Food can be a huge motivator for some people. Being excited about what’s for dinner or lunch is never a bad thing, but eating overly unhealthy foods can be. A lot of the foods we eat day-to-day don’t need to be as fattening or unhealthy as they are. There can be easy and tasty ways to substitute or mix things up in your meals.
Whether it is a full-fledged meal or just a snack you are having throughout the day, what we eat makes a difference in our weight, mood, and whole self. The act of changing your whole diet could be a scary or an overwhelming task to take on. That is why it could be great to start substituting foods instead to slowly ease into getting healthier one step at a time.
Summer Favorites
Many of our favorite foods could be considered seasonal and never changing. That doesn’t have to be the case though. Foods like burgers, salads, and tacos can all have healthy trades within them and still keep the amazing taste we all love. When it comes to burgers, instead of the white bread buns or ketchup you could try a portabella mushroom and hummus. These both are able to trade the useless sugars or flour for more protein and fiber in every bite.
Salads, of course, are already filled with a great number of veggies but they can get better. Trading croutons or store-bought dressing with pistachios and homemade dressing can be a great way to make your salad even more nutritious. A homemade dressing can simply be made from virgin olive oil and an acid like lemon or line.
Changing up a good old fashioned taco doesn’t need to take the fun away from eating them. Instead of a flour tortilla, switch it out with a leaf of lettuce to put your fillings in. It can add some great nutrition and minerals.
Home Cooked
You may have a very strict idea of what your home-cooked meals are and what is in them, but they can always use some tweaking as well.
Options like spaghetti always have room for error. Instead of buying a store-bought tomato sauce that comes with far too much sugar, try making your own homemade sauce. It just takes some cherry tomatoes, oil, and garlic to make the perfect sauce for your noodles.
Breakfast could also use some sprucing up as well. When you are cooking your eggs be sure to eat the whole egg and not just the egg whites. The whole egg gives you the proper nutrients and vitamins you need. While the egg yolk can also help raise testosterone levels as well.
Greek yogurt can be a great replacement for regular yogurt. Greek yogurt offers an amazing amount of protein and can help your metabolic health too.
Changing your diet can be intimidating, so starting with substitutions for foods you already know and love can be a great way to start your journey. Don’t be scared to try new things and see what other kinds of foods may pique your interest.