Choosing Healthier Dips & Salsas
by Shereen Jegtvig
When it comes to keeping up our healthy diets, snacks are usually the things that get us in the most trouble. For example, think about munching on some chips and your favorite dip. The chips are usually loaded with fat, calories and preservatives. And a typical chip dip is loaded with more fat or cheese-like substances and even more preservatives. It may taste good, but it really isn’t good for you.
You can make your snacks nutritious, cut the calories and keep the tasty flavors. I gave you some help choosing potato chips are few weeks back and there are some baked snack chips and crackers that are lower in fat and calories than regular chips. But what about the dips and salsas?
A typical chip dip is based on sour cream and loaded with saturated fat. You can choose dips that are low or non-fat, which helps you watch your calorie intake, but be sure to look at the ingredients list. Most brands contain a long list of additives and preservatives. Look for the dips and salsas made with the fewest ingredients (and ones that are easy to pronounce) and you’ll probably find the healthiest dips.
Be careful with the nacho cheese dips too. They’re usually made from processed cheese and frequently contain trans-fats, which are probably the unhealthiest type of fat you can eat. They’re also full of sodium.
The healthiest dips are the salsas, which are usually made from chunks of tomatoes and other healthy vegetables. They’re fat-free, low in calories and rich in nutrients like beta carotene, vitamin A, and lycopene, which is good for your vision. You’ll still want to look at the ingredients list to avoid added high fructose corn syrup and sugars that sometimes sneak into salsa and various other additives. Better yet, make your own fresh salsa with tomatoes, onions, peppers, limejuice and some cilantro, or look for healthy salsa recipes made with fresh fruits like mango for a little sweet variety.
FoodEssentials Helps You Choose Dips and Salsas
Use our FoodEssentials lists to find out what you should be dipping your chips into:
Calorie Counts – Onion, Vegetable, Bean and Guacamole Dip
MSG-Free Dips and Salsas
Resources for Dips and Salsas
WebMD: We usually think of using dips for chips, but why not scoop up your dip with crunchy raw vegetables? WebMd has some tips for increasing your intake of vegetables, including delicious veggie dips. Click here for more…
MSNBC: You can use salsa as a chip dip or use it as a condiment on a lot of other foods like potatoes, eggs and salads. Learn more about salsas and what makes them so good for your health. Click here for more…
FDA: Let’s face it, most of us are going to chips and dip or other snacks even though we know we probably shouldn’t. But even regular not-so-healthy chips and dip are OK once in awhile, as long as you don’t gorge yourself. The FDA has some tips for choosing chips and dips and keeping your snack portion sizes in control. Click here for more…
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