Texture Tips

Often when we enjoy a food, it isn’t the taste we like so much as the texture. For example, potato chips and pretzels are little more than salt flavor made crunchy. Why eat extra fat, sugar and unwanted calories if it’s just the texture you want?! Think about the textures you enjoy in your foods and come up with some healthy ways to get them.

For example…

For crunchy snacks try:
cucumber slices
jicama
water chestnut
dill pickles
hearts of palm
baby carrots
kale chips (bake de-veined kale leaves at 350 for 10 min and add seasoning if you want them to be salty or spicey)

For smooth creamy snacks try:
nonfat yogurt
nonfat pudding (sugar free is also available)
pureed fruit (like applesauce)

For frozen treats try:
popsicles
fudgesicles
carbo-lite frozen yogurt
no-sugar-added, fat-free blended coffee drinks (Coffee Bean makes the only ones I know of)

Please let me know if you have other ideas for good texture substitutes!