4 Smart, Healthy Tweaks To Your Favorite Snacks
How do you indulge in your favorite snacks without the guilt? Make your favorite snacks healthier by switching out bad ingredients for good.
1. Bake, Don’t Fry, with Good Fats
Fried food — from north Asian crispy dumplings to Filipino lechon kawali (fried pork) — may be tasty but bad fats, also known as saturated fats, increase the risk of heart disease, diabetes and cancer.
Instead of frying meats, bake them in coconut oil, which is high in natural saturated fats. These fats will not only increase the healthy cholesterol (known as HDL) in your body, but also help convert LDL, “bad cholesterol” into good cholesterol. You will get all the health benefits of coconut oil while giving your dish that crunchy, crispy texture.
2. Go Bananas for Pancakes
Watching your sugar intake? Bananas will sweeten up your pancakes naturally without the need to use additional sweeteners like maple syrup, which add to the calorie count.
3. A Healthy Twist to any “Meaty Dish”
A meaty curry, dumpling, noodle or fried rice bowl — many of Asia’s most beloved savory dishes aren’t “complete” without a helping of meat. Or are they? Once you replace that pile of pork or chunks of chicken with grilled or wok-fried healthy tofu (which gives it a firmer texture), you may not look back. Don’t like tofu? Eggplant, lentils, jackfruit and mushrooms can all add heft and protein to your dish too.
4. Almost Sin-Free Ice-Kachang
Use evaporated milk instead of condensed milk and add flavour (and fiber!) with a generous serving of creamed corn. Light and refreshing, this simple but healthy rendition of ice kacang is still lip-smackingly good.
Khanom Chan
This multi-layered Thai treat is as eye-catching as it is sweet. Its smooth and sticky consistency is a lot like JELL-O but its ingredients are all natural. Khanom chan is made up of three types of flour — rice, arrowroot and tapioca teamed up with coconut milk, sugar and distinctive coloring, typically from the pandanus plant (for the green version) and the roselle herb (for the red variety). This dessert is associated with success and progression — so if you have a friend who just got a promotion, treat them to some khanom chan!
This article is intended to promote understanding of and knowledge about general oral health topics. It is not intended to be a substitute for professional advice, diagnosis or treatment. Always seek the advice of your dentist or other qualified healthcare provider with any questions you may have regarding a medical condition or treatment.
