Snacking isn’t good for you and you know it. Junk food is a major factor in the development of many health disorders and that’s no secret.

But you know how it goes. We make a resolution. We hold good for a little while, but then we spot a packet of chips out of the corner of the eye. One won’t hurt. You’re quite sure two won’t either. This turns into the Fibonacci series, and you’ve quickly devoured an entire packet, that was meant to satisfy many and you’ve got to replace it, so you buy more. This cycle continues, until the next resolution.

Many have suffered this experience and many will continue to suffer this experience. It has been discovered by researchers that junk food has the same rewarding effect that narcotics do, so you can imagine how addictive it can be. You’ll get a lot of sympathy, because junk food is tasty. But a lot of unhealthy substances go into the making of the tastiness. What’s even more worrying is that many children these days eat unhealthy snacks on almost daily basis and the obesity statistics are worsening by the day.

However, it isn’t fair that we should be completely deprive ourselves of a little filling during the day, barring any prominent medical reasons to do so. The answer to this problem is the replacement of conventional snacks with healthier substitutes. But before we present some healthy alternatives for your in-between meal cravings, let’s take a closer look at why junk really is so bad for you.

Why Junk Food Is Bad

Some have gone as far as to say junk food is bad as tobacco, which is a mighty accusation. There’s no doubt it’s as addictive, even if we’re not entirely sure whether it is as destructive on the body as tobacco.

In one study, it was discovered that people who consumed only junk food for several consecutive days lost the ability to oxidize glucose, which hampers insulin performance in the body.

Junk food has also been blamed for the great rise in the number of diabetes, stroke and blood pressure cases. Diabetes is a devastating disease which severely restricts your life and India is a country which, in a rough survey conducted a few years ago, was estimated to have over 30 million diabetics.

Long term consumption of french fries, sodas, chips and processed foods can result in digestive problems like acid reflux. This occurs because many junk foods are deep fried in oil, which is a very detrimental cooking methods.

Substituting instant meals and fast food for solid meals can deprive the body of essential nutrients which, if done frequently enough, will lead to weakness and tiredness, and deficiency-related disorders.

The charges against junk food doesn’t end there. We’ve only somewhat recently begun looking into its effects on the body, because of the now very apparent obesity-related problems the world is facing. You’ve heard enough to think thrice about it though. We suggest trying some healthier snacking options for your hunger pangs.

Alternatives

You’ve got a surprising number of options when it comes to snacking healthier.

Nuts, especially Almonds and Walnuts, are multi-beneficial foods that taste great independently and as ingredients in other dishes.

Another snack source, known as so for a very long time, is the fruit. Apples, oranges, watermelons, mangoes - they’re all fantastic for your health. You can turn them into a juice. Use them in a salad. Or an exotic fruit based dessert that can be stored in the fridge for later.

Pumpkin Seeds are a slightly more eccentric snack choice, but they taste great and are packed with nutrients. You can sprinkle them on your dishes, perhaps on a salad or on plain old yogurt.

There really is no dearth of healthy snack options. The internet will provide plenty of choices and recipes for the use of the ingredients presented  here. Try them out and you’ll be converted!