One of the surprising parts of any weight loss journey is the realization that there’s a lot more salt, sugar, and fat in our favorite foods than we’re aware of. After all, it’s often not until we’re counting calories and actively trying to lose weight that we start really paying attention to food nutritional labels or looking up calorie information on apps.
And let’s be honest, we don’t always like what we see. Luckily, strategic food swaps can help you keep enjoying the same flavors and foods—with a little healthier spin.
What’s Behind Smart Food Swaps
The right healthy food swap can make a big difference in your nutritional intake and help support your weight loss goals:
Calories: A healthy food swap can significantly cut the number of calories you’re consuming.
Fiber: A healthy food swap can increase your fiber to help you feel fuller for longer—and avoid sugar crashes that come with refined flour.
Fat: A healthy food swap can lower your overall fat intake and help you consume less unhealthy fats which means helping you steer clear of heart disease.
Sugar: A healthy food swap can keep empty sugar calories out of your diet while still lending sweetness.
Let’s Start Swapping!
For Sweet Treats
- Stevia is an incredibly versatile substitute for sugar. Made from the leaves of the stevia plant, this non-artificial sweetener adds zero calories. It’s powerful stuff—just 1 pinch of stevia is as sweet as 1 teaspoon of sugar—so be mindful of how much you add.
- A pint of ice cream can be a minefield of unwanted sugar, fats, and calories. The relatively new diet ice cream market has blossomed to offer options made with sugar alcohols instead of sugar—slashing the calorie count (and letting you indulge in a full pint every once and a while).
- Sprinkle a little cinnamon in your morning coffee instead of sugar to add a spiced sweetness with none of the calories.
- Peanut butter can really elevate your morning smoothies, but often has high fat and sugar. Swapping in peanut butter powder (made from dried roasted peanuts) will give you the same peanut taste without all the extra calories.
- Soda can be hard to give up. There are diet soda options if you need the real deal, but the best substitution would be a flavored, zero-calorie seltzer or homemade seltzer with a squeeze of lemon or lime with some soda or tonic water.
For Snacks and Takeout
- Eat your burgers nestled between green leafy vegetables like kale or lettuce to cut a chunk of the carbs found in the meal. This swap is becoming a more and more popular option at burger joints so be sure to look for it on the menu at your favorite burger spot.
- Pizza can still have a place in your diet! Cauliflower crust is a popular healthy crust substitute that has made its way to pizza parlors nationwide. If you’re still looking for that chewy pizza dough, try pinsa instead—a Roman style of fermented pizza crust made with a combination of soy, rice, and wheat flours—for fewer carbs and better digestion.
- If you tend to snack while watching a movie, swap salty chips or buttery popcorn for nuts. Bonus points, if you choose pistachios—removing the shells, will slow down your snacking speed and help you feel fuller!
- Another easy afternoon snack substitution is rice cakes for toast. You can top these versatile crunchy rounds with virtually any topping, sweet or savory.
For Mealtime
- Mix up pasta night by substituting whole wheat pasta, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles for refined white pastas. Whole wheat pasta is full of fiber, while vegetable noodle options cut both calories and carbs. Use a spiralizer tool to turn a zucchini into “zoodles” with a twirl of the hand.
- Multi-purpose vegetable cauliflower can be mashed to substitute for mashed potatoes or riced with a cheese grater for an easy stir-fry swap.
- Pay attention to your condiments! Swap out high-fat and calorie mayo for mustards (which can have as little as zero calories) and try low-sugar ketchup instead of regular ketchup. Greek yogurt contains healthy fats and can also be substituted for mayo in recipes.
No matter what exact swaps you end up incorporating, introducing more fresh fruits and vegetables onto your plate is the fastest and easiest way to “healthify your diet” as you work towards weight loss success!
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