--- title: 6 Healthy Alternatives to Your Favorite Junk Food Snacks description: Get all the flavor with fewer calories. canonical: https://time.com/4306978/healthy-junk-food-alternatives/ author: TIME article:opinion: false article:content_tier: free article:published_time: 2016-04-26T14:07:15.000Z article:modified_time: 2026-05-11T05:00:04.547Z article:section: Health og:title: 6 Healthy Alternatives to Your Favorite Junk Food Snacks og:description: Get all the flavor with fewer calories og:url: https://time.com/4306978/healthy-junk-food-alternatives/ og:site_name: TIME og:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5e8e5c1f6de20c26/698878bb2dce011a299e74d9/french-fries-3-junk-food-diet-health.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 og:image:width: 1200 og:image:height: 675 og:image:alt: french-fries-3-junk-food-diet-health-motto-stock og:type: article twitter:card: summary_large_image twitter:title: 6 Healthy Alternatives to Your Favorite Junk Food Snacks twitter:description: Get all the flavor with fewer calories twitter:image: https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5e8e5c1f6de20c26/698878bb2dce011a299e74d9/french-fries-3-junk-food-diet-health.jpg?branch=production&width=3840&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=16:9 ---  # 6 Healthy Alternatives to Your Favorite Junk Food Snacks by [Beth Lipton / Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Beth Lipton / Health.com Apr 26, 2016 2:07 PM CUT  Molly Cranna for TIME by [Beth Lipton / Health.com](/author/health-com/) ## Beth Lipton / Health.com Apr 26, 2016 2:07 PM CUT French fries, candy bars, cookie dough—nothing ever measures up to the taste of the real thing. Until now. Trick your taste buds with these better-for-you alternatives, brought to you by Jackie Newgent, RD. **If you’re craving a hot pretzel with mustard** **Swap it for:** Roasted plantain chips with salsa verde  Ilain Bagwell Peel and slice 3 medium green plantains into 1/8-inch-thick pieces. Toss well with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and ½ teaspoon of salt, then bake at 375°F for 30 minutes. Dry the chips on paper towels and serve with ¾ cup of salsa verde. _Serves 4; 240 calories per serving._ **_Health.com_**_:_ [_10 Delicious and Healthy Ways to Use Chia Seeds_](http://www.health.com/health/gallery/0,,20930078,00.html?xid=time "undefined") **If you’re craving banana pudding** **Swap it for:** Mint-banana “nice cream”  Ilain Bagwell Thaw 2 frozen bananas for 5 minutes, then place in a food processor with 1½ teaspoons of pure vanilla extract and 1/8 teaspoon of pure peppermint extract. Blend until creamy. Add 1 ounce of finely chopped bittersweet chocolate and pulse. If desired, add a scoop of unsweetened cocoa powder. _Serves 2; about 290 calories per cup_. **If you’re craving French fries** **Swap them for:** Oven-baked potato thins  Ilain Bagwell Slice 4 russet potatoes into 18 thin pieces each. Toss with 2 tablespoons of olive oil and 1½ teaspoon of vinegar, then sprinkle with garlic powder, paprika, cayenne, and a pinch of sea salt. Bake at 475°F for 30 minutes. _Serves 4, 190 calories per 18 fries._ **_Health.com_**_:_ [_How to Eliminate Sugar from Your Diet in 21 Days_](http://www.health.com/nutrition/slash-sugar-challenge?xid=time "undefined") **If you’re craving chocolate chip cookie dough** **Swap it for:** A Pure Genius Provisions chocolate chunk blondie ($23 for a box of 8; [puregeniusprovisions.com](http://puregeniusprovisions.com/shop/chocolate-chunk-blondie "undefined"))  Ilain Bagwell Made with garbanzo beans, this gooey, gluten-free treat is full of protein. The big chunks of dark chocolate help disguise it as an indulgence. **If you’re craving nachos** **Swap them for:** Homemade Middle Eastern nachos  Ilain Bagwell Top 12 whole-grain pita chips with ½ cup each diced tomatoes, cucumber, and red onion, plus fresh parsley, a sprinkle of feta and a dollop of hummus. _Serves 1; 330 calories per serving._ **_Health.com:_** [_The Best Meal Kit Services for Healthy Eaters_](http://news.health.com/2016/04/06/best-meal-kit-services/?xid=time "undefined") **If you’re craving a candy bar** Swap it for: A Kind Plus bar ($24 for a box of 12; [amazon.com](http://www.amazon.com/Kind-Antioxidant-Chocolate-Cherry-Cashew/dp/B005G9LOX2/ref=as%5Fat?tag=healthcom04a-20&linkCode=as2&ie=UTF8&qid=1460386855&sr=8-13&keywords=kind+bar+plus "undefined"))  Ilain Bagwell These nut-and-fruit-based snacks give you a sweet fix while also packing fiber and antioxidants. [_This article originally appeared on Health.com_](http://news.health.com/2016/04/19/junk-food-swaps/?xid=time "undefined") ```json [{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"NewsArticle","@id":"https://time.com/4306978/healthy-junk-food-alternatives/","mainEntityOfPage":{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https://time.com/4306978/healthy-junk-food-alternatives/"},"headline":"6 Healthy Alternatives to Your Favorite Junk Food Snacks","datePublished":"2016-04-26T14:07:15.000Z","dateModified":"2026-05-11T05:00:04.547Z","description":"Get all the flavor with fewer calories","url":"https://time.com/4306978/healthy-junk-food-alternatives/","keywords":["Diet & Nutrition","Food & Drink","Junk Food","snacks"],"thumbnailUrl":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5e8e5c1f6de20c26/698878bb2dce011a299e74d9/french-fries-3-junk-food-diet-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","author":[{"@type":"Person","name":"Beth Lipton / Health.com"}],"articleSection":"Health","image":[{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://static.time.com/v3/assets/bltea6093859af6183b/blt5e8e5c1f6de20c26/698878bb2dce011a299e74d9/french-fries-3-junk-food-diet-health.jpg?branch=production&width=1200&quality=75&auto=webp&crop=1200:675&height=675","width":1200,"height":675,"headline":"french-fries-3-junk-food-diet-health-motto-stock","caption":"french-fries-3-junk-food-diet-health-motto-stock","creditText":"Molly Cranna for TIME","representativeOfPage":true}],"publisher":{"@type":"Organization","name":"Time","url":"https://time.com/","logo":{"@type":"ImageObject","url":"https://time.com/images/logo.png","width":528,"height":156},"foundingDate":"March 3, 1923","sameAs":["https://www.facebook.com/time","https://www.instagram.com/time/?hl=en","https://twitter.com/time","https://www.pinterest.com/timemagazine"]}},{"@context":"https://schema.org","@type":"BreadcrumbList","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"item":{"@id":"/section/health/","name":"Health"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"item":{"@id":"/tag/dietnutrition/","name":"Diet & Nutrition"}},{"@type":"ListItem","position":3,"item":{"@id":"https://time.com/4306978/healthy-junk-food-alternatives/","name":"6 Healthy Alternatives to Your Favorite Junk Food Snacks"}}]}] ```