Crackers Are Making You Sick and Fat. Eat these nutritious alternatives instead

Buying a box of crackers can seem like a good idea. They are often cheap, available in a wide variety of style and flavors, and convenient to eat. What many people do not realize is these crackers are often full of sugar, sodium, and unhealthy fats – along with artificial flavoring. If you are eating crackers, they could be making you sick and fat.

While there are healthy crackers, most contain unhealthy ingredients. Learn more about the health dangers of crackers

Crackers are Heavily Processed

The primary problem with crackers is that they are typically heavily processed. They are wrapped in plastic sleeves and full of a long list of unreadable ingredients. It has gotten to the point where many of the name brand crackers are mostly made of unhealthy starches, sugars, artificial flavoring, and nothing beneficial.

High sugar consumption can increase your risk of cardiovascular disease, heart disease, and elevated cholesterol. Many of these crackers are full of sugars that can increase your bad cholesterol.

Sugar is only part of the problem. Sodium can be just as harmful. Consuming too much sodium can lead to the same health risks as consuming lots of sugar. A single serving of Ritz-Bitz cheese crackers has 480 milligrams of sodium. That single serving is 20 percent of your daily-recommended sodium.

Along with sugar and sodium, there is increasing concern over the use of artificial flavoring and colors. Artificial food coloring has been linked to cancer, behavioral problems, and hyperactivity.

When you choose crackers with cheese or peanut butter filling, you are increasing the harmful ingredients that you are putting into your mouth. Most filling is made entirely from artificial ingredients. Simply put – cheese filling is typically nothing more than sugar, flavoring, and dye.

The vast majority of crackers have no nutritional value – only harmful ingredients that can increase your risk of developing a number of different health risks. Instead of buying a product that contains more ingredients than you can name, try finding healthier crackers.

How to Find Healthier Snack Options

The best way to start your search for healthier crackers and snacks it read the nutrition label. Look at the amount of sodium, sugar, and saturated fat. You should also look at the list of ingredients. Try to avoid snacks that contain ingredients with hard to pronounce names.

Also, look out for hydrogenated oils, high-fructose corn syrup, and artificial coloring. When examining the sodium, look for foods that contain less than 230 milligrams per serving.

You may be tempted by crackers labeled as backed. This does not mean that they are any healthier than the other crackers. If you must choose crackers from the store, look for whole grain crackers. Whole grain crackers should contain “whole-wheat flour”.

Another option, instead of purchasing any crackers from the store, is to make your own crackers at home. This could save you money and you will know what ingredients were used.

Whether you make your own crackers or buy them from the store, pay attention to labels and look at the nutritional information before making a purchase.

Source: http://www.fhfn.org/unhealthy-crackers/