So when
you hear the word “healthy”, do you cringe?
Does the image of plain salads and dry chicken instantly pop into your
mind? Maybe it’s because people believe
they have to give up all their favorite foods to be healthy, or at least only
have one “cheat day” before going back to drinking gallons of water each day
and eating tasteless vegetables. Well
not anymore! People, let me introduce “the
food substitute.” Yes, eating your
favorite foods can still be done, just with some minor changes to your
recipes. Will they taste exactly the
same? Probably not. But would you rather forgo pizza, fries, and
desserts until you just can’t take it anymore?
Or, would you rather be satisfied, eat them a few times a week, and
slowly change your tastes to a more healthy version? I vote for the later.
Everyone
likes pizza, right? But did you know, a
single slice of pepperoni pizza from Pizza Hut has roughly 370 calories?! That’s for just one slice (and who eats just
one slice?!). But, what if I said, make
your own and substitute the crust for a whole wheat tortilla? An entire pizza has only 291 calories. You still can eat pizza, just a slightly
healthier version. To cut even more
calories, try using turkey pepperoni (and do I dare even suggest going
vegetarian) and 2% mozzarella cheese!
Fries. I understand that every now and again, you
just need to have those hot, crispy, golden-to- perfection, salty fries from
the infamous Golden Arches. But, what if
you crave them more than just a few times a year? A medium fry has 340 calories, not including the
sandwich and the soda/milkshake. How
about baking your fries? Or switching it
up and using a sweet potatoes? Your new
total is 102 calories per serving!
And
finally, dessert. Summer and warm
weather calls for ice cream. Who am I
kidding? Every day is a reason for ice
cream. But can our waistlines really afford
this indulgence? Hardly. A serving of Häagen-Dazs strawberry ice cream
has roughly 250 calories in half a cup. (I
think my local ice cream stand missed that serving size memo). Alternative?
How about some homemade fresh strawberry snow cones? You’re down to 90 calories for the same
serving amount!
Is
indulging in your favorite foods every now and again bad? Definitely no. But eating greasy, high-fat foods even a few
times a week puts our health in jeopardy.
Take a few moments and see what kinds of healthy substitutes you can
make to your meals each day. This may
take a while to get used to, but gradually changing your foods and choosing
healthier substitutes makes for a much healthier you!
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