Choosing healthier foods is easier than you may think. By changing just a few eating habits, you can make a big difference in your diet.
Making small changes to your diet is the healthiest and most feasible way to lose weight. Your first step is to eat fewer foods high in calories, fat, salt, and sugars and swap them for something healthier.
These low-calorie alternatives provide new ideas for old favorites. When making a food choice, remember to consider vitamins and minerals. Some foods provide most of their calories from sugar and fat but give you few, if any, vitamins and minerals.
With all of the unhealthy foods and ingredients surrounding us, eating healthy can be difficult. It doesn’t have to be, though! Almost every unhealthy food has a healthy alternative that can match its taste and add nutrition to your diet.
Sour Cream vs. Greek Yoghurt
via livestrong.com
Sour cream may be tasty, but it’s loaded with calories and lacks nutrients. Replace it with Greek yogurt for another great-tasting, creamy dip. Greek yogurt has a whopping 227% fewer calories than sour cream and 450% more protein!
Chocolate Chips vs. Cacao Nibs
via minq.com
If you can’t stop yourself from chowing down on chocolate chip cookies, you can make a more guilt-free option with cacao nibs. These little pellets have the same great chocolatey taste without the sugar and with five times more fiber.
Milk vs. Almond Milk
via fitday.com
Getting almond or soy milk instead of regular milk is a great way to get healthier without sacrificing taste. Regular milk has six times more sugar than almond milk, and almond milk has been found to have significant benefits for weight management.
Flour vs. Coconut Flour
via minq.com
Flour is a necessary evil for most dieters — it’s super high in carbs but is in almost everything, so it can’t be avoided. Instead of regular flour, invest in coconut flour. Coconut flour has fewer carbs and an incredible 11 times the fiber of regular flour.
Rice vs. Quinoa
via skipthepie.org
Rice is a great side dish that can be paired with pretty much anything but is not very his in nutrients. To boost your healthy intake, replace it with quinoa for 150% more flour and double the protein.
Potato Chips vs. Air-Popped Popcorn
via minq.com
If your weakness is salty potato chips, try air-popped popcorn as a more healthy alternative. It has a third of the calories and nine times less saturated fats while still providing you with an excellent taste to munch on while watching TV or a movie.
Croutons vs. Almonds
via minq.com
Salads are a dieter’s best friend, but only when made health-consciously. Croutons are great in a salad for taste but not for your health. Use almonds instead to double your protein easily and triple your fiber intake while cutting the carbs in the salad down by two thirds.
Regular Bread vs. Pita Bread
via fitday.com
Although pita still has carbs, it’s a great alternative to loaf bread. Pita is thinner than traditional bread, and its pocket shape is perfect for stuffing lean meat and veggies into. Opt for the whole wheat options to eliminate sugar and up your fiber.
Vinegar vs. Lime Juice
via minq.com
Vinegar is a prevalent cooking ingredient but doesn’t give you many nutrients. You can get an instant health boost by using lime juice instead of vinegar in your recipes. The lime juice will provide you with calcium and folates you wouldn’t get from the vinegar.
Ketchup vs. Salsa
via fitday.com
Salsa makes a great alternative to the ketchup because, unlike ketchup, which is loaded with high amounts of sugar, salt, and fat, salsa is relatively healthy. Salsa contains high amounts of tomatoes and peppers, which have many vitamins and minerals essential for good health and optimal growth. Still, some salsas include garlic, which is useful in treating a wide variety of cardiovascular problems. Finally, salsas that are made with olive oil are incredibly healthy.