How I Stopped Eating Chips

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Tortilla chips are one of my favorite snacks! Not potato chips, but tortilla chips. It is funny because, even though I am Mexican, I don’t eat tortillas often, nor do I crave them. I’ll take a good handmade tortilla any day, but don’t really buy them for home, nor do I cook with them. Over the years, I have eaten a lots of bags of tortilla chips. I started to compare chips and found that the lowest calorie, fat, & sodium tortilla chips, that I still find tasty, are the one’s from Trader Joe’s. I used to buy them often and because when I was single I lived alone, guess who would eat all the tortilla chips? That’s right – ME! My husband likes potato chips more than tortilla chips, so even after I got married, if I bought a bag of tortilla chips, I would eat the entire bag by myself. I wouldn’t eat it all in one sitting, I would eat a few one day, then a small bowl the next day and the next, until the bag was gone. Sometimes I would prepare a bowl of tortilla chips with lime and chamoy or chile, it was delicious! Some nights, instead of dinner, I’d have a bowl of tortilla chips. I wouldn’t do it every day or every week, but when I did buy a bag, I would eat chips almost every night. I really like pita chips too and for a while was buying these in place of tortilla chips, but these also have lots of calories, fat, & sodium – plus it was hard to only eat a few.

I noticed this was becoming a bad habit and would make me feel bloated from the sodium the next day. So, I decided to break the bad habit and stopped buying both of them. I haven’t bought a bag of tortilla or pita chips in months. I still eat these tasty snacks at parties or restaurants, but just a few.

I am not saying I will never buy a bag of tortilla or pita chips, but for now, I am trying to eat healthier and unprocessed food. So, I have replaced chips with fresh carrot chips and mushrooms. Both these veggies are very low on calories and have zero fat. I also eat plantain chips if I want the crunchiness. So, if I am craving tortilla chips or pita chips, I’ll eat mushrooms or carrot chips. Before I know it, my craving is gone and I have eaten healthy snacks that nourish me.

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Last week, we were in San Francisco and I wanted to stay on my healthy diet – it’s more of a lifestyle. So, we went to the grocery store. Instead of buying the bag of tortilla chips I would usually buy for the weekend in San Fran, I bought fresh veggies, hummus, salad, and fruit. This healthy food kept me feeling full and avoided me eating unhealthy food. It worked! Plus, I do find these veggies to be tasty.

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I love, love hummus, but don’t eat it often because it has lots of calories, fat, and sodium. Yes, yes, I know it is natural, has the healthy type of fat and oils, but still calories are calories. So, I snacked on hummus with mushrooms, carrot chips, and tomatoes. Delicious! At home, I also eat the mushrooms and carrots alone or with a small amount of low fat sour cream. Some friends eat carrots with chili and lime, I may try that.

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There are many pluses to eating healthier, more importantly, I am nourishing my body. These veggies have vitamins, protein, and fiber. The minuses are that natural veggies don’t keep fresh as long as processed foods do. So, I have to eat them within a few days of buying them. Also, they do cost a bit more than buying a simple bag of chips, but it is worth it because in the long run, it is better for me.

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So, next time you are craving chips….try these snacks, they are yummy, low-cal, and more importantly healthy for you! Maybe someday, you’ll actually crave these instead of chips. I am still working on that!

Do you snack on veggies? What is your favorite snack?

Hugs,

Paola

2 thoughts on “How I Stopped Eating Chips

  1. I love tortilla chips, too! The big bags from Costco are soooo good but soooo bad! It is the only snack where I could sit and eat a big bowl. I realized I was really wanting the salsa so I started to eat salsa alone or with veges..and walk by the big bags at Costco now instead of filling my cart. But at a party? Yes, please!! Pretzel sticks with a few chocolate chips is my second favorite snack. 🙂 xo

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