An American Addiction Centers Resource

New to the DrugAbuse.com Forums?Join or

Alternative to Junk Food

Discussion in 'Other Substances' started by Amelie Santos, Dec 29, 2015.

  1. Amelie Santos

    Amelie Santos Active Contributor

    I realize that my concern is really rather shallow compared to most of your concerns, but I'm really having a hard time giving up junk food - potato chips, in particular. I've already posted something similar here, about using whole foods to rid myself of my cravings. The problem is I've already stopped and started so many times this past month because I miss the crunch of potato chips too much! I'll wake up, do oil pulling, take a clove of raw garlic, drink a liter of water, and eat a bowl of frozen fruits. And I'll feel wonderfully full - for the first hour. Then I'll start missing the texture and flavor of chips, and I'll give in. Lather, rinse, repeat. Sigh. Do you guys know of any non-addictive, healthy alternatives to potato chips?
    I realized I'm in big trouble yesterday. There I was, reading an article entitled "Pringles: Cancer in a Can", while mindlessly munching on cheddar-flavored Pringles! Please help.
    Sarasmiles likes this.
  2. ReadmeByAmy

    ReadmeByAmy Community Champion

    Hello @Amelie Santos ...When I was still younger I was also like you who is a lover of eating potato chips because it really taste good for me. But as I grew to be an adult already I became more aware of my health that is why I value already what I am eating and had been on a healthy lifestyle. You are asking for any non addictive and healthy alternatives to potato chips right? Well, you may try eating sweet potato chips instead of potato chips. When I am craving for chips I am the one making my own sweet potato chips. It also taste good and is a healthy kind of chips too. You are still young and you can still change your eating lifestyle.
    Amelie Santos likes this.
  3. mayasupernova

    mayasupernova Active Contributor

    Hi there, you are certainly not alone. I am so much into potato chips, that you can't imagine. I would make French fries as often as I could. And I love the taste. I would put a lot of salt, too, which then will make me drink a lot of water, unnecessarily filling my body with extra water that it did not need, all because of the salt. The same is with potato chips. I have tried to get rid of this urge by eating some sweets in between like a chocolate piece, or mum would just hide potatoes, or not give me money so with the lack of potatoes and money to buy chips, I was slowly getting away from it. Maybe it could help you too.
    Amelie Santos likes this.
  4. kgord

    kgord Community Champion

    You know you could use lower calorie substitutes like thin slicing a potato and microwaving it and adding salt. There are recipes online. ALso, popcorn is healthier than potato chips. Maybe you could subsitute that. I am a salt addict in general, and it doesn;t matter what form it is in. I crave salt alot more than sweets. I am planning on changing my diet in the next few weeks...and I am anticipating the hardes thing wil be being without salt.
    Amelie Santos and L_B like this.
  5. Nergaahl

    Nergaahl Community Champion

    Why don't you make yourself some french fries instead? It's very easy, and while they're not the best option for your silhouette, they are definitely better than potato chips. Think about the food that you are addicted to and try to make them by yourself. Homemade food doesn't have so much cancer in it as the one sold in supermarkets.
    Amelie Santos and Joyner like this.
  6. danjon

    danjon Senior Contributor

    Carbohydrate addiction is no laughing matter. There's a good book called "The Carbohydrate Addict's Diet" which can give you good advice on which coping strategies you can use, if you think this might be part of the fundamental reason that you have an addiction to potato chips.
    kgord, Amelie Santos and Sarasmiles like this.
  7. Joyner

    Joyner Member

    You can even make polenta fries and other french fry alternatives. I have a friend who uses the polenta fries recipe from Trader Joes, and then seasons it with Italian seasoning, Parmesan cheese, or sea salt. It looks, sounds, and tastes so much better than potato chips loaded with preservatives.

    You can also buy a popcorn popper and raw kernels to pop fresh popcorn. Use real butter to top it off or maybe with Kernel Seasons to give it flavor. You can even get creative and get an ice cream maker, and I know there are tons of recipes for the Vitamix or the Magic Bullet. It may require some creativity, but there are alternatives available to traditionally "bad" fast food.
    Amelie Santos and Sarasmiles like this.
  8. Sarasmiles

    Sarasmiles Member

    Have you tried baked kale chips, baked carrot chips, or broiled zucchini chips? Just type "baked kale/carrot/zucchini chip recipe" into a search engine for recipes with less calories and better for you than potato chips. :) Good luck and congratulations for taking care of your health! :D:):cool:
    Amelie Santos likes this.
  9. L_B

    L_B Community Champion

    There are veggie chips available with satisfy the carving but are better for you. Sarasmile has some great suggestions. They will definitely give you that crunch that you are craving and even though they are so much better for you, they are very similar to potato chips without all the bad things. Good luck,
    Amelie Santos and Sarasmiles like this.
  10. bleblanc10

    bleblanc10 Senior Contributor

    Veggie chips are a good idea or even I like to have sunflower seeds. It sounds silly but keeping yourself busy with them takes your mind off of chips.
    Amelie Santos and Sarasmiles like this.
  11. serenity

    serenity Community Champion

    I think any kind of nuts can be used as a substitute to potato chips, they are healthier too.
    Amelie Santos and Sarasmiles like this.
  12. zaerine

    zaerine Community Champion

    Maybe you can try those chips that are made of veggies if there are available in your area. Or try other chips that are made of fruits like banana chips and mango chips. You can also try making your own potato chips or fries from fresh potatoes that I think is better than dehydrated potatoes.
    Amelie Santos likes this.
  13. kassie1234

    kassie1234 Community Champion

    Ah, I used to be huge on potato chips. This might sound crazy but I love roasted kale now. Or even roasted broccoli. Roasted kale though will give you that "crunch" that potato chips do (and I think a lot of the time for me it's about texture when it comes to potato chip cravings) and you can even lightly salt/season the kale too. Super easy and it's healthy for you, too.
    Amelie Santos likes this.
  14. vegito12

    vegito12 Community Champion

    I think that eating fruits can be nice and like eating strawberries as they can be on special and nice as well in the summer as they are refreshing to have them in a smoothie which makes me full and enjoy the taste of fresh strawberries which can make the body feel content and full inside and make the mind relaxed in the process. It can be easy to eat sweets and also have snacks which are not healthy for us and it can make us feel unwell if we don't change our diet and eating fresh fruits can be a nice way to change the thinking for the mind and body. I have tried kumara chips and it can be nice as it is healthy and also they can be a nice change to eating chips, which can be unhealthy and also we need to make small changes in our way we eat.
  15. Amelie Santos

    Amelie Santos Active Contributor

    Thanks, @ReadmeByAmy. I'll try roasting some sweet potato chips and see what happens. I love sweet potatoes, but I usually just boil them, and they don't necessarily address my salt addiction - which I apparently share with @kgord. Thanks for the suggestion, bud! I've gone the homemade potato chips and popcorn route, too. But it's just so hard to ignore the lure of convenience. I'll try harder from now on. :)
    ReadmeByAmy likes this.
  16. Amelie Santos

    Amelie Santos Active Contributor

    @mayasupernova, I just ate a full plate of french fries for dinner! It made me so sleepy, so I went to bed at 8 and woke up at 2. It's now 2:51 and I'm on this forum, praying for sleep. This is really not good. :( The salt and grease give me such a high as well, but boy, do I look bloated in all my holiday pictures this year! I'm glad you're slowly getting a way from it. I'll follow your advice and put the money I would've spent on Pringles in a jar. By the time my friend's wedding rolls by in June, I'll probably have enough to get her a pretty swanky gift. Haha!
  17. Amelie Santos

    Amelie Santos Active Contributor

    Thanks for the suggestions, @Nergaahl and @Joyner. I'm usually too lazy to make a homemade anything, but judging by most of the responses here, I'm guessing I no longer have much of a choice. I do love homemade popcorn, and it's the easiest healthy option I've ever tried. Polenta fries sounds interesting, but sadly, polenta's not easy to find in my corner of the world. I'll be on the look-out for it on my next health food run.
  18. Amelie Santos

    Amelie Santos Active Contributor

    Thanks, @danjon, for the book suggestion! I just borrowed it on openlibrary.com :) That was a nice surprise - I don't usually luck out on books I really want to find there. Maybe this is a sign that I need to seriously be proactive in fighting this "condition". @Sarasmiles, @L_B, @bleblanc10, @serenity, @zaerine and @kassie1234, thanks for taking the time to type in alternatives for me. I guess I really have to listen to all the health websites (and all you guys) and invest some time making my own snacks. To be honest, I've tried some of your suggestions before, and they were pretty good. I just didn't like all the effort that came with them.
  19. Amelie Santos

    Amelie Santos Active Contributor

    @vegito12, I love fruits! I eat frozen strawberries, mangoes, melons, and grapes often. I feel refreshed and clean after eating them, plus they're just so gooood (frozen grapes are like popsicles, and frozen mangoes and melons are like really creamy sorbets). Unfortunately, I still crave the crunch and flavor of chips even after eating them. :( Or maybe I'm just really gluttonous? Because I do feel full after eating fruits, like you said, yet I still want to munch on something. I Googled kumara - that's a sweet potato, am I correct? I enjoy eating sweet potato chips too, but in my country, we coat them in sugar and deep fry them. NOT recommended, haha!
  20. ReadmeByAmy

    ReadmeByAmy Community Champion

    You are welcome Amelie :) Sweet potatoes is a healthy kind of food and I am sure you will like it. Just keep in mind that if you want to be healthy you have to change your eating lifestyle from eating junk foods to healthy foods. Well, Good luck!