10 Healthy Substitutions for Unhealthy Foods

When you decide to eat healthy, it can be daunting to know how to change your diet if you’ve grown accustomed to certain foods. Luckily, there are plenty of ways to replace ingredients or staples in your diet with healthier alternatives that taste great! In no particular order, here are ten healthy and simple substitutions you can fold into your diet right away.

Swap out white rice for quinoa!

Cut calories by mashing cauliflower instead of potatoes.

1. If the recipe says to use vegetable oil, swap it out for coconut oil. A majority of the fat in coconut oil is medium-chain triglycerides which have been known to support weight loss!
2. Rice is a staple of many dishes, but your standard white rice is severely lacking in fiber and protein. Replace it with some quinoa! This miracle grain has about 150% more fiber and 100% more protein than white rice, and many people agree that it’s easier to cook than white rice.
3. Salad dressings may taste great, but they are loaded with artificial ingredients and fat. Strip down your salad and use a mixture of extra virgin olive oil and balsamic vinegar. The sharp, pronounced taste offsets salad greens perfectly and puts the flavor back in the contents of the bowl where it belongs.
4. Instead of adding crunch to your salad with highly processed, artificially flavored croutons, try adding a spoonful of chopped unsalted walnuts or almonds instead. You’ll get a nice boost of protein and heart-healthy fat.
5. Cutting down on starchy carbs is easy when you substitute mashed cauliflower for traditional mashed potatoes. Just steam cauliflower until tender, then add butter, salt and milk just like you would when preparing mashed potatoes. You’ll also be saving boatloads of calories.
6. Keeping in line with baking, replace your all-purpose flour with coconut flour. Coconut flower has fewer carbohydrates and is chock full of fiber.
7. Trying to rehydrate after a great workout? Skip the sugary sports drinks and grab some coconut water instead. Coconut water is full of potassium – over 16x that of sports drinks – and contains a fraction of the sugar found in sports drinks.
8. If you love to get a quick protein boost from peanut butter, consider a switch to almond butter. Jars of processed peanut butter contain added fats and sugars.
9. Vegetable shortening is full of trans-fats, so when greasing pans, baking or preparing frostings, use unsalted butter instead.
10. Leafy greens are a great way to get your daily vitamins, but they aren’t all created equal. Skip the iceberg lettuce the next time you’re making a salad and go with romaine lettuce instead. The benefit? You’ll get over 17x the amount of Vitamin A and 4x the Vitamin K!

By making small adjustments in your diet, you can start to feel better, have more energy and make great progress towards your healthy living goals. What are your favorite healthy substitutions? Let us know in the comments below!