# What are some good semi healthy foods to replace junk snacks like doritos etc.



## Wholesome Joe (Mar 7, 2011)

I find that in between meals I get hunger pangs. 

I don't think this is just habit since I become weak/faint if I don't eat and I am also quite gaunt in the face/losing weight rather than putting it on or at least staying the same. I think it's cos I walk to go to clubs most nights  which means I burn whatever I ate in the day even though I sit on my ass through the day my walking prob amounts to over a mile or two per day.

I like to have the bodybuilding style 5 or 6 smaller meals a day but in between I still get hungry still and I am not even exercising these days except the walking and a little weights to keep my circulation going good after I get a sore butt/back from sitting down. 

I find that low fat foods don't cut it to fill this gap and have found that junky foods seem to quench this hunger pang. Thing is though I don't even like the junk food that much except that it fills this hole prob due to the high concentrations of carbs or fats.

I have found cake does it or any similar sweet thing or fatty stuff like crisps. When I try eating wholesome things like oats or something in their place it doesn't do the job. I love fruit but I have IBS so find if I eat too much it messes up my stomach due to the fibre.

I had some doritos today but after a few of them I still feel the malaise and dirty feeling as well as horrbile aftertaste of having consumed a MSG stuffed condiment. 

So what would be some better replacements for these things?

I made some really nice banana bread the other day which was nice but I'm also worried about rotting my teeth if I'm having these things every day. I learned my lesson after having poor dental hygeine and eating flapjacks nearly every day for a few months which results in a deep filling and nearly requiring a root canal. Since then I brush for my 2 mins twice a day as well as flossing daily and am paranoid about having sweet stuff since even if you get fat it can easily be lost again but you only get one set of teeth.

What are some better alternatives? Maybe something high in good fats? Perhaps protein shake/s would do since it would prob fill me up and also taste nice. I want it to be easy or at least that I can cook it and have it last a while cos cooking all the time is a nuisance. 

Maybe I should just be eating more fats/protein for my main meals- actually if I eat too much protein I find I urinate like crazy so maybe more fats.


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## Jeni78 (Mar 8, 2011)

Eat whole foods that aren't processed...

hard boiled eggs, apples, bananas, oranges, nuts, etc.

breads, cakes, chips, ceral bars, nut bars, energy bars and anything else processed (even if it claims to be healthy) will not fill you up.

If I'm really hungry in the middle of the day, I eat a banana or apple and a hard boiled egg.

The combination of protein, carbs and fat helps you to stay full feeling. The more processed the less your body recognizes as food and doesn't feel full. The more sugar overhauls, same thing. Sugar rush, crash, want sugar again, repeat cycle.

Sure, sometimes doritos do come into the picture, but I don't buy them normally.

I hope this helps...its just the truth. I am a size 3 and I eat all the time...I just make sure it's good food...not processed crap.


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## Jeni78 (Mar 9, 2011)

I should add it takes time and a consious effort to develop the habits. 

I also pay attention to how I feel...am I actually hungry or just thirsty? I drink water before giving in to a craving.


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## Barbara L (Mar 9, 2011)

Wholesome Joe said:


> I find that in between meals I get hunger pangs.
> 
> I don't think this is just habit since I become weak/faint if I don't eat and I am also quite gaunt in the face/losing weight rather than putting it on or at least staying the same. I think it's cos I walk to go to clubs most nights  which means I burn whatever I ate in the day even though I sit on my ass through the day my walking prob amounts to over a mile or two per day.
> 
> ...


Have you had a check-up with your doctor lately? These (in red above) can be signs of diabetes or hypo-glycemia. I would suggest having a check-up.

Barbara


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 9, 2011)

Barbara L said:


> Have you had a check-up with your doctor lately? These (in red above) can be signs of diabetes or hypo-glycemia. I would suggest having a check-up.
> 
> Barbara


 

My thoughts, exactly.  There is something else going on that needs to be checked by a Doctor.


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## jabbur (Mar 10, 2011)

Barb and Fiona hit the nail on the head.  My first thought was diabetes.  Before you make any other changes, talk with your doctor.


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## Selkie (Mar 10, 2011)

Hunger pangs
Frequent Urination
Feeling Faint or fatigued (probably due to low blood sugar)

Sounds like Diabetes to me - and I am a diabetic who had all of those symptoms. Don't be afraid to see your doctor about it. Some forms of Type 2 can be easily treated with oral medication. A simple blood test will tell you.


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## BigAL (Mar 10, 2011)

Have a blood test to make sure.  Your probably fine, but just in case. 

Idea would be beef jerky!  

Let us know what the Dr. says.


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## justplainbill (Mar 10, 2011)

Weight loss can be symptomatic of a serious illness.  See an MD or DO.


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## jacky77 (Mar 11, 2011)

i also want to add anemia or low ferriten levels cause faint and dizziness too. have them check your thyroid as well.


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## jacky77 (Mar 11, 2011)

but to keep you full longer, you may want to eat hardboiled eggs and stuff yourself with veggies and fruits. Those should keep your hunger pangs at bay.


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## Claire (Mar 12, 2011)

I agree that you need to see a doctor.  The simple answer is a lot of whole grains.  A baked sweet potato can be a hearty meal with some toppings.  Bananas are more filling than most fruit, and you can find banana chips that are good as well.  But really, have some blood work done.  If your diet, is, in fact, mostly protein with junk food in between, if you don't have diabetes now, you're looking it in the fact sooner or later.  A lot of people think that because they are thin and active they are exempt from health problems.  Have a look at it, then reevaluate your eating lifestyle.


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## Midnight_Merlot (Mar 13, 2011)

While I don't have diabetes, I DO have hypoglycemic attacks from time to time. I first got them during my 2nd pregnancy, &, have suffered them since. Used to be, - I began getting the anaplactic(sp?) shock symptoms, but, I didn't recognize what was happening to me early on. Now, thankfuly, I can detect very early-on whats happening to me, so, I don't quite suffer the consequences, but,...thats knowledge for ya'.
I'm totally voting w/the rest of the previous posters - SEE YOUR DR.!! Hindsight is 20/20. If you ARE diabetic, well, not knowing for sure, &, eating various foods simply could be seriously dangerous to your health!! Nothing to "play around with" here.
When MY blood sugar is too low, I first off begin to get hot. Like REALLY REALLY HOT...almost like a part of me is on fire even (ps, I'm always cold), next, I begin to feel very light-headed...it's kinda slow at first, but, rapidly my head will go into a "confused"  state of mind. Literally, things just begin to get "fuzzy" to me, like I am on the outside looking in. When I was younger & got to this state, I just mostly remember insanely craving sugar. Once, I even went to a store, &, like a crazy person, ripped open a couple of bags of candy on the candy aisle, & shamelessly stuffed junk into my mouth - I couldn't help it, & literally throwing $$$ onto the counter & leaving to sit outside of the store gobbling gummi bears like a vampire waiting for my brain to work again. For the life of me, I truly cannot even remember how I managed to drive to the convenience store in the first place - thats how much my mind was "lost". NO FUN!
I would be very interested to see what your blood panel results would be as far as diabetes is concerned. I'm NOT saying that you DO have diabetes, but, just that from your OP, I would say that you have some suspecting symptoms.


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## sarahmom22 (Mar 14, 2011)

As far as a light, crunchy snack, how about air popped popcorn?  Just season with a bit of sea salt   Very tasty and light.


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## buckytom (Mar 14, 2011)

sarah, how do you get the salt to stick to air popped? 

i've tried the very fine salt that supposed to be used on popcorn, but it just goes to the bottom of the bowl.

i was thinking of making a super saturated salt and water mixture and misting it on.


getting back to the topic: our latest healthy snack is sarah lee breadsticks and different flavours of hummus.

we like the roasted red pepper, hot pepper, and artichoke hummuses. (is that really the plural of hummus? hummi? hummae? lol)


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## Alix (Mar 14, 2011)

I use butter to stick the salt to my air popped corn.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 14, 2011)

Alix said:


> I use butter to stick the salt to my air popped corn.


 
ROFL!


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## sarahmom22 (Mar 14, 2011)

buckytom said:


> sarah, how do you get the salt to stick to air popped?
> 
> i've tried the very fine salt that supposed to be used on popcorn, but it just goes to the bottom of the bowl.
> 
> i was thinking of making a super saturated salt and water mixture and misting it on.


 
I find some always sticks...not a lot, but enough to give flavor. 
Of course butter/margarine is an option lol.


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## CWS4322 (Mar 15, 2011)

I mist olive oil on my air-popped popcorn. I also dump the popcorn in a paper bag with about 1/2 tsp salt if I want "salty" and shake it up. If I don't want salty, I put pepper in the bag...or cayenne pepper...or parsley flakes and parmesan cheese or oregano and cheese or chili powder...or if I'm in the mood for curry, curry powder...obviously, I have weird tastes when it comes to popcorn.

And, my FAVORITE snack is a hard-boiled egg. I LOVE protein and a hard-boiled egg staves off the hunger pains that hit mid-day. I'm very happy that the Harvard Egg Study showed that 1-2 eggs / day are NOT bad for you.

However, you probably should go see your doctor and get at least a blood chem and urine analysis done. Something is not right.


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## buckytom (Mar 15, 2011)

not weird at all, cws! i never thought of parmesan cheese, or other spices.

i'll try the bag and oil tricks, too, although i think i'll use grapeseed oil. 

thanks.


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## CWS4322 (Mar 15, 2011)

And I forgot to mention, sometimes I put about 1/2 tsp of vinegar on the popcorn before I shake it up (after misting with the oil).


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## PrincessFiona60 (Mar 15, 2011)

buckytom said:


> not weird at all, cws! i never thought of parmesan cheese, or other spices.
> 
> i'll try the bag and oil tricks, too, although i think i'll use grapeseed oil.
> 
> thanks.


 

I put my Grapeseed oil in my Misto...works great!


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## Rocklobster (Mar 15, 2011)

I've hear that if you put salt in a spice grinder and grind unti almost powder, it will stick to popcorn better. 
When I want a flavorful snack I go for rice or cream crackers with Pindjur, Ajvar, Baba Ganoush. For a real kick I will cut up some hot pickled peppers  and add it on top. Maybe some kind of chutney like mango, to get that sweet/salty thing going on//


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## taxlady (Mar 15, 2011)

Rocklobster said:


> I've hear that if you put salt in a spice grinder and grind unti almost powder, it will stick to popcorn better.
> When I want a flavorful snack I go for rice or cream crackers with Pindjur, Ajvar, Baba Ganoush. For a real kick I will cut up some hot pickled peppers  and add it on top. Maybe some kind of chutney like mango, to get that sweet/salty thing going on//



Baba ganoush is yummy. We dip broken taco shells or pita or raw vegis.


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## taxlady (Mar 15, 2011)

Alix said:


> I use butter to stick the salt to my air popped corn.



Me too


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## vitauta (May 23, 2011)

i like roasted soy nuts (sea salted), panzanella (various flavored), and also wasabi coated dried green peas.


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## Sprout (May 23, 2011)

I agree, see a doctor. If you're already eating 5-6 meals a day, you shouldn't be getting hungry in between meals that often. There's no reason a completely healthy, active individual, who's eating proper meals, should need to regularly eat more often than every 3 hours. Sure, we all have those days where we feel like we're constantly hungry (or at least I do), but they're the exception. Walking a few miles a day isn't going to do this to you. Even professionals training for marathons, running 50+ miles a week, usually don't eat more often than about every 3 hours, which means 5-6 times a day.

If the docs give you a clean bill of health, I'd look at what you're eating at meal-time, because if you're healthy and hungry this often, that means your meals just aren't cutting it. If you're genuinely hungry, and losing weight (and have no other health problems), you probably need more calories in your meals. Also, as was mentioned before, try drinking water. Dehydration mimics hunger in a lot of people and can certainly make you feel faint and shaky. If you're just getting strong cravings for junk food, maybe you're depriving yourself at meal time just a little too much. It's okay to indulge a little. A few bites won't kill you, or make you fat, just make sure you really pay attention as you eat them, really _taste _them, so it satisfies the craving without causing a binge and making you feel sick. If you're really concerned about your teeth, make sure the vast majority of liquid you put in your mouth is water. One of the worst things otherwise healthy people do to their teeth is sipping on soda, juice, and even milk throughout the day. If you must drink these things, try to do it at meal time. Drink water after to rinse your mouth every time (or even better, brush your teeth, even just with water). 

Some great snacks with staying power (pay attention to serving sizes, Don't go crazy):

Savory/salty
Nuts- healthy fats, protein, fiber
Full-fat cheese - fat and protein (several studies recommend eating full fat cheese, just stick with lowfat or skim for actual milk)
Hummus- protein, fiber, healthy fats (make your own in the blender, so you can be sure to use EVOO and avoid all the processing additives, it's super easy and a simple google search will yield tons of recipes)  Dip veggies, pita chips, even plain tortilla chips (watch your sodium, though)

Sweet:
Ricotta cheese with fruit preserves, honey, even a drizzle of chocolate sauce (if you use it as a dip for a graham cracker or 2, or crumble one on top it's a lot like cheesecake, but still considerably healthier)
Cottage cheese or yogurt (especially greek) with above-listed toppings
Bananas
Fruit combined with cheese/nuts/other protein source (otherwise you'll be hungry again nearly as quickly as if you'd eaten candy)
high-fiber muffins- I love banana, zucchini, apple, pumpkin, or butternut squash muffins made with whole-wheat flour, or even extra bran/flax/etc

Keep in mind that none of these things are healthy if you eat too much of them. That's why they're snacks, not meals. 

Good luck with everything!


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## Andy M. (May 23, 2011)

Definitely get a physical.  You could also ask your Dr. to hook you up with a nutritionist or dietician who could tailor your diet to your lifestyle.


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