Junk foods gives us the satisfying feeling of consuming something instantly delicious, while healthy foods make us dread to have something bland and unappealing.  But what if that was not the case and we could have healthy foods that satisfy our cravings?

Let's see if we can achieve that rare feat with our recommended healthy replacements of your favourite junk foods!

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Replace your usual burgers with bunless burgers

We all love our single or double patty burgers with the bread buns providing the perfect wrap around. As burgers are loaded with calories and high carb count, bunless burgers are quickly becoming a solid alternative. They provide healthier alternative to traditional buns as the carb heavy buns are replaced by vegetables like lettuce, tomatoes, and other toppings.  

You can try making a bunless burger at home, make a thinly sliced burger patty made of lean meat, it can be of beef, chicken, or salmon fish. Forgo using cheese or mayonnaise and go for garlic or chili sauce, better if its homemade. And for the bun alternatives, choose lettuce, seaweed or sweet potato rounds to have a healthy bunless burger.

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

No to chotpoti, yes to chickpeas

Chotpoti and fuchka, the definitive spicy food staple of Bangladeshi junk foods. With its crunchy bites and vigorous spices, it's hard to fathom any alternative that can satisfy our taste buds. Having said that, we recommend something that proves salads can be incredibly delicious too, chickpea salad.

Chickpea salad is full of vegetables like capsicum, juicy tomatoes, refreshing cucumbers and lemon seasoned in olive oil, vinegar and cumin. Add some onions and green chillies to elevate the spice level and you have a protein packed salad that's both fun and satisfying to eat!  

Swap your shingara with mashed potatoes

We are not done taking away your favourite junk foods, shingara is next! Full of unhealthy fats and cooked in deep fried oils to have that fried texture, you can settle on for another potato-based food, mashed potatoes!

If you want to have a delicious and healthy mashed potato, we suggest mixing boiled cauliflowers with the blended potato, yoghurt to have that tangy creamy taste and use olive oil instead of butter. You can add green chillies or jalapenos to the mix if you prefer it spicy.  

Trade your chocolates with dark chocolates

Chocolates can be healthy in moderation, but even then, the high amount of sugar found in most chocolates add to health worries, like obesity. Instead of completely letting go of chocolates, you can turn to dark chocolates, though a bit bitter in taste but very nutritious and a powerful source of antioxidants. Dark chocolates with at least 70 percent cocoa in it offers most anti-oxidants and health benefits.  

Photo: Sazzad Ibne Sayed

Replace the carbonated drinks with lassi

Carbonated drinks can feel refreshing to drink, but the negative health effects are quite a lot. Most drinks are full of processed sugar and artificial colours, increasing risk of obesity, diabetes, and heart disease if consumed frequently.  So, why not go for lassi, which can satisfy your thirst for a cold drink.

Lassi is usually made from sweet yogurt or mishti doi blended with water and ice, depending on your sweet preference you can add necessary amounts of sugar. Better to avoid the additional sugar.

You can also go for a healthier variant of lassi by using mishti doi that is sweetened with jaggery or gur as its very beneficial for your digestive system and fighting acidity.   

Junk foods gives us convenience, but takes away all the nutritional values foods must have. So, the next time you have a craving for a burger or chocolate, just remember there are better options out there that's both healthy and enjoyable.