Substitutes for a favorite food

I love potato chips. I eat a large bag every day and I know all the salt, fat is piling on the pounds. I don't like the low fat kind, it's like eating cardboard. Any ideas for something different that I would still like?

Tue. Jan 9, 11:39am

i really like these nut-based crackers made by blue diamond. i prefer the smoked almond flavor, but they come in pecan, hazelnut, regular almond and probably more. low fat, low calories, high taste! i usually have some hummus as a "dip" with them, but they are a great snack on their own, too. i attached a link to the nutritional info page if you are interested.

Link

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 11:46 AM

I second those Blue Diamond crackers. They are delicious, especially with a little tuna on top.

You could substitute corn chips with black beans (for fiber), or even home-made French fries. Pretzels might work.

If you are eating a whole bag in one sitting, you could try buying only those small lunch-portion bags to kinda wean yourself off. My roomie had trouble with Oreo cookies. She would buy those HUGE packages. One day I made her promise she would never, ever buy that size of Oreos ever again and it totally worked -- she would occasionally buy the lunch portion, but never chowed down on 100 Oreos after that.

Potato chips are delicious, I feel your pain.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 12:04 PM

Instead of saying goodbye to potato chips (and possibly resenting your diet), would you be able to discipline yourself to limit the portion size? 10 potato chips is only 109 calories. Perhaps if you bought your potato chips in single serving snack bags, the discipline would come a little easier? Good luck! I'm with you. My personal weaknesses are cashews and cheesecake! I can discipline myself on cashews if I only allow myself to eat them from a 1/4-cup measuring cup. On cheesecake... well special occasions warrant splitting a slice with my spouse.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 12:06 PM

Personally, I think the Dorritos light taste better than the regular dorritos--less greasy.

Instead of french fries I like to cut potatoes, spray oil on them and bake them. If you season them well and let them bake crispy they're pretty good.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 12:25 PM

I like to make my own tortilla chips. Preheat oven to 500. Spray cookie sheet with Pam or other spray oil. Cut up corn tortillas into pieces and place on cookie sheet. Spray pieces lightly with Pam. After oven reaches 500, turn it off and place sheet in. It should take about 15 minutes until they are hard and crunchy. This is a great way to enjoy salsa without the fat or high calories of packaged tortilla chips.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 12:34 PM

Try Soy Chips in fun flavors. They're a little bit like rice cakes, but they don't feel as healthy, I don't think. They're not as bad as potato chips - less fat, more protein. They're different, but I think they're really yummy!

Also, this isn't a substitute, but, really, a large bag of potato chips every single day is a huge indulgence. If you want to lose weight, it's just one of the things that you're going to have to stop doing. Some people have luck cutting down bit by bit - substituting other foods sometimes, cutting the portion, etc. - but I think most people have success when they go cold turkey. Set a goal - it might be 24 hours with no chips at first, but it can go longer and longer. Then, if you make the goal, for example, to go 1 week with no chips, by the time you get to day 3 or 4, you won't want to cave in and have chips b/c then you'll have to start over at the beginning! By the end, having chips won't seem as important to you, so eventually you may be able to go back to having them on occasion, within moderation and within your daily calorie budget. Or they may be a trigger food, and you may never be able to eat just a few, so you may be better off cutting them out entirely.

Good luck!!

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 12:57 PM

Do you like those fancy Terra Chips? Then roast the hell out of some thinly-sliced vegetables (zucchini, eggplant, squash, etc) and take them out of the oven when the edges are crispy. The only bad thing about this idea is that the preparation/cooking takes 20-25 minutes, and I'm not sure if they keep for future eating.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 1:05 PM

soy crisps in ranch flavor rule!

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 1:31 PM

I love McDonald's French Fries.. Not just any French Fries, but the ones from mickey dees. So this is what I did -- over a TEN YEAR period.

At first, I would order super-sized fries.
Then I started ordering the small-sized fries, and if I still wanted more I ordered another small fries.
Then I moved someplace where the local McD. only served medium, large, and xtra large -- so I ordered the medium and threw away half the fries.
Then I decreased the frequency of fries.

By now I have a small amount of fries 3-4 times a year. I love them and see no reason to give them up. :-) As one might imagine, my life has changed so much in the last 10 years anyway, and I discovered other, healthier foods which I love just as much.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 2:30 PM

blue diamond

thanks for the info. i noticed on the nutrition facts link you included, it is pretty low in sodium, which is good for me because I'm watching my blood pressure.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 3:21 PM

I also like to slice sweet potatoes and spray them w/ oil spray and season them. The thing with this is it does take a while to get them crispy. But it's worth it. They are great. (if you like sweet potatoes) You can slice them really thin to make them crispy faster. I put the oven on broil for a couple of minutes after I bake them. And..they are more nutritious than the regular white potatoes.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 3:29 PM

Potato chips

It's tough giving up a food, but I agree with cold turkey. When the oil in potato chips are cooked at the high levels that they are, they create a chemical that causes cancer. Try baking whole wheat pita in triangles and putting a little bit of garlic salt on them. I agree with baking red potatoes in wedges with the skins on for french fries. Use olive oil as it is healthy. A few garlic flavored whole grain triskets are really good too.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 5:57 PM

Kettle brand has a baked kind of chip that doesn't taste like cardboard- I had to buy my bf a bag because he liked them so much...

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 7:41 PM

cauliflower poppers

Someone in my group just turned me on to these, and I tried them tonight, and they are awesome. Ok, they are NOT potatoe chips, but they are salty and a little crunchy and just really hit the spot - and NO fat and NO sugar and DO have some nutritional value! I'm telling you - they are really good. Really salty and snacky.

1 head of cauliflower cut up
1 tsp each of salt, pepper, cumin, red pepper
Put em on a baking sheet in 400 degree oven for 10 minutes - stir once in the middle.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 10:37 PM

There are flavoured mini rice cakes, they come in chocolate, and other flavours. You get them in bags like a medium size chip bag. I've just forgotten the brand name sorry - oh yes, that's right, it's Quaker. Yum.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 11:18 PM

do you have Cape Cod brand chips in your area? they make a "100 calorie pack" of reduced fat chips - and they don't have chemicals, just less oil in the preparation. i am also a sandwich n chip lover, i am about to substitue something crunchy, like baby carrots, for the chips. but the reduced fat 100-cal pack cape cods weaned me off larger servings to get to this point.

as far as soycrisps go, i like Glenny's brand. i find soycrisps to be denser than ricecakes and i enjoy them in similar manner as chips.

Tuesday, January 9, 2007, 11:27 PM

This is from Hungry Girl Website..I haven't tried it ..but I think I am going to..

Kale "Potato Chips" -- Lightly mist olive oil on some kale, then bake at 350 for ten minutes. Sound crazy? Try it and see!

Wednesday, January 10, 2007, 4:07 AM

I like the Flaxseed Tortilla chips from Trader Joe's. They are still high in calories (140 for about 9 big chips) but they do have 5 grams of fiber in that serving so I feel like there is at least some nutritional value to it. Of course, you still have to be able to limit yourself because of the oils/fat but at least it's a substitute which might reap some benefits (fiber vs. nothing!).

Wednesday, January 10, 2007, 9:02 AM

I second the terra chips idea. They taste really good and they're usually more filling than a bag of potato chips.

Wednesday, January 10, 2007, 9:37 AM

Related Content: How To Lose Weight- The Basics Weight Watchers Points System The Fat Smash Diet The Eat To Live Diet The Beck Diet Solution How To Get The Motivation To Lose Weight		How To Be Successful Using PEERtrainer How To Burn Fat Online Weight Loss Support- How It Works Does Green Tea Help You Lose Weight? Tips On Using PEERtrainer Visit The PEERtrainer Community Diet and Fitness Resources
Fitness Weight Watchers Meetings Learning To Inspire Others: You Already Are Writing Down Your Daily Workouts Spending Money On A Personal Trainer? How I Became A Marathon Runner		Preventive Health How To Prevent Injuries During Your Workout Flu Season: Should You Take The Flu Shot? Are You Really Ready To Start PEERtrainer? Super Foods That Can Boost Your Energy Reversing Disease Through Nutrition
New Diet and Fitness Articles: Weight Watchers Points Plus How To Adjust Your Body To Exercise New: Weight Watchers Momentum Program New: PEERtrainer Blog Archive Review Of The New Weight Watchers Momentum Program		Weight Loss Motivation by Joshua Wayne: Why Simple Goal Setting Is Not Enough How To Delay Short Term Gratification How To Stay Motivated How To Exercise With A Busy Schedule
Real World Nutrition and Fitness Questions Can Weight Lifting Help You Lose Weight? Are Protein Drinks Safe? Nutrition As Medicine?		Everyday Weight Loss Tips How To Eat Healthy At A Party How To Eat Out And Still Lose Weight The Three Bite Rule Tips On How To Stop A Binge