7 Little Food Swaps That Can Make an Impact on Your Health
The food and drink we choose to consume on a day-to-day basis influence our mood, cravings, sleep, anxiety, weight, and so much more. But, to say “immediately STOP eating chips” isn’t realistic, nor does it support living a life without restriction.
Changing, or evolving, what we eat/drink doesn’t have to be torture. In fact, if you want to feel satisfied, continue enjoying your social functions, feel healthier over the long-haul… then making dramatic changes to your diet is THE OPPOSITE of what you need to do.
Here are 7 little food swaps that will, over time, make an IMPACT on your health goals. So, pick 1 or 2, (NOT all 7… NOT even 5 or 6), and see how it goes.
FOOD SWAP ONE
TRY THIS: Flavoured fizzy water
INSTEAD OF THIS: Pop/Soda
Swap your soda for sugar-free fizzy water – not every soda… just one. Or maybe two.
With the fizzy water, check the label and choose a brand with 0 sugar, 0 sodium. There are lots of options out there where the only ingredients are water and flavour.
FOOD SWAP TWO
TRY THIS: Open-faced sandwich
INSTEAD OF THIS: Regular sandwich on a bun or two slices of bread
Again, not every time, but occasionally opt to remove that second piece of bread and try eating an open-faced sandwich. It’s a small difference that can eliminate 50-100 calories from your day. It tastes nearly identical and, you might even find it tastes better – this way, I notice I actually taste the meat, veggies and… CHEESE.
FOOD SWAP THREE
TRY THIS: Boiled eggs
INSTEAD OF THIS: Fried eggs
Eggs are a wonderful nugget of nutrition. By sometimes boiling your eggs, instead of frying, we can skip the butter/oil and potentially save 100 calories (found in 1 tbsp of butter).
We’re not saying butter is BAD, but hey, if you can save it and still eat that delicious golden yoke – why not?
FOOD SWAP FOUR
TRY THIS: Baked goods using applesauce
INSTEAD OF THIS: Baked goods using butter/lard/oil
If you loooooove to bake, seek a recipe that uses unsweetened applesauce instead of butter/lard/oil. We know this might feel like you’re corrupting your secret family recipe for chocolate chip cookies… so don’t try it on that one! Instead, try Googling:
“Banana bread with applesauce” or “Muffins with applesauce”… and give one a try!
FOOD SWAP FIVE
TRY THIS: Chips in a bowl
INSTEAD OF THIS: Chips out of the bag
We’re not going to tell you to ALWAYS swap chips for veggies. Next time you have a hankering for chips:
Pour some in a bowl
Close the top of the bag
Put it away, out of sight
Enjoy your chips, and when they’re gone… they’re gone. 1 serving of chips can be around 120 calories… but half of a bag could be higher than 500.
FOOD SWAP SIX
TRY THIS: Small popcorn
INSTEAD OF THIS: Large popcorn combo
You start off feeling amazing, this buttery popcorn is sooooo gooooooood… But then, halfway through the movie your hand hits the bottom of the bag and you’re like “OH NO… I don’t feel so hot. Why did I do that?!”
Some of those combos seem like a better ‘deal’, but with many of us, when we buy a bigger bag… we’ll simply eat more. Next time, try ordering just a small bag. Or if you’re sharing, get the large popcorn and ask for two small bags.
FOOD SWAP SEVEN
TRY THIS: Ice cream in a dish
INSTEAD OF THIS: Ice cream in a waffle cone
Taking the kids to the Ice Cream Shoppe? Guess what?! It’s okay to have some!!!
Instead of getting your fave two-scoop in a waffle cone, try getting a kids-sized amount in a dish. Eat it slowly. Take the time to enjoy it. Life is better when you enjoy your decisions. Getting that two-scoop tastes the same…So choose to eat a smaller amount and you get the best of both worlds – happiness…. And ICE CREAM.
