I named my blog Small Changes Big Rewards because it was a gradual process of healthy food choices that helped me achieve a healthier body and mind. I’m going to share with you my 20 favorite healthy food swaps, but first…
Here’s my story:
When I reached my early 40’s, I was faced with the reality that I was obese (such an ugly word, isn’t it?) My blood work showed high cholesterol and high blood sugar. I also had high blood pressure and back pain. I was a mess! I looked and felt fat, old and unhealthy. I tried to exercise and lose weight, but it was such a struggle for me. The scale just wasn’t budging. I felt hungry, deprived and frustrated with everything that I tried. If I did lose weight, it wasn’t much and it always came back. I wouldn’t say I was a yo yo dieter, but I needed to lose about 50 lbs and more importantly, get my numbers in a normal healthy range again and it was just not happening. One program that I was on was all about low calorie foods and I found myself eating lots of fat free and sugar free “stuff”- I don’t think I can even call them “foods”! I was eating fat free bologna for God’s sake. Is there any real food even in there? I was eating more REAL foods BEFORE I started these diets and although I lost some weight, I was not happy or satisfied with the junk that I was putting in my body. This was just not working for me at all. My motivation to lead a healthier lifestyle wasn’t really about getting skinny or looking good. It was about getting healthy and avoiding a life filled with prescription medications, pain and disease. Improving quality of life was my priority and the only person that could achieve that for me was ME! I had to go it alone and find some healthy answers.
I love to cook and I love to read, so I started hunting down healthy recipes and testing them out on game day when we had friends over. Honestly, I never watched the game anyway, so it was a fun distraction for me. My friends and family protested a little at first, but I think they started to look forward to it. Cooking Light magazine, a variety of healthy cook books and Food Network were great resources for me. I learned so much! I discovered people like Tosca Reno, Dr Oz, Ellie Kreiger and Rocco DeSpirito. I learned that healthy food didn’t need to be boring and I didn’t need to feel deprived! WooHoo! I could do this! 🙂
Little by little I started to eliminate processed foods and replace them with healthy foods. Healthy food swapping was something that I did gradually and consistently over time. I’m down 30 pounds and 3 pants sizes, I exercise daily and my numbers are all within a healthy range now. It didn’t happen overnight- it took a few years of consistent effort. I am now 52 years old and I feel and look better than when I was 40. No lie! I still have 20 lbs to go, but I tend to build muscle, so the scale isn’t an accurate measuring tool for me, or anyone in my opinion.
I’m going to reveal to you 20 healthy foods that are a staple in my kitchen…
At first, you may not love the new healthy foods, but you need to give your taste buds time to adjust. Give each new change a good 2-3 weeks to get used to it. After a while your body will respond favorably with reduced cravings and more energy. You will lose weight and even more important, be healthier! Portion control is key. If I label these next 20 things “healthy foods”, it does not give you free reign to eat the whole box or jar! These are not zero calorie foods, but better REAL food choices. In some cases the calorie content might even be higher than the unhealthy processed version. Calories are not your enemy, it’s the quality of the calorie that counts.
Okay, here goes…
1. Substitute Skim Milk for your whole milk. You may want to step it down gradually. Whole to 2%, 2% to 1%, 1% to Skim. Read the label. Some brands add artificial ingredients to improve the thickness and flavor.
2. Swap reduced fat cheeses for your full fat versions. I especially like Cabot 50% because it tastes the same and melts like full fat cheese does. The 75% is not as good and melts weird.
3. Green Tea! Limit the coffee and tea that require milk and sugar to 2 cups a day and try Green tea! I especially like the Zen Tazo tea. It has a subtle mint and lemon flavor that makes it less earthy and it’s easy to drink plain. A known metabolism booster too. Click here for more benefits f green tea.
4. Kind Bars! It’s a great choice for a sweet snack that satisfies. There are several varieties that are 5 – 7 grams of sugar and all natural ingredients. The nuts will keep you full and they are delicious. Be very careful to read labels on all snack bars. Many have over 20 grams of sugar. That’s more like a candy bar than a healthy snack!
5. Swap Brown rice for your White rice. The uncle Ben’s plain is perfect for a quick healthy choice. The Lundberg Jubilee mixed rice takes longer to cook, but has a really nice flavor and texture. There are so many out there to choose from, so be careful! Watch the sodium content! Choose plain and add flavor with vegetables or by using chicken broth instead of water when cooking.
6. Berry Greens! It supplies you with a full days worth of veggies, fruits and 38 Superfoods. I like It Works brand because it doesn’t taste like grass. It gives me energy, boosts my immunity and I can add it to my water, juice, iced tea or protein shake. It also comes in orange.
7. Swap Unsweetened Iced Tea for your Sweet Iced Tea and cut lots of calories from the sugar! Can’t drink it plain? Add a splash of juice or a natural sweetener like honey, agave or stevia. Do NOT drink soda or diet soda! It’s counter productive to losing weight.
8. When all that will do is a tuna sandwich or creamy macaroni salad then cut the calories by mixing these 3 together. Real Mayo and Plain Greek yogurt in equal parts and then a half part of the dijon. This particular Smart Balance Mayo tastes great and is a little bit healthier than other mayonaise options. I also mix my own sandwich spread with equal parts mayo and dijon and a little honey.
9. Swap Whole Wheat Pasta for your white enriched pasta. I love this brand- Luiggi Vitelli. It boils up to a texture that’s very similar to white pasta, but the whole wheat is much more filling.
10. Swap whole grain bread for white bread, but read the labels! If it says flour it’s processed. I like Alvarado Street Sprouted breads. They come in several varieties and are usually found in the freezer section of the store. The calorie content is higher, but it will fill you up with good quality grains.
11. Salad Dressings…My first option is usually balsamic vinaigrette, but sometimes I just crave a creamy dressing or dip for my veggies. This is delicious! Creamy, but made with Greek yogurt for more protein and less fat and calories. OPA!
12. Nut Butters are good healthy fats, but don’t be fooled by those high sugar impostors. Choose natural. Again, Read The Labels! I especially love Smart Balance creamy or chunky pb and Justin’s Almond Butter. The Justin’s maple almond butter is better but sadly, the store was out. I like that it comes mixed and stays mixed.
13. Coconut oil! Use it wherever you would use butter or oil. So many benefits and tasty too!
14. The next 3 kinda go together. I’ll start with Tazo Chai Tea. I make a big batch and refrigerate it to use in my breakfast smoothies so I can get more volume in my meal replacement drink but it doesn’t add calories. It also has caffeine, so a little bit of extra energy doesn’t hurt either.
15. Swap skim Milk in your morning smoothie with Unsweetened Silk Almond Coconut blend. The cashew milk is also good! I put in about 8 ounces of chai and about 6 ounces of the almond milk. It makes it nice and creamy and has a nice flavor 🙂 Also really good in cereal and oatmeal.
16. It Works ProFit Protein Powder for a healthy meal swap. I use it as my breakfast meal replacement from Monday to Friday. It comes in Chocolate and Vanilla and both are absolutely delicious! I particularly love the fact that it has less than a gram of sugar. If you mix it with the almond milk, nut butters and some fruit it makes a very satisfying healthy breakfast.
17. Oatmeal is a satisfying comfort food and good for your cholesterol, but I rarely have the patience in the morning to cook it stove top. These little packets of plain oatmeal are perfect! You measure the water right in the pouch and microwave it. I like the steel cut oats with some fruit, walnuts and a drizzle of honey or pure maple syrup.
18. Face it, healthy eating sometimes leaves you craving something crunchy. I absolutely love these rice crackers. Low in fat, salt and calories it’s the perfect craving crusher!
19. Cooking spray can be swapped for butter or oil to cut calories from fat. It’s easy and really has no flavor.
20. Kashi now has this sweet potato flake cereal and it’s delicious! A nice crunch and subtle sweet potato flavor with a hint of sweetness. Perfect for those before bed cravings, and this is way better than the ice cream that I used to go for!
That’s it! I hope you try some of these food swaps.
I’d love to hear some of your favorites and some feedback on these 🙂 A little change here and a little change there will be something that transforms into a healthy habit over time, and healthy habit will lead to a healthier you!
Here’s how I decided to take control of my life: I was a wife and mother in my early 40’s. I was unhappy, overweight and on the verge of needing prescription medications for a bunch of problems. I had lower back pain, high blood pressure, high blood sugar and high cholesterol. Whaaat???!!!
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