Heart-Healthy Snacks That Can Satisfy Every Craving

Although snacking is satisfying, it can also be unhealthy. Salt and sugar cravings lead people to eat chips and cookies, but there are healthier alternatives that could benefit your heart. For instance, kale chips satisfy salt cravings while improving cholesterol, and watermelon quenches the thirst for sweetness. To decrease your risk of heart disease, check out these satisfying and science-backed snacks.

Kale Chips Can Replace Less Healthy Fried Chips

Like other fried foods, chips can be dangerous for your heart. Chinese researchers discovered that people who eat fried foods regularly have a 37% higher risk of heart failure. So how can you get a salty, crunchy snack? Replace it with kale chips.

A chef dishes kale chips from a baking pan into a glass container.
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Kale improves your cholesterol levels, which in turn helps your heart, according to a 2008 study in Biomedical and Environmental Sciences. Chop up kale, drizzle it with olive oil, and bake at 275°F for 20 minutes. Remove the chips and drizzle them with a little bit of salt, and you’ll have healthy chips!