4 Hacks to Make Junk Food Healthier From a Dietician

• Registered dietitian Monica D’Agostino started a TikTok series about how to make packaged meals healthier.
• She offers hacks on how to make foods like pizza, mac and cheese, and French fries more nutritious.
• Small changes can make prepackaged foods healthier and more satisfying without having to cook a full meal.

we all know that processed food It’s not the best for your health, but it’s often more affordable, cheaper, and quicker to prepare than the meals you make at home every night.

Rather than trying to eliminate processed and prepackaged foods entirely, one nutritionist recommends mixing in some foods instead. healthier ingredients.

“Social media has created the idea that every night I cook, I have to make an elaborate meal, and I have to do everything from scratch, which takes hours. You don’t have to,” New York-based registered dietitian Monica D’Agostino told Insider.

In July, D’Agostino launched a series on TikTok with more than 700,000 followers about how to make processed foods healthier.

“Our goal with this series, and with healthy eating in general, is to make packaged foods more filling, nutritious, and satisfying,” D’Agostino said. told an insider.

Here are some of her hacks for adding nutrients to your favorite packaged foods.

Add an egg to your favorite boxed macaroni & cheese sauce

In her most popular packaged food video, which has over 2 million views on TikTok, D’Agostino makes the classic boxed mac and cheese. In the video, D’Agostino says the box of macaroni and cheese is “my all-time favorite packaged food.”

To make macaroni and cheese a little healthier, D’Agostino recommends substituting eggs for butter and milk, which are usually mixed into cheese sauce. Eggs add protein and healthy fats and create the texture of a creamy cheese sauce. Steaming and stirring 1 cup of broccoli is also a delicious and filling vegetable.

Get more nutrition with frozen pizza

D’Agostino told an insider that frozen pizza lacks enough fiber and protein to truly fill and satisfy. To add protein and fiber, she chops cooked chicken sausage and some veggies (I use red pepper, red onion, and broccoli) and sprinkles them on top of the pizza before cooking according to package directions. It is recommended that you put them in

“It’s very easy to put a frozen cheese pizza in the oven and sit down and eat three-quarters of it, because it doesn’t have much to keep you satisfied,” says D’Agostino. But when I add these extra features, ”You’ll be able to create a more filling, balanced meal, and you’ll find yourself eating less of the whole pizza. ”

Mix protein powder with morning milk and cereal

Inspired by another registered dietitian, Livkinkade, who lives on TikTok as @livkinkade, D’Agostino recommends mixing protein powder with your favorite milk and pouring it over your favorite cereal.

Using a handheld whisk, D’Agostino mixes the protein powder into the almond milk until it’s creamy and clump-free, then pours it over the cereal. She recommends cereals with at least her 5 grams of fiber. She tops the bowl with strawberries and adds nutrients like: Vitamin C and Potassiumhemp seeds for healthy fats, and a sprinkle of cinnamon for healthy fats antioxidant effect.

If you don’t want to use protein powder, you can also mix in powdered peanut butter. This is what Kincade has done with her work. original viral video.

make a lot of fries

D’Agostino said one of the best meals in her series was sweet potato nacho fries, which she calls “healthy bar food.”

For this hack, she air-fries frozen sweet potato fries for about 10 to 15 minutes, then tops them with black beans and pepper jack cheese for extra protein, then tops them with tomatoes, onions, cilantro, and guacamole for extra protein. To do. fiber and flavor.

“It’s a very filling and easy way to have a balanced meal, but feel like something a little more fun,” D’Agostino said.