Junk food we know what it consists of and while most of us can't totally get off it, we understand that cutting back can be a good thing. Interestingly enough, some of the most well-known junk foods we've come to know over the years have actually turned out to be more beneficial than we first realized.
1. M&M'S
M&M'S are delicious but how on earth can this candy be considered healthy? After all, it's just sugar and food coloring. Turns out, the food coloring is actually what gives these tasty little guys a healthy side effect. Specifically, the dye use in blue M&M'S has been linked to a reduction in damage caused in spinal injuries. When researchers injected the dye into rats with spinal injuries, the rodents showed improved recovery and the ability to walk. This doesn't make M&M'S healthy for the majority of us, but now we don't have to feel so bad when filling our mouths with this delicious candy.
2. Beef Jerky
Often sold in convenience stores, this snack food doesn't have the best reputation when it comes to health. After all, it's dried meat in a bag. Actually, beef jerky is high in protein and is a snack that won't throw off your sugar and insulin levels. Even better, there are low-sodium varieties which can make this misunderstood snack appropriate for athletes and even those of you looking to keep the weight down while enjoying a tasty treat.
3. Pork Rinds
Deep fried pig skin - how on earth is this junk food healthy? Okay, so pork rinds aren't going to replace your daily serving and vegetables but this snack food isn't as junky as you once thought. A 1 ounce serving contains 17 grams of protein and 9 grams of fat. That's more protein and less fat than is found in a serving of most potato chips. Additionally, pork rinds contain a healthy dose of oleic and stearic acids which are actually healthy fats that don't raise your cholesterol levels.
4. Popcorn
Popcorn is often considered a healthy alternative to chips but empty calories as well. Throw on some buttery topping or other seasoning and you've likely got a full-out junk food on your hands. It doesn't have to be that way, however. Popcorn is loaded with fiber and has the benefit of containing a healthy dose of antioxidants which can help prevent heart disease and certain cancers. In fact research has shown that in the world of snack food, popcorn has the most poly phenol antioxidant levels of any other snack.
5. Chocolate Bars
Most people love chocolate but we often associate this treat with high levels of fat and sugar. Chocolate also contains flavonoids, thanks to the cocoa used. Flavonoids have been shown to be good for your heart and circulatory system. The darker the chocolate, the more flavonoids are present. As an added bonus, most of the fat in this case is made up of oleic and stearic acids, both considered to be good fats. Of course, this doesn't make it a health food and moderation is still key.
6. Ketchup
Loaded with sugar and/or high fructose corn syrup which dangerously spikes our blood sugar levels, we have often been told that there is little redeeming quality when it comes to using ketchup. This may not totally be the case. In fact, fine brands that don't have added high fructose corn syrup and this junk food sauce can actually have some real benefits. Ketchup is loaded with a very powerful antioxidant lycopene. Researchers have linked lycopene as a successful treatment for cardiovascular disease, stroke, osteoporosis, diabetes and male infertility.
7. Sour cream
Light ketchup, for years people thought there was little redeeming quality to the sour cream they dumped on their foods. After all, much of the calories come from fat which is saturated. It actually isn't as bad as we once thought. A two tablespoon serving has half the calories of a single tablespoon of mayonnaise and there's less saturated fat than you'd find in a 12 oz. Glass of a 2% milk. Plus, it has a little calcium and your potato just wouldn't taste the same without it.
8. Hot Sauce
It's hard to imagine eating some of your favorite foods without a healthy dose of hot sauce. Often seen as having no nutritional value and being a likely source of heart burn, hot sauce was often clustered into the junk food category because it offered no real benefits. Not anymore. Hot sauce contains something called capsaicin. This compound has been shown to curb your appetite levels by controlling the levels of hormones that tell us if we are full or hungry.
9. Pizza
When we learned about nutrition in school, many of us were told that pizza was one of those 'iffy' foods. That is, it had some nutritional value but often had a lot of salt and fat included. In fact, pizza can be loaded with calcium, fiber, vitamins and antioxidants if it's made right. This means staying away from frozen pizza and that local pizza chain that uses a lot of cheese and processed meats. Instead, add vegetables like onions and peppers and cut back on cheese to take your pizza from the dark side over to a healthy choice.
10. Cheese Whiz
Ya, right! if one thing is for certain, cheese whiz has personality but absolutely no nutritional value. After all, it's a man-made synthetic cheese product, right? Think again. Sure, it's loaded with emulsifiers and stabilizing agents but this processed cheese is also a very high source of something called conjugated linoleic acid. According to researchers, this natural trans fat is one of the most powerful cancer fighters around and cheese whiz has a most of it in comparison to any other cheese.
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