaters. Some of your favourite snack foods actually have some nutritional value. Below, dietitian Leslie Beck shares some tips for making the smartest possible choices.
"Everyone needs a break from their diet of fish and steamed vegetables," Beck said. "But...instead of going for the worst of the worst, let's go for the best of the worst."
1. Pizza
It's not exactly a low-fat food, Beck said, but it does have considerably less fat, sodium and calories than a cheeseburger with fries. And there are some nutritional benefits.
"The cheese gives you some calcium, although you're getting a bit of saturated fat and sodium. Tomato sauce gives you vitamins A and C and the cancer-fighting chemical lycopene. Top it with vegetables and you're getting extra fibre."
According to Beck, the best way to order your pizza is: thin crust, whole wheat if you can, half the cheese, either chicken breast or ham, lots of vegetables and order a salad to go along with it.
"Don't have a pizza-only meal because you'll end up eating too much," she said.
2. French fries
"If you go into a fast-food joint, usually a large order of fries is going to cost you 550 calories, 25 grams of fat and anywhere up to 850 milligrams of sodium," Beck explained. "And they're deep-fried often in hydrogenated vegetable oil so you're getting up to six grams of trans fat, that unhealthy fat that increases your LDL cholesterol."
The solution? Make your own fries at home. Bake them in the oven or look for frozen brands that are low in fat - many don't have trans fat as well - at your local grocery store or supermarket. Remember to read the nutritional labels! If you want to try something a little different at home and you're looking for a boost of beta carotene and fibre, take a sweet potato, cut it into slices, brush with canola oil and bake in the oven.
Page 1 of 2 - more healthy junk food choices on page 2.
