In my opinion, staying fit and healthy shouldn’t be about holding back and making sacrifices. It should be a conscious decision to eat what you love by incorporating delicious foods that help your body perform better and keep the extra pounds off. Choosing healthier, more nutritious options will come naturally to you once you learn when and how to incorporate them…and when eating better comes naturally, it’s called a lifestyle =)
I love sweets and I’ll never deprive myself of them, so I’ve already put together a healthy baking substitution chart. This has come in handy countless times for me!
10 Healthy Eating Choices- get fit faster & stay fit!
RICE CRAVING?
Try: Quinoa
Why is it better? Quinoa is a complete protein based grain, so it contains all the amino acids necessary for our nutritional needs. It is super high in iron and calcium, as well as a good source of magnesium, copper, and fiber. White rice is a carbohydrate based grain. It may have slightly less calories per serving than quinoa, but it’s irrelevant since the gluten and carbs in the rice turn into sugar after we consume it, which can eventually turn to unwanted fat. Quinoa on the other hand, processes through our body efficiently, providing fuel as a clean protein. This make quinoa the better choice every time!
HAVING A SANDWICH?
Try: Pita Bread
Why is it better? Technically, there’s really no bread that’s “good” for you…and ideally, if you’re going to eat bread it should be sprouted grain or spelt bread since neither are processed and they offer the most amount of vitamins & nutrients. However, sprouted and spelt bread can be pricing and difficult to find (especially if you’re eating out). So next time you’re having a sandwich, consider opting for pita bread instead of sliced white bread. Pita bread has less calories than white bread and is very low in fat, it also contains a bit of iron and calcium. That’s a heck of a lot more than we can say about white bread, which offers almost no nutritional benefits!
MUST HAVE MASHED?
Try: Mashed Cauliflower
Why is it better? Cauliflower over potatoes is a much better choice any day, for obvious reasons. Cauliflower is packed with essential vitamins and minerals like vitamin C, K, B6, potassium, fiber, foliate…the list goes on! On top of the multiple health benefits, mashed cauliflower has a fraction of the amount calories as a cup of mashed potatoes…a win all around!
MEXICAN NIGHT?
Try: Corn Tortillas
Why is it better?
One corn tortilla contains only 40 calories and .5 grams of fat, while one flour tortilla contains 110 calories and 2.5 grams of fat, that’s reason enough for me! Not to mention the fact that flour tortillas contain loads of sodium while corn has very little…I’ll take the corn, please =)
DIPS & TOPPINGS
Try: Greek Yogurt
Why it’s better?
Non fat Greek yogurt tastes amazing, and the consistency is the same as sour cream, so it makes for an amazing calorie saving swap out. One cup of non-fat Greek yogurt contains about 130 calories and is fat free, while one cup of sour cream contains upwards of 450 calories with 45 grams of fat, now that’s a big difference!
QUENCH YOUR THIRST
10 Healthy Choices You Should Make [healthy living],
what great substitutes! I always try and eat quinoa, sweet potato fries, wheat pasta, and greek yogurt instead of the other stuff. Thank you for sharing!
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Love your substitutes but must point out a mistake in your rice/quinoa swap. You mention the rice contains gluten. It does not. As one who has been diagnosed with Celiac Disease, I am hyper vigilant when it comes to gluten as the consequences for consuming it is NOT pretty for ma or others with this ‘lovely’. I do prefer quinoa nutritionally to white rice, but enjoy brown rice on occasionally. Enjoy your Blog!
Actually, rice does contain gluten. It does not however, contain gliadin, which is the part of gluten that people with Celiac Disease react to. So you are right that with Celiac Disease, you can eat rice without problems.
If you have a gluten allergy however (which is not just focussed on the gliadin), eating rice wíll cause a reaction.
You can find all of this on wikipedia:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gliadin
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Celiac_disease
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I just wanted to mention, I’m a vegan and if you really are craving sour cream there are vegan options out there, promise you won’t even be able to tell the difference.. 25 cal per Tablespoon.
another substitute for your regular pasta is spaghetti squash! or you can also julienne, or slice super thinly, veggies like zucchini and use them in place of pasta. I don’t have all the nutritional info, but because the squash and zucchini are veggies, they will have to win, hands down. My only problem with spaghetti squash is that it often is pretty sweet tasting, which I find can be jarring when you aren’t expecting it. On the other hand, if you are making homemade tomato sauce you don’t have to sweeten it to balance the acidity in the tomatoes, cause the squash is sweet enough!
Great tip, thanks Alex!