Got a Junk-Food Addiction?
Can't live without pizza, burritos, and burgers? Don't bother trying! Instead, use these strategies to make all your favorite indulgences healthier.
Why is it that the foods we often gravitate toward tend to be the biggest waist wreckers out there? And trying to swear off of them never works. Somehow we always end up at the drive-through with a supersized order. So let's not kid ourselves. Or torture ourselves. The fact is, junk foods don't have to be totally off limits. We just have to get savvy about how we order or prepare them. Here's how to have it all:
Cheesy pizza: More pizza places are starting to offer healthier options. Ask for a thin whole-wheat crust -- the thinner the crust, the fewer the fat grams and calories. Plus, you get a whole lot more fiber and protein if you go whole wheat. Also ask for half the normal amount of cheese (it'll cut some saturated fat and calories). Skip the sausage and pepperoni, and go for chicken and heart-friendly vegetables, like artichokes, onions, and bell peppers. When you get your pie, grab a napkin and blot off any visible pools of grease. This simple move can knock off another 3 to 5 grams of fat. (Related: Fight inflammation by sprinkling some of this seasoning on top of your pizza.)
Salty fries: A medium order of fries from Carl's Jr. has (brace yourself) 430 calories and 21 grams of fat. So don't even think about it. Drive straight home, and make a batch of Oven Fries for Two instead. At 103 calories and 5 grams of fat per serving, you can eat the whole batch and still do way less damage. And they're really good. (Related: Here's a healthier way to make sweet-potato fries, too.)
Juicy burgers: Might sound strange, but mixing chopped unsweetened tart cherries (fresh, frozen, or canned) into ground beef is a tasty way to reduce the amount of meat (and thus fat and calories) in each burger. Also, if you're cooking on a grill, adding cherries means fewer carcinogens will form during grilling. After the burgers are done, eliminate more fat by blotting them with paper towels. The cherries help keep them juicy. (Related: This seasoning helps reduce even more harmful compounds when grilling meat.)
Next: Make burritos and milk shakes more healthful . . .
