Healthy Spreads for Bagels Help Save on Fat and Calories

Source: Healthy Spreads For Bagels Help Save on Fat and Calories

There's nothing wrong with a little cream cheese here and there, but enter the world of other topping possibilities. These new tastes are fresh and can help you to mix up your palate. Another perk of these foreign bagel flavors is that they are all healthier options without sacrificing flavor. See which spread will be the next butter to your bread.

  • Neufchâtel: This spreadable cheese looks just like cream cheese and is usually available right next to it in the refrigerator aisle. Judging by labels alone, this is the health-conscious choice with 10 percent less fat than cream cheese.

  • Farmer cheese: Lower in calories and in fat is farmer cheese. If you enjoy the texture and taste of ricotta cheese, think of this as its cousin, which makes it a whipped-style bagel topper.

  • Goat cheese spread: Herbed goat cheese can taste great on a bagel. The lower-cal, more spreadable version involves combining it with Greek nonfat yogurt (and a little olive oil, if you want). This lightened-up goat cheese recipe not only tastes great, but it also contains loads of protein from the yogurt, which coincidentally also makes it feel like it has more of a cream cheese consistency.


More from FitSugar: Healthy Baking: Surprising Butter Substitutes


  • Almond butter: If you loved PB&J as a kid then you will devour almond butter on a bagel. This nutty spread has less saturated fat and more protein than cream cheese. Unlike peanut butter, almond butter contains 100 calories, that's 80 less calories than PB, with less fat.

  • Avocado: Don't let the calories in avocado scare you, this is one topping that's au naturel. It's loaded with vitamins, minerals, and even protein! The fat content in this green spread is from the good monounsaturated fats, aka the kind that you want to digest. Think of avocados as the olive oil to your salad.

  • Hummus: The lowest-calorie and -fat option is our favorite Mediterranean delight. Skip the pita chips and spread some hummus on your bagel. The dip is filling because of its garbanzo bean base, and you can get creative with the herbs and spices that you add on.



Related Content:
Order Right: 5 Tips For Healthier Bagels


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