Smart Swaps

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Small substitutions can make a big difference.

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Sometimes a good diet isn’t all about completely revamping every little thing you eat. Often subtle substitutions to the foods you usually eat can make a huge difference in the number of calories you consume, the kind of nutrients you eat and your general health. Here are a few ways you can “health-ify” common meals. Use them as inspiration for altering your favorite dishes to better suit your healthy lifestyle.

Instead of: Spaghetti and Meatballs
Have: Whole Wheat Spaghetti and meatless meatballs

Switching to whole-wheat spaghetti eliminates much of the food starch that causes your insulin levels to rise and encourages your body to store fat. Plus it includes a lot of extra protein and fiber. Having vegetarian “meatless” meatballs instead of regular meatballs trims some saturated fat from the meal.

Instead of: Buttered toast, two eggs, and bacon
Have: Whole wheat toast with jelly, three egg whites, and a slice of lean ham

Even a traditional American breakfast can be made healthy. Jelly has about 1/3 of the calories of butter, plus none of the saturated fat. Scooping out the egg yolk takes out a lot of the cholesterol and saturated fat that have given eggs a bad rap. And ham has more protein than bacon but less grease.

Instead of: Two scoops of ice cream topped with chocolate syrup and sprinkles
Have: Two scoops of sorbet topped with low fat whipped cream and raspberries

No one said dieting means you have to give up your sweet tooth. Just keep an eye on the sugar and calorie content and you can have the occasional indulgence without feeling it in your waistline.

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I think this really illustrates that a good diet doesn’t start at home; it starts in the grocery store. Once you decide to only bring mostly healthy food into your home, slowly but surely, your white bread will be replaced by wheat bread; your whole milk will be replaced by skim milk; and your potato chips will be replaced by unbuttered popcorn. After that, eating healthy will simply be a matter of reaching for whatever happens to be in your fridge or cupboard.

Bust Through the Sweet Spot

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Got carried away with too much sweet stuff? Ingest more fiber and protein to help even things out.

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Too much cake, candy or cookies can make you feel like crap. Depending on your blood sugar level, you may even start to feel a little shaky because refined carbs make your blood sugar spike.

When this happens, take action right away by consuming a combination of protein, fiber and complex carbohydrates. Examples:

- Yogurt and berries
- Handful of almonds and a small piece of fruit
- Peanut butter on whole-grain toast

- Unsalted soy nuts

Snacks like these take longer to digest and are released more slowly into your bloodstream. This will help to cut your blood sugar when you eat them right away.

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This bit of advice was recently reported by ABC News. Although I was already aware of it, hearing about it again made me realize just how counterintuitive it is. When I eat too many sweets, my instinct is to not eat anything else because I feel like crap physically and mentally (Read: Major Guilt).

This is one of the few times that you may have to allow nature & proven science to override your natural instinct in an effort to curb the short-term effects of a sugar binge - no matter how warranted that quart of Edy's was.

Make Every Dollar Count: Eating Healthy on a Budget

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Traditionally, healthy eating has required folks to devote a huge chunk of their paychecks to buying groceries, but with a little smart shopping (and some time spent pre-planning), it IS possible to eat well on a budget.

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Jennifer May, and RD with Dietwatch.com, gives some great tips on how to shop for healthy foods without breaking the bank:

1) Cook from scratch as much as possible. Dinners in a box or a bag come with a hefty price tag and are not as tasty as homemade. Instead of buying frozen entrees, freeze your own leftovers to take to work and reheat for lunch.
2) Canned tuna, peanut butter, beans, and eggs are the cheapest protein sources, with poultry as the next best choice.
3) Plan at least one vegetarian meal per week. Not only will you save money, you'll increase your intake of fruits, vegetables, beans, and grains. In general, your food dollars will stretch more if you treat meat as a condiment, not as the focus of the meal.
4) Buy fresh produce in season. Frozen produce is a good choice when fresh is too pricey or of poor quality—and again, you’ll save even more with store brands. Buy just what you’ll use to avoid waste. If you don’t already, make plans to grow your own.
5) Instead of buying a latte or cappuccino every morning, brew your own coffee or espresso at home. You'll save money even if you use premium coffee beans. You can also save money (and get extra antioxidants) by choosing iced tea over soda.
6) Be willing to sacrifice convenience. Wash and slice your vegetables instead of buying pre-bagged versions. Skin and debone your poultry.
7) Snack on fresh fruits and vegetables, yogurt, high-fiber cereal, and hot-air popped popcorn.

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I'm completely on board with all of Jennifer's suggestions , but...I personally have major issues with adhering to #5. I mean, it sounds good in theory, but I've found it nearly impossible to replicate the great taste of a Starbucks FF Chai Latte at home. I've tried to make it work time and time again, and I always end up with something that resembles a science project gone awry.