Spokane Junk Food That’s Actually Good For You…Is There Such A Thing?

Who’d have thunk it - four formerly shunned snacks that may actually be good for you?

Let’s talk saturated fats. Did you know there are more than 15 types of saturated fats? Even though they’ve been condemned as a whole by nutrition experts for years, a few of them are actually heart healthy.

Bad Foods Gone Good

Pork Rinds - These puffy, crispy snacks are actually, just as the name says, made from cut pigskin. And then most are deep fried. Sounds really fattening. However in comparison to other snacks this one isn’t bad.

A 1-ounce serving contains zero-carbohydrates, 17 grams of protein, and 9 grams fat. That is 9 times the protein and less fat then you would find in a serving of carb-packed potato chips.

Even better, 43% of a pork rind’s fat is unsaturated, and most of that is oleic acid—the same healthy fat found in olive oil. Another 13% of its fat content is stearic acid, a type of saturated fat that is considered harmless, because it doesn’t raise cholesterol levels.

Best option—look for pork rinds that are puffed in a microwave or baked instead of fried, these are lower in calories and less greasy.

Beef Jerky - It’s given a bad rep as an unhealthy meat that is loaded with preservatives and salt.

In reality is high in protein and doesn’t raise your levels of insulin (a hormone that signals your body to store fat). That makes it an ideal between-meals snack. While some beef-jerky brands are packed with high-sodium ingredients, such as MSG and sodium nitrate, all-natural ingredient products are available.

Check the label for brands that are made from all-natural ingredients and from lean, grass-fed beef.

Sour Cream - At first glance, you would see that 90% of its calories are derived from fat, at least half of which are saturated. However, if you really dig into the numbers, the percentage of fat is high, but the total amount isn’t. A typical serving of sour cream is only 2 tablespoons. That contains just 52 calories and less saturated fat than you’d get from drinking a 12-ounce glass of 2% reduced-fat milk.

Coconut - Ounce for ounce coconut contains more saturated fats than butter. Despite this, coconut appears to have a beneficial effect on heart-disease risk factors. Why? More than 50% of its saturated fat content is lauric acid. A recent analysis of 60 studies published in the American Journal of Clinical Nutrition reports that even though lauric acid raised LDL (bad) cholesterol, it boosts HDL (good) cholesterol even more. Overall, that means it decreases your risk of cardiovascular disease.

Best option for an anytime snack - shredded, unsweetened coconut.

But don’t gorge, it is still fairly high in calories.