5 Healthy Food Swaps for Weight Loss
5 Healthy Food Swaps for Weight Loss
Everybody has those foods that they absolutely LOVE so much that - even if it is not the healthiest option - can be hard to part from during a lean journey. When we are constantly having that favourite snack or condiment in a moment of weakness, we could be hindering our LEANNESS or making it more difficult for us to get some of that pesky extra weight off!
What if I told you there was a way to still enjoy some of your favourite things the LEAN way? We can do this with FOOD SWAPS! There are a TON of foods that have similar tastes or feels of certain foods that we LOVE that could be saving you some unneeded sugar, carb or processed fat intake.
Here are some of my favourite healthy food swaps to help you lose some extra pesky fat and feel LEAN!
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1. Flavoured yogurt → ICELANDIC YOGURT!
Flavoured yogurt is definitely a popular snack or breakfast option. It is creamy, sweet, and can sometimes be thought of as a healthy snack. What makes flavoured yogurt unhealthy is the SUGAR content! Most flavoured yogurts have a TON of sugar, whether it is regular, greek or icelandic, with any added flavour, you are adding unneeded carbs and sugar into your diet.
A great swap for any flavoured yogurt is icelandic yogurt! Icelandic yogurt is similar to greek yogurt, but is less tart, and contains more protein! Plane greek yogurt is also a healthier option, but icelandic yogurt has a bit of a better taste! I know what your probably thinking,..
But Phil, I don’t like the taste of plain yogurt! I need some flavour in my life!
And to that, I will say there is a solution! Something I absolutely love to add to my icelandic yogurt is almond butter! Almond butter like other nut butters, has a natural sweet and salty taste which can sweeten up your yogurt and help with tartness. If you prefer, you can also add an organic peanut butter or cashew butter to your yogurt. Another great yogurt add on is fruits! Either fresh or frozen, fruits can sweeten up your yogurt without all the added processed sugars! Although fruits tend to add to be high in sugar, natural sugars from a fruit are definitely better for you then processed sugars found in flavoured yogurt!
2. Pasta → Palmini pasta
Pasta is definitely a staple in most households. It is super quick and easy to make, plus it is super versatile. The downside? Pasta is LOADED with tons of carbs! Especially white pastas, even healthier whole grain pastas or other pasta variations tend to still have high carb content.
Palmini pasta is a pasta made entirely from a plant called hearts of palm. It is SO low in carbs due to its high water and fibre content! This pasta is 90% water! When preparing this pasta, it should be soaked in some type of nut or oat milk, I like to soak mine in almond milk, to improve the taste. From there, you can add palmini pasta to any sauce or dish of your choice! The taste is almost identical to regular pasta so you can enjoy your pasta almost carb free!
Along with palmini pasta, there are a TON of other healthy pasta substitutes. Another great option is konjac noodles. These noodles are also made up of 90% water, are almost carbless, and are great to use in place of noodles in your favourite teriyaki or asian inspired dish! The last mentinable pasta swap are zucchini noodles. Of course, since these noodles are made 100% from zucchini they have all the great health benefits of eating veggies with the feel of pasta!
3. Ketchup → Sriracha
Ketchup is one of those condiments that almost everyone enjoys! It is super versatile and tastes great with fries, potatoes, eggs, steak, hash browns, hotdogs, burgers… the list goes on! Although ketchup tastes great, what isn’t so great is the super high sugar content! For every tablespoon of ketchup, you are intaking 4g of sugar and 15 calories! It doesn’t sound like a lot, until you consider that when you do have ketchup, you are probably intaking a lot more than 1 tablespoon which can add up! Eating 3 - 4 tablespoons of ketchup is almost equivalent to the sugar consumed when drinking half a can of pop!
A great alternative to ketchup is sriracha hot sauce! Sriracha will give you the texture and feel of eating ketchup without all the sugar! I LOVE adding some spice to all my dishes. Spice can help FIRE up the metabolism and get your body burning faster! Franks hot sauce is another great alternative! Again, it contains less calories and sugar and will help speed up your metabolism!
4. Maple syrup → Waldens Maple Syrup
Maple syrup is a super sweet condiment delicious in many different dishes, either as a topping or an ingredient! Most commonly known for its use on pancakes, waffles and other breakfast foods, maple syrup is another household staple. Although maple syrup is delicious it contains huge amounts of sugar, having about 13g of sugar per tablespoon! Now maple syrup tends to be one of those toppings we like to use a lot of! So 1 tablespoon doesn’t go a long way!
Maple syrup is one of those condiments that is irreplaceable, when you want pancakes you NEED maple syrup on them! The good news? You don’t have to give it up to stay lean! Walden’s maple syrup tastes JUST like your average maple syrup but without all the sugar! Walden’s is COMPLETELY calorie, carb, fat and sugar free!
5. Chips & dip → Cucumbers & Guacamole 
Chips are another one of those go to snacks we like to enjoy, especially when spending time with friends and family! They are super simple to prepare and enjoy, and of course are super addictive! If you have one, you’ll want the whole bag! Although chips are a simple and addictive snack, your average chip contains a ton of calories, high fat, high carbs and a high chance of feeling bloated and not so lean the next day! Depending on the dip, a lot of your basic chip dips such as canned salsa or cheese dip can contain high amounts of fat, salt and carbs! Not a very lean combo!
If you want to enjoy the feel of eating chips and dip, try swapping your chips for cucumbers and your dip for guacamole! Cucumbers will give you the much needed crunch factor we all know and love when craving chips! Cucumbers are a vegetable and are naturally sweet and crunchy whereas chips are deep fried and filled with saturated fats, tons of carbs and a list of many other unhealthy ingredients! Guacamole is one of the healthier options when it comes to dips. Either homemade or a healthy store bought option are both great options! Avocados are a great source of healthy fat and are the main ingredient in guac! Not to mention guacamole is SO delicious!
There you have it Squadies! 5 of my TOP healthy food swaps if you want to enjoy your favourite foods while still making progress in your LEAN journey!