I am a cardiologist and this is the only food I never eat: it is consumed daily in the United States

Whether with friends over a beer, with family for weekend appetizers, or watching an NBA game at home, Americans are addicted to snacks. We know they are not healthy, but in the United States, we devote a good portion of our shopping basket to them.

At home, we also enjoy them: on average, we consume 1.42 kilograms of processed potatoes per year. American doctor Elizabeth Klodas, a cardiologist and founder of Step One Foods, trained at the prestigious Mayo Clinic, focuses on this ill-advised consumption in one of her recent articles. Throughout her career, her publications have focused on the effects of cholesterol on the body and how to reduce it.

This time, the focus is on the famous bagged potato chips, but it also applies to nachos and processed corn snacks, which are also very popular in the United States. Klodas warns, "They have a high content of additives and a low content of necessary fiber and other nutrients," noting that "over the course of a year, eating just one package of potato chips of less than 30 grams daily could add up to 6.8 kilograms of salt to our bodies."

Tips for Improving the Diet in the United States

The doctor states that "too much sodium can raise blood pressure and significantly increase weight, negatively affecting cholesterol and blood sugar levels". It is not necessary to consume these snacks for a year to verify this because, she emphasizes, "studies show that consuming low-quality foods worsens blood vessel function within a few hours of consumption." At this point, Klodas recommends looking for alternatives to fill those gaps.

First, she encourages replacing them with hummus and vegetables, pointing out that half a cup is equal to the same calories as a small bag of snacks. By adding vegetables for dipping, "we will have a substantial snack, rich in fiber, healthy fats, and proteins." The second healthy snack recommended by the doctor is raw nuts in particular and unsalted and natural nuts in general: "You get all the nutritional benefits without the sodium load."

Hummus, Nuts, and Fruit in the U.S.

Finally, she emphasizes fruit, explaining that "two small bananas or three oranges are calorically equivalent to a small bag of potato chips, but you get vitamins, antioxidants, and fiber." Klodas argues that "we often reach for these snacks not because we are hungry, but because we are bored and seek stimulation; but these are not good reasons to consume something that actively sabotages a person's efforts to improve heart health."

She recalls a quote from food author Michael Pollan, stating that "if you are hungry, eat an apple; if you do not want the apple, you are not hungry". Therefore, she insists that we replace all unhealthy snacks with "options containing whole fiber, omega-3 fatty acids, antioxidants, and plant sterols that help reduce cholesterol." However, if the task set by the expert seems daunting and we do not want to give up all snacks, perhaps we can look at the list provided by the Organization of Consumers and Users (OCU) to choose the least harmful ones.

The Least Harmful 'Snacks'

The OCU analyzed the nutritional labeling and ingredients of over 200 salty snacks available in supermarkets throughout Spain and found that 178 of them are unhealthy or very unhealthy. In other words, 78% of them should not be consumed, especially the fried ones. The worst ratings were due to their excessive salt content, averaging 3.8%, but they also noted their high fat content, up to 24%, and the addition of colorants, flavorings, and additives.

Some of the additives, by the way, are discouraged due to causing intolerances, such as the case of E-621. They also do not fit within the caloric parameters since they have an average of 467 calories per 100 grams and they have even analyzed products with over 600 calories, which represents 30% of an adult's daily intake.

Their main component is carbohydrates, but "they are so processed that they have lost a large part of their nutrients." So, what are the least harmful according to the OCU analysis? The group of corn nachos without additives or flavors, and some made with legumes or seeds, as they are baked instead of fried and have less salt.

*This article has been automatically translated using artificial intelligence