Chilli is a ride-or-die meal. You can never go wrong with this universal recipe – or maybe you can! If you add certain ingredients to the chilli. While the bizarre thought might have never come to your mind there are certain food ingredients which we never use with chilli and today, we crack down on the reason exactly why you shouldn’t even think about using them ever.
“Chili is a relatively healthy dish when prepared with quality ingredients,” says Trista Best, MPH, RD, LD at Balance One Supplements. “Chili is often made with beans, ground meat (beef or poultry), peppers, onions, and a wide variety of other nutrient-dense ingredients. A bowl of chilli can be a well-balanced meal all by itself.”
1. Crackers
While crackers can be the most convenient and ideal choice of chilli it is best to avoid them.
“Saltine crackers are a popular chilli topping, but their sodium and refined carb content make them troubling in terms of nutrition,” says Trista. “Saltine as well as oyster crackers are heavily processed and made with refined carbs, which are essentially void of any vitamins or fibre. All the beneficial ingredients that are in whole grain crackers are missing from these forms, and in turn, can have inflammatory properties.”
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2. Bacon
Bacon, with its high saturated fat and salt content, can easily overload any meal. Likewise, chilli is no exception.
“Bacon is high in saturated fat and also high in sodium,” says Olivia Sokolowska, MBA, RD at Salted Butter Kitchen. “Consider using turkey bacon, or adding smokiness in other ways with seasonings or charred vegetables.” If you need to watch your diet, skip the bacon crumbles next time you whip up a batch of chilli.”
3. Full Fat Sour Cream
While sour cream might be an ideal choice for many, it can add way too many calories and grams of fat to the meal. According to experts, choosing low-fat options or Greek yoghurt can help maintain the calories. Greek yoghurt is also great for a low-calorie option which adds a stronger flavour.
4. Full Fat Cheese
Full-Fat dairy products can easily take away the healthy part from the bowl of chilli turning it into a not-so-healthy meal. “Too much full-fat cheese will skyrocket the calories and saturated fat of the meal,” says a health expert.
5. Store-Bought Spice and Salt Blends
While a full-filling bowl of chilli offers a wholesome blend of spices, it is always preferable to add the homemade mixture rather than the store-bought ones due to their high sodium content.
“Pre-made spices and seasoning blends may contribute to an unhealthy amount of sodium,” says Tomaschko. “This is because they are rather easy to ‘overdo.’ These spices can range from garlic and onion salt to pre-made Cajun seasoning or chilli seasoning packets.”
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