Improving your eating habits starts with making small swaps to trade unhealthy foods for healthier alternatives. Unhealthy foods are readily available, and can be difficult to avoid if you’re already in the habit of eating them. If you’re ready to change your lifestyle but don’t know where to start, here are several easy food swaps that will lead to a healthy and balanced diet.
Dates for Sugar
If you frequently crave a sugar fix or enjoy making indulgent recipes full of sugar, consider swapping dates for sugar. Dates are high in natural sugar and can satisfy your sugar cravings in a healthier manner. While it is still possible to overindulge in dates, eating a few dates every day instead of other unnatural sugar sources offers a source of natural energy and fiber.
Dates are delicious on their own and are excellent to bake with. Dates can be used in place of sugar to make healthy and energy-boosting brownies, muffins, or oatmeal.
Carbonated Water for Soda
Many people fall into the habit of drinking soda, but it is full of sugar and unhealthy additives. Soft drinks can lead to cavities, obesity, and diabetes. If you regularly drink soft drinks, you may have grown to love the carbonation of soda, but there are other ways to satisfy this craving.
There are a variety of fizzy drinks available on the market, such as flavored carbonated water. While these drinks may include small amounts of sugar or stevia, it is drastically less than the sugar content of soda. While you might miss the sweetness of soft drinks at first, your health will thank you in the long run.
Protein Bars for Granola Bars or Candy Bars
If you frequently rely on candy bars or granola bars to energize you throughout the day, you could be consuming high amounts of sugar and empty carbohydrates. Some granola bars are healthier than others, but many aren’t high in nutritional value. Additionally, some are under the impression that a candy bar is a sufficient source of energy because it contains nuts or peanut butter, but the downsides of eating a candy bar usually outweigh the benefits.
Fortunately, there are a variety of protein bars that are high in nutritional value and are just as tasty as a granola bar or candy bar. Protein bars will keep you satiated for longer, so you’ll be less likely to continue snacking after eating a protein bar instead of a granola bar or candy bar.
Dark Chocolate for Candy
Many people love to snack on candy to satisfy their sweet tooth. While it’s OK to enjoy a piece of candy here and there, overindulging can lead to excess sugar consumption and cavities. Instead, opt for dark chocolate over milk chocolate or processed candies.
Dark chocolate should still be eaten in moderation, because it contains high fat, sugar, and calories. However, cocoa, the main ingredient in dark chocolate, does offer health benefits by providing flavanols that improve blood vessel function and lower blood pressure.
Dark chocolate will also satisfy your cravings more quickly so you’ll be less likely to overindulge, because the sugar content is lower and less addictive.
Cacao Nibs for Chocolate Chips
If you enjoy chocolate chips in baked goods, oatmeal, or smoothie bowls, you might consider swapping chocolate chips out for cacao nibs. Cacao nibs are made of 100% pure cacao, so there are no added sugars and oils. They might taste slightly bitter when eaten alone, but still offer a creamy chocolate flavor similar to chocolate chips when added to recipes.
Smoothie Bowls Instead of Ice Cream
If you’re craving a sweet, cold treat, try a smoothie bowl instead of ice cream. Smoothie bowls can be made in a variety of different flavors. Blend your favorite fruits together, and mix with chocolate or vanilla protein powder if you’re craving a classic ice cream flavor. You might surprise yourself by how tasty a smoothie bowl can be without containing the sugar, additives, or dairy that a bowl of ice cream has.
The natural sugars of smoothie bowls are a healthier alternative, and you can even top your smoothie bowl with cacao nibs to mimic chocolate chip ice cream.
Avocado Instead of Butter
Butter is full of saturated and trans fats, which can increase the amount of bad cholesterol in your blood. Excess butter consumption can lead to heart disease and weight gain due to the high fat content. If you crave the creamy texture of butter, consider swapping out butter for avocado.
While avocado might not taste the same as butter, it can still offer a creamy texture in place of butter. Avocado is much healthier than butter, and is full of monounsaturated healthy fats that lower cholesterol and reduce cardiovascular inflammation. Avocado can be used in place of butter in many recipes, even for baked goods.
Hummus Instead of Mayonnaise
Mayonnaise contains extremely high contents of fat, so if you’re looking to reduce the amount of fat in your diet, you should consider swapping out mayonnaise with something healthier. If you’re looking for a new way to add flavor to your sandwiches and meals instead of mayonnaise, consider hummus.
Hummus contains high levels of fiber, protein, and nutrients with minimal fat and calories.
If you prefer something with a more neutral flavor, avocado can also be used as a mayonnaise substitute.
Fresh Fruit Instead of Canned Fruit or Fruit Juice
Fruit juice is essentially pure sugar, without the benefits of eating fresh fruit. Canned fruit is usually stored in processed syrup such as high-fructose corn syrup, meaning that the fruit is doing more harm than good to your health. If you habitually consume fruit juice or canned fruit, consider eating fresh fruit instead.
Fresh fruit offers all of the delicious flavors of canned fruit or fruit juice, while being much more beneficial to your health. If you tend to shy away from purchasing fresh fruit because you fear that you won’t eat it all before it expires, download the Lil’ Broc app in order to monitor the shelf life of your produce.
Avocado, Olive, or Coconut Oil Instead of Hydrogenated Oils
Hydrogenated oils such as vegetable oil and canola oil are harmful to the health of your heart. They can increase levels of bad cholesterol and lead to heart disease. Instead, opt for a natural, unprocessed oil such as avocado, extra-virgin olive, or coconut oil.
Most oils have a rather neutral taste, and you probably won’t even notice the difference when cooking with a healthier, non-processed oil. If anything, your food will taste even better because you have the peace of mind of knowing you aren’t consuming processed oils that are detrimental to your health.
Choose Natural Products Over Their Processed Competitors
Many unsuspecting products, such as ketchup and maple syrup, are made almost completely of harmful additives, such as high-fructose corn syrup. Next time you’re shopping for syrups, sauces, or other condiments, check the ingredient label to see what you’re actually buying.
You’ll be surprised to see how many products are full of sugar and corn syrup. It may cost a few extra dollars to buy a natural product, but your health will thank you. You’ll notice that the flavors are much better too!
Bean Pasta or Vegetable Pasta for Regular Pasta
Regular pasta is made of mostly carbohydrates. While it’s OK to indulge in carbohydrates here and there, you may benefit from bean pasta or vegetable pasta, which can offer an array of other essential nutrients. Bean pasta offers a boost of protein, while opting for vegetable pasta is an excellent way to eat more vegetables.
Bean pasta will be more similar to traditional noodles. When topped with your favorite pasta sauce, you may not even notice the difference in flavor.
Quinoa for Instant Rice
Rice is by no means unhealthy, but quinoa offers an even more diverse profile of nutrients, especially when compared to white rice or processed instant rice. Quinoa is full of protein, vitamins, and minerals, and is quick to make. Traditional rice takes a long time to cook, so quinoa can be the healthier alternative to instant rice, with the added benefit of a protein boost.
Healthy Food Swaps: Final Thoughts
Eating healthy does not have to be difficult. There’s a variety of ways to make slight changes in your daily eating habits that will ultimately lead to a healthier lifestyle. By making a few subtle changes, you will quickly notice a difference in your overall health and energy levels.