Fit Villains: Selfish, Shameless, Sassy, Fitness.

Substitutions are the easiest way to stay on track and still enjoy your favs. Swapping out unhealthy bits for healthy ones are the best way to satisfy both your diet & taste goals. Success is about enjoying the process: simply removing what’s unhealthy isn’t enough.

When people deprive themselves (like when they’re dieting), they often remove certain items - but they rarely think to replace them. The foods we love often stay the same - when we remove them without replacing we never find healthy alternatives. This can lead to unhealthy binging later: we can only deprive our bodies for so long. It’s like telling your brain ‘no, no, no’ over and over. Eventually, it will rebel.

I use some of these swaps myself, and went searching for others that might help you out. The idea is to find delicious items that allow you to keep eating the foods you love while boosting nutritional content and lowering the calories you consume. Portions are still important, so pay attention to them!

Know yourself and know your weak points: preparing yourself with alternatives to your favorites is a smart way to get ahead of the game. :)

Here are a few ideas for swaps that can give you an edge, lower your costs and help you find new favorites.

1. SOUR CREAM: Use nonfat plain Greek yogurt in place of sour cream. It’s got more protein and calcium, and with its thick and creamy texture, I promise you can’t tell the difference.
2. CREAM: Try low-fat evaporated milk in place of cream in recipes
3. GROUND MEAT: Use only half the meat in any chili recipe and add extra beans to cut calories, increase fiber, and cut the price of the recipe. This works for pasta sauces as well!
4. FLOUR: Swap whole wheat flour for half the all-purpose flour in your recipe—whole wheat pastry flour works best for baking.
5. ICE TEA: Make your next iced tea 1/2 sweet and 1/2 unsweet with a squeeze of lemon. It’ll still have plenty of flavor with 1/2 the calories.
6. MAYO/CHEESE: Try avocado instead of cheese or mayo on your sandwich to have some healthy fat and a tasty twist. You can also half it, or mix it in to greek yogurt for a creamy topping.
7. CANDY: Trade out the candy bowl on your desk for a fruit bowl. I also like fruit-to-go’s as a chewy alternative.
8. DIPS/SPREADS: Instead of high calorie creamy dips or spreads, try hummus. There are lots of different flavors (I love roasted red pepper & eggplant). It’s also easy to make yourself.
9. CROUTONS: Use unsweetened whole grain cereal or nuts/seeds to add crunch to salads instead of croutons.
10. MEATS: Swap non-meat protein sources like beans, eggs, and nuts for meats one day per week to save money and eat healthy.
11. COUGH SYRUP: Honey instead of cough syrup: it’s that time of year! While cold medicines can help ease the symptoms, they don’t help cure you of your illness. Honey is almost as effective as cough syrup when it comes to calming your coughs and combined with lemon or green tea is a great way to boost your health at the same time.
12. MASHED POTATOES: Swap half your potatoes for either turnips, rutabaga,  cauliflower or a combination of all three. Use low sodium chicken broth to cream them up.
13. FRIES: use sweet potatoes instead and BAKE them, don’t fry them. Toss gently with extra virgin olive oil and seasonings of your choice, then bake at 425 degrees F for 10 minutes on each side. Experiment with spices like paprika, cracked pepper, garlic salt etc.
14. MAC ‘N’ CHEESE: Substitute 1/2 your noodles for chopped cauliflower. You can also make a roasted cauliflower casserole, leaving out the pasta all together. Chop cauliflower into chunks, and arrange in a baking dish. Add two to three cloves of garlic, drizzle with olive oil, & squeeze a lemon over the pieces. Season with salt and pepper. Bake in a 400-degree F oven for 20 minutes or until the tops are browned. Remove and top with grated parmesan. 
15. TORTILLAS: If you’re looking for something crunchy, try popcorn instead. Tortillas are often high in carbs & saturated fats.
16. SALAD DRESSING: Vinegar and lemon juice beats salad dressing any day.  The best option is drizzling your salad with balsamic vinegar or lemon juice, or citrus fruit juice for a little zing.
17. RICE: Do Quinoa instead. One cup of cooked quinoa has 15% fewer carbohydrates and 60% more protein than a comparable amount of brown rice; it also has 25% more fiber, which can help lower blood cholesterol.

There are plenty of other swaps out there that can make your life healthier. What are your suggestions? Can you think of any others?