Foods Which One Can Eat Without Guilt

Although everyone has a list of favorite foods that don’t score too high on the nutrient value scale, but sure are fun and delicious to eat. Unfortunately, we have succumbed to the mindset that those foods are strictly off limits. And what are the results? For most, we get stuck in a cycle of deprivation followed by bingeing.

Whether you want to kick your afternoon sweet habit or else you simply need a snack to tide you over until your next meal, you have several healthy options available. Guilt-free foods are low in calories, provide nutrients to keep you healthy and offer fiber to improve satiety. Foods ranging from carrots to the dark chocolate generally provide the nutrition your body needs, without excessive fat and calories to make you feel guilty.

Here are few guilt free foods that you should eat

Blueberries

Blueberries are low in calories, high in fiber and rich in antioxidants. They contain about 60 calories and nearly 3 grams of fiber in 3/4 cup. You can consume them directly. Powerful antioxidant flavonoids called anthocyanins are particularly high in blueberries. Anthocyanins neutralize damaging free radicals that boost your risk of chronic diseases by increasing oxidative stress on cells. By consuming at least two servings of anthocyanin-rich blueberries each week lessens oxidative stress in your system and minimizes your risk of developing type 2 diabetes.

Baby Carrots

Baby carrots are one of the guilt-free foods that you can enjoy at your desk or while on any place. You can eat 1 cup of raw baby carrots that contains minimal 25 calories and about 3 grams of fiber to make you feel full. The orange color of carrots is due to beta-carotene, a vitamin A compound essential for vision health. Women generally need 2,333 international units of vitamin A compounds and men require 3,000 IU daily. Carrots provide nearly 1,800 IU of vitamin A compounds in the form of beta-carotene per half-cup serving.

Fat-Free Yogurt

Fat-free yogurt is a healthy alternative to sour cream or traditional full-fat yogurt. One 6-ounce serving has 100 calories, about half the calories of full-fat yogurt. This serving also has nearly 20 grams of protein and about 20 percent of your daily calcium requirement. Enjoy fat-free Greek yogurt as a dip for fresh cucumber slices, or blend it with fresh berries in a smoothie.

Dried Fruit

Snack on dried fruit between meals. Dried fruits are a sweet treat that adds fiber to your diet to keep you full until lunch or dinner. You can eat eight dried apricot halves, three prunes or four dried apple rings has approximately 60 calories. These single servings also provide about 3 grams of fiber. Dole out your servings of dried fruit into individual plastic bags and keep them in your pantry. Your snacks will be pre-portioned and you will be less likely to overindulge and consume too many calories.

Dark Chocolate

Don’t feel guilty if you need your daily chocolate fix. Dark chocolate contains 70 to 85 percent cacao that offers around 90 calories per half-ounce serving. Consuming dark chocolate on a daily basis for two to 12 weeks improves blood cholesterol levels by lowering low-density lipoprotein, or LDL cholesterol. This is the harmful cholesterol that hardens your arteries and increases your risk of heart disease. Although dark chocolate can be beneficial for your heart, keep your serving size to a half-ounce to avoid consuming a high amount of calories.

Remember, food is not the enemy. Food isn’t meant to torment you. It’s meant to be more pleasurable and even fun! You need food to live, so you might as well enjoy it every time. Food is a wonderful activity to enjoy with those you love, or even solo. Try to savor in your every meal and don’t get too concerned about every single calorie going into your body. If you follow the basic rules, you will see the results you deserve. So don’t feel guilt to eat your favourite food.