Do you have a favorite comfort food? Most of us do! Maybe it’s a big bowl of pasta, a piece of chocolate cake, or a warm slice of bread. However, if you have the goal of eating healthier, you quickly realize these comfort foods need to be limited. A great way to do this is by swapping one food item for another healthier option.
I know, I make that sound easy, but trust me, making dietary changes doesn’t need to be a huge undertaking. That’s exactly what I’m going to help you do today! Here are five simple food swaps for healthy eating.
1. Swap White Rice for Brown Rice.
Swapping white rice for brown rice is a great place to start. Why is this a healthy swap? In addition to having a higher fiber content (helping you feel full longer), brown rice contains extra minerals. Just one cup of brown rice satisfies 80 percent of your body’s daily requirement of manganese – essential for nervous system function.
2. Use Quinoa Pasta Instead of White Flour Pasta.
Pasta made from quinoa is a great transition for the pasta lover. White flour is a roadblock to healthy eating. Quinoa pasta contains a complete protein. It is also high in fiber, magnesium, phosphorus and iron.
3. Go Sweet With Your Potatoes.
Swapping white potatoes for sweet potatoes every now and then will raise your vitamin B6 levels, your iron levels, and your calcium levels. (Sweet potatoes have nearly twice as much calcium as their white counterparts.) You may find you even prefer the taste – I know I do!
4. Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth With Stevia or Honey.
Satisfying sugar cravings are a real challenge for most people. However, once you start eating less sugar, your taste buds adjust. What does that mean? You will find that previous splurges now taste too sweet!
To make the transition to less sugar a little easier, try adding natural sugars to your diet. Stevia is an herb that’s up to 10 times sweeter than table sugar, so you can use it sparingly. Honey is an even better substitution. It is the only sweetener that has health benefits. Honey can reduce allergies, heal your gut, and aid your nervous system in fighting infections.
5. So Long, Soda.
Nearly half of all Americans drink soda. “At least I get diet soda,” you may tell yourself. Don’t fool yourself, diet soda doesn’t do your health or your waistline any favors. The artificial sweeteners in diet soda mess with your metabolism and cause you to eat more. Not only that, but the body is not made to process artificial sweeteners. This means increased risk of cell damage.
Now that you know soda is bad for you, how can you work towards ditching your beloved drink? Start by substituting soda with sparkling fruit juice. Yes, there is still a good amount of sugar in juices. However, they’re more natural and slightly less sweet than soda. Then, try sparkling fruit juice (or juice mixed with seltzer water) for a few weeks. Now give sparkling water a shot. By weaning yourself off soda slowly, you have a better shot of success than cutting yourself off cold-turkey.
There you have it … five food swaps for healthy eating. Try to utilize one of these swaps each week. As you conquer the swap, add in another – you’ll be eating healthier in no time! Could you use a little more motivation to eat healthier? My nutrition Ebook is filled with expert advice to get you started. Download it here: http://bit.ly/atlasnutrition
Tony Ortiz is a Certified Clinical Nutritionist, Pharmacist and owner of Atlas Drug and Nutrition at 8416 Kennedy Boulevard in North Bergen, New Jersey.
As an anti-aging specialist, Tony often helps people dealing with complex or “vague” illnesses when traditional providers are at a loss. His website http://atlasdrugandnutrition.com, also provides practical help for people struggling with weight gain, hormone imbalance, diabetes, or high cholesterol. Request a free consultation today. Have a question you’d like to see addressed here? Email editorial@hudsonreporter.com.