This Healthy Swap Can Replace Your Salty Snacks

If you're in the mood for a salty snack, you might be tempted to reach for fries or potato chips, which tend to be high in calories, sodium, and saturated fat. While there's nothing wrong with enjoying these foods from time to time, eating them every day can lead to unwanted weight gain, which can be counterproductive if you're looking to lose weight or maintain your current weight.

However, this doesn't mean that you can't indulge your cravings for salty snacks — it just means that you might have to look elsewhere (via Women's Health). Believe it not, there are plenty of healthier alternatives to your favorite, not-so-healthy snack foods that are just as delicious and satisfying. "As long as you stay within your calorie goals and don't exceed the recommended 2,300 mg of sodium per day ... you'll still be on track for success," registered dietitian Nora Minno told Women's Health.

According to Spoon University, there is a wide variety of snacks that are both healthy and salty at the same time. You just may need to swap out the salt for other spices and ingredients, like black pepper, garlic, ginger, or citrus. For instance, air-popped popcorn is a great food to snack on when you're craving something salty, as long as it's not full of butter and added salt. It's a simple, easy-to-make snack that can help satisfy your cravings with relatively few calories and grams of fat.

Kale chips can also help get the job done. That's because they can give you the salty taste and crunchy texture of potato chips without all of the calories (via Healthline). Kale chips are also loaded with important nutrients that can benefit your health and help you stay full for longer. Some other healthy alternatives to your favorite, salty snack foods, include beet chips, chickpeas, and nuts.