Friday, February 29, 2008

Potato Chips

As many of you know, my mom is very ill. As a result, I've kind of been grabbing meals whenever and however I can. Many times this is a standard sandwich, since it's easy and simple.

Unfortunately, I have a horrible habit of eating potato chips with sandwiches. I like the contrasting texture of the potato chip's crunch. I also feel the need to have "just a little something" with a sandwich, and chips just seem to be the perfect accompaniment. (Why else would they always come with sandwiches in most restaurants and delis?)

I've been trying to come up with a healthier substitution for potato chips as a sandwich side dish. Pretzels and corn chips really aren't a better solution. Baby carrots or cucumber slices provide a crunch, but they're not really satisfying when it comes to taste. Anyone have a better suggestion?

2 comments:

Fatinah said...

maybe pickles?

Sally JPA said...

Using a strong hummus--like garlicky hummus, for example--can fill the craving for the salty, strongly flavored food. Of course, that doesn't touch the crunch issue. In A Natural History of the Senses (a great book), the author went into the appeal of the high-pitched crunch of potato chips and how hard it is to replicate that experience through other foods. I would suggest keeping the chips but making sure your sandwich is pretty healthy and adding a third piece of the meal (also healthy--like carrots, cucumbers, pickles) to help fill you up so that you eat fewer chips and still feel satisfied.

The only other thing I can think of is celery sticks smeared with PB to get a crunch with salt in it.

Good luck! It's good to hear you're trying to be gentle and easy on yourself while still staying healthy during this time you need to help care for your mom.