Trying to make your diet healthier, but don’t know where to start? Just a few easy food swaps can give your diet a nutrition boost.
Knowing how to choose a healthy diet is one thing… but putting healthy eating into practice can sometimes be a lot harder to do. This week, I’m going to show you nine food swaps that can put you on the path to healthy eating in no time.
Sure, your diet would probably be a lot healthier if you cut back on your fats and sweets, or opted for leaner proteins, or chose better snacks – but how? You know your diet could be better if you ate more fruits and vegetables – and more variety, too – but you can barely manage to work in a banana or a side of green beans every once in a while. You know that your diet would be a lot healthier if you chose better snack foods – but chips and candy bars are just so convenient.
When you want to make your diet healthier, you might feel as if there are just too many things that need changing all at once …in which case, you may decide it’s easier to simply do nothing. So why not try making a few food swaps, little dietary tweaks, instead? Because with just a few simple food swaps, you can make your daily diet a whole lot healthier. Here are nine ideas to get you started on a healthier way of eating.
9 Easy Food Swaps to Make Your Diet Healthier
Protein shake instead of bowl of cereal. A bowl of cereal with milk is quick and easy, but you can pack a lot more nutrition into an equally-easy protein shake.
Why it’s better: A protein shake made with protein powder, milk or soymilk, and fruit will give you more protein, which gives your meal more staying power, and the fruit contributes vitamins, minerals and filling fiber. And, since you’ll be drinking the milk – rather than leaving it at the bottom of the cereal bowl – you’ll get a good dose of calcium, too.
Plain yogurt and fruit instead of pre-mixed yogurt. Pre-mixed fruit yogurt has very little fruit, and often a lot of sugar. It really doesn’t take that long to slice some fresh fruit into plain nonfat yogurt and drizzle with a little honey or maple syrup. Or, zap some frozen fruit in the microwave for a minute or two, then stir in your yogurt.
Why it’s better: You’ll be getting more fruit (and more fiber), more protein and less sugar.
Spinach salad instead of iceberg lettuce. Leafy greens are great, but some – like spinach – are nutrition superstars. Instead of lettuce, try making salads with mild baby spinach.
Why it’s better: A serving of spinach has three times more potassium, calcium and vitamin C, and 50% more vitamin A than a serving of iceberg lettuce.
Beans instead of rice or pasta. Starchy sides of white rice or regular pasta don’t pack the vitamins, minerals and fiber that whole grains do. While brown rice or whole grain noodles would be better, a serving of beans offers up even more nutrition.
Why it’s better: Swapping in beans for a side of rice or pasta means you’ll get more iron and more protein.
Edamame soybeans instead of chips. When you’re craving something savory for a snack, try some edamame soybeans instead of salty chips. Look for bags of frozen edamame in the pod at your grocery store – after a five minute dip in boiling water, they’re ready to eat.
Why it’s better: A half-cup of shelled edamame soybeans (an amount about the size of a tennis ball) has about 9g of fiber, 11g of protein, and around 10% of your daily needs for vitamin C and iron – all for about 120 calories. Show me a chip that can do that! Also, it takes time to remove the beans from the pods, which slows down the rate at which you eat.
Canned salmon instead of canned tuna. Don’t get me wrong – canned tuna is a great food, and certainly one of the easiest ways to work more fish into your diet. But canned salmon (which works well in most recipes calling for tuna) has the nutritional advantage since it contains more healthy fat.
Why it’s better: Wild-caught salmon (and nearly all canned salmon is wild) contains a higher proportion of omega-3 fatty acids compared to farmed salmon. Being a fattier fish, a serving of salmon has about twice the omega-3 fatty acids as a serving of tuna.
Avocado instead of mayonnaise or other fats. Avocado can be a great substitute for less healthy fats in all kinds of dishes. One of my favorite ways to use it is to replace the mayonnaise used in tuna (or salmon!) salad. Mashed avocado can replace fatty dressings and sauces – it makes a great dip for raw veggies, and it’s wonderful on grilled fish or chicken.
Why it’s better: Avocado is a good source of monounsaturated fatty acids – similar to what’s found in other healthy fats like olive oil and nuts.
Berries instead of orange juice. If you’re trying to work more fruit into your diet, whole fruit is the way to go. The calories in fruit juice can add up quickly, and juice just doesn’t fill you up.
Why it’s better: Fiber is what makes whole fruits more filling compared with fruit juice, and berries are some of the highest fiber fruits around. Spend 50 calories on a serving of raspberries, and you get a whopping seven grams of fiber in return.
Veggie burger instead of beef. If beef burgers are a menu staple, try this food swap – go for veggie burgers made with soy protein or beans instead. When they’re crumbled on top of a salad or nestled on a whole grain bun with plenty of onion, lettuce and tomato, they’re a pretty good substitute for the real thing.
Why it’s better: You’re getting your protein from a plant source, which means a lot less fat and saturated fat than what you’d get from the ground beef.
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Have you made some healthy food swaps in your diet? Please share them with me in the comments below! Or, is there something you love to eat but you’re looking for a lighter version? Let me know and I’ll try and come up with a personalized food swap for you.
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