Healthy Substitutions

An easy way to eat healthier, and still eat the foods you love is to make small substitutions to your meals. This is something that you can learn to do and before you know it, you dont even think about it anymore.

For example, when you are baking you substitute applesauce in place of butter. When you are cooking in a frying pan always use an alternative to fat like Pam. Low calorie butter spray in place of butter or margerine. Whole wheat flour instead of bleached, whole wheat pasta in place regular, wild or brown rice in place of white. Yams or sweet potatoes in place white potatoes. Lean cuts of beef like sirloin or tenderloin in place of pot roast, ribs, or prime rib.

On the sweeter side of things, its always better to avoid high sugar foods. Most of the time you are never going to notice a difference. Sugar free candy is hit and miss. A lot of times they make up for the lack of sugar with an extra side of fat. Sugar free syrups, jams and jellies, sodas and drinks, are all going to save you on the unwanted calories. Not to mention the effect they have on our blood sugar.

When it comes to dairy, it is always better to choose the lowfat or non-fat cheeses (when you are cooking with cheese, you can't tell a difference in taste so non-fat is much better), low-fat milks, yogurts and make sure you check the date so you get the freshest availible.

Fresh or frozen veggies are better than canned. And to prevent a loss of nutrition, steaming, grilling, or micro-waving them is a lot better than boiling or sauteing them. The fresher the better!

When it comes to dressing and sauces, red almost always will be a healthier bet than cream or white. Avoid oily or buttery dressings, and go for the vineagarettes or tomato based sauces.

Hopefully this helps you to make better choices. These little things can add up quickly.