Talking Food Texture
We have all experienced food cravings – and often those cravings have to do with texture – like something creamy or crunchy. Food textures play a big role in whether we like or dislike certain foods. (See Tastes and Smells article for more information.) For example, while you may not like mushy canned peas, you may be surprised that you like fresh or barely cooked peas.
Luckily, eating healthy includes foods of all sorts of textures and flavors. Here are some suggestions on satisfying your cravings with nutritious snacks of a variety of textures:
| Instead of this... | Try munching on (or sipping) this... | |
| Creamy | While ice cream may come to mind first, there are a variety of other smooth snacks that may even contain some of that rich fat that makes creamy foods so satisfying. |
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| Crunchy | Pretzels may be fat-free, but they are high in salt and have few vitamins or minerals. |
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| Liquid | Sweet tea or soda may sound refreshing, but working off all those empty calories certainly does not. A fancy mocha coffee drink with whipped cream can top 400 calories. |
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| Squishy | Jelly-like candies or even kids’ “fruit” snacks might sound like squishy fun in your mouth, but other options pack more nutrition. |
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| Mealy | Some folks may not like apples because they can be soft and mealy or grainy; the same can be true of over-cooked potatoes. |
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Article copyright © 2012 American Heart Association. This article is brought to you by the American Heart Association’s Simple Cooking with Heart Program. For more articles and simple, quick and affordable recipes, visit heart.org/simplecooking.
