Cheese dip and heart health aren’t exactly a match made in heaven. Considering how most store-bought cheese dips are made with artificial flavors, they don’t provide many nutrients, and they can be relatively high in sodium and fat, adding cheese dips to your diet if you are focused on your heart health isn’t the best practice. Tasty? Of course! But good for your heart health? Not so much.
Since cheese dips don’t have the most impressive nutritional profile, it makes sense that experts would tend to recommend people limit their intake of this cheesy goodness. But the reality is that, for some, making it through football-watching season or summertime BBQs without their beloved cheese sauce is unthinkable.
The good news is that there are some better-for-you dips available at grocery stores and online that satisfy your need for something to dip your baked chips in, without loading your body up with questionable ingredients.
When it comes to cheese dips, finding an option that is made with wholesome ingredients, no artificial colors or flavors, and doesn’t contain huge quantities of sodium or fat is ideal. If the tip contains micronutrients that are emphasized for heart health—calcium, magnesium, and potassium—that is certainly a bonus.
Out of all the cheese dips out there, the #1 best store-bought cheese dip for heart health is Good Foods Plant Based Queso Style Dip.
Read on, and for more healthy heart tips check out Snacking Habits That Can Increase Your Heart Disease Risk.
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Most store-bought cheese dips taste great, but nutritionally, leave a lot to be desired. But, cheese lovers may be weary to try a dairy-free cheese sauce out of concern that it won’t live up to their standards.
But Good Foods makes a dairy-free cheese dip that will make you reach for this healthier alternative any day of the week. With under 200 milligrams of sodium and 0 grams of saturated fat per serving, this sauce checks many heart-healthy food boxes. The 80 milligrams of potassium that each serving provides offers an extra heart health benefit too.
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Instead of including artificial colors, artificial flavors, and questionable stabilizers in this sauce, Primal Kitchen leans on ingredients like red peppers, red onions, and even nutritional yeast and chia protein. Soy-free, vegan-friendly, and non-GMO, this cheese sauce can fit into a wide variety of diets, as long as the vessel you choose isn’t deep fried or doused in sodium (like classic tortilla chips). This sauce even has some fiber, which is practically unheard of when evaluating cheese dips! And most importantly, this dip tastes absolutely amazing.
So, if you are focused on your heart health and you are a cheese sauce lover, opting for Good Foods Plant Based Queso Style Dip to tackle your craving may be your best bet.
Lauren Manaker MS, RDN, LD, CLEC
Lauren Manaker is an award-winning registered dietitian, book author, and recipe developer who has been in practice for almost 20 years. Read more about Lauren
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