Making dietary changes does not need to be a huge undertaking. It is really as simple as swapping one item for another. It’s a conscious choice to pick an item that is more nutritious over one that is less.
Here are five simple food swaps for healthy eating:
1. Swap White Rice for Brown Rice.
In addition to having a higher fiber content, brown rice contains more minerals. Just one cup of brown rice satisfies 80% of your body’s daily requirement of manganese, a mineral that your nervous system needs.
2. Try Quinoa or Edemame Instead of White Flour Pasta.
Choose alternative forms of pasta; you’ll gain more nutrition and will not irritate your digestive system. Quinoa and edemame pasta contain a complete protein. They are also high in fiber, magnesium, phosphorus and iron.
3. Go Sweet With Your Potatoes.
Swapping white potatoes for sweet potatoes every now and then will raise your vitamin B6 levels, your iron levels, and your calcium levels. (Sweet potatoes have nearly twice as much calcium as their white counterparts.). They also do not convert to glucose (sugar) as fast in your body, helping to stabilize blood sugar levels.
4. Satisfy Your Sweet Tooth With Stevia, Monk fruit/date sugar, or Raw Honey.
Some people just can not live without a few teaspoons of sugar in their morning coffee/tea. Stevia is an herb that is up to 10 times sweeter than table sugar, so you can use it sparingly. It also doesn’t have the calorie content that sugar does, so it may aid in weight loss.
Honey is an even better substitution. It is the only sweetener that has health benefits. Honey can assist in reducing allergies, healing the gut, and fighting infections.
5. So Long, Soda.
This is a big one. Nearly half of all North Americans drink soft drinks. “Diet” soft drink consumption is on the rise, but it is not doing your health or your waistline any favors. The artificial sweeteners in diet soda mess with your metabolism and cause you to eat more. Not only that, but the body is not made to process artificial sweeteners. This means increased risk of cell damage.
Try fruit infused filtered water or some gut-friendly (sugar-free) kombucha instead!
If making these swaps today feels overwhelming, just pick one for this week and see how simple it really is!
Some extra healthy swaps:
