10 Healthy Food Swaps

Are you, like my family, working on getting rid of a few excess pounds? Well, then, you already know to stay away from processed foods, get more exercise, and eat more fruits and vegetables.

But here are some clever food swaps you can use to keep the calories down.

1. Choose Fresh Fruit over Dried.
   A cup of grapes is delicious and only 62 calories. But a cup of craisins or dried apricots are over 300!
2. Mustard instead of mayo.
   Stay with me now, there are several different kinds of mustards, and all of them are low calorie, usually 7-10 calories a tablespoon (except honey-mustard, which is 50). Full fat mayonnaise comes in at 103 calories per tablespoon. You can even look for some tuna recipes with mustard. If Food Network says it’s ok, it’s ok with me!
3. Corn instead of Flour Tortillas.
   A flour tortilla is 140 calories, and a corn one is about 50. Google “soften corn tortillas” if you are worried about texture.
4. Simmer or Bake, don’t Fry.
   You can make some delicious egg dishes without frying anything! Poach eggs, or boil them. Make a healthy fritatta! Or create (or purchase) a Crustless Quiche.
5. Chicken Bacon instead of Pork Bacon.
   Give chicken bacon a try, it’s pretty tasty and it’s 100 calories per 100 grams vs. bacon’s 541. That’s a great swap.
6. Zoodles and Spaghetti instead of Spaghetti.
   I’m not an advocate of completely losing the pasta, I like the taste too much. But if you cook 1 oz of pasta and make 1 zucchini into zoodles, then drain the pasta over the zoodles and mix them together, you get a good amount of noodles for your sauce.2 oz of pasta alone is 212 calories. But 106 calories for one ounce, and a measly 33 calories for the zucchini, totals 139, and gives you calorie room for a good sauce.
7. Alcohol instead of Beer or Cocktails
   If it’s happy hour, you want to try a shot of vodka or Scotch or whiskey in a glass with ice and water. If you hate the taste, try a wine spritzer. And keep the drinks down to 2 max.
8. Love Chicken Breast over Beef.
   This is one of the hardest ones in this household. We do love beef. But 4 oz of skinless, boneless chicken breast is 123 calories.  4 oz of beef is 176. And you can prepare chicken a multitude of ways.
9. Pork Tenderloin instead of Pork Shoulder.
   It’s another story of the lean over the fat, and with 4 oz, you’ll save 141 calories. Try butterflying the pork tenderloin and stuffing it. But, like the chicken above, you’ll want to be smart about what you’re stuffing with. Stay away from cheeses and other fatty foods.
10. Baking? Use half sugar substitute
    If you use 1/2 sugar and 1/2 splenda or other artificial sweetener, you’ll save 372 calories per cup. And if you swap half the oil or butter with apple sauce, you’ll still get a moist product, but you’ll save 434 calories per half cup.

There you have it, my best and favorite swaps for getting through this very necessary weight loss. I wish us all success and health!