Five Easy Food Swaps for a Healthier Diet

Emily Brewer — Mon, 19 Aug 2019 07:00:09 +0000

Healthy eating is one of the most popular goals or resolutions among adults, yet it can also be one of the hardest. Everyone’s idea of “healthy” is different, and with so many different takes on what you should or shouldn’t eat, trying to reach this goal can get pretty overwhelming. On top of the conflicting information about certain foods, it can be hard to let go of your favorite snacks and meals, making healthy eating seem near impossible. How do you give yourself what you need and what you want?

One simple way to health-ify your favorite foods is to find nutritious substitutes for the problem ingredients. Not all of these substitutions are going to keep the flavor of the original item exactly the same, but that’s a small downside compared to the benefits of the substitutions. Here are five easy food substitutions to help you get started:

1. When baking, switch eggs for applesauce.

Sounds weird, but it totally works! Replace one egg with a quarter cup of applesauce (preferably unsweetened) in pretty much any baking recipe, you can’t even taste a difference! By avoiding the eggs while baking, you can significantly reduce the amount of cholesterol in your cookies, muffins, or cakes. This substitution is especially handy if you’re baking for someone who has an allergy to eggs or wants to avoid them.

2. Swap out your mayonnaise or sour cream with greek yogurt.

Mayonnaise and sour cream both have a lot of fats and calories. If you’re trying to avoid those, try greek yogurt instead! The consistency is very similar, and a plain greek yogurt can be perfectly savory on your sandwich or taco. Greek yogurt can also add a lot of protein to your meals, since the average greek yogurt has around 20 grams of protein per serving.

3. Ditch soda in favor of fruity sparkling water or seltzer.

This switch is definitely a change in flavor, but it’s totally worth the health benefits. We all know how bad soda is between the high amounts of sugar and chemicals. If you’re looking for something bubbly like soda, try a flavored seltzer that’s naturally sugar-free. If you’re craving something sweet to drink, go for a lightly fruit-flavored water. For extra health benefits, you can simply add lemons, strawberries, or another favorite fruit to your water for an alternative drink that is free of fake sugars and chemicals and promotes high energy and healthy skin.

4. Skip potato chips, eat popcorn!

It’s no secret potato chips are high in unhealthy fats and oils. Skip on the chips and go for homemade popcorn instead! Popcorn is inexpensive, easy, and fun to make at home, especially with friends and family for a movie night. If you’re missing a specific flavor of chips, you can even cover your popcorn with homemade spice mixes to make your perfect flavor.

5. Once you’ve tried these swaps, get creative and see what other replacements you can make!

Figuring it Out

Hannah Kirk — Thu, 08 Aug 2019 14:45:44 +0000

Unfortunately, just like many Americans, I have suffered from issues relating to mental health. For me, many of those issues were a result of a series of physical health problems I had faced year prior, with many after-effects still impacting my life during my senior year of High School.

In a way, I was going through an identity crisis. For my entire life until then I was a swimmer, and that shaped my entire life. From what I did every night, how I prioritize my day, and what I did on the weekends. My swimming was even how I found the college I am currently attending for my undergraduate degree. When I had those health complications, I had to quit swimming. I would take periods of time off from swimming and working out in order to help my body recover, then every time I would begin to practice again, my health would decrease, and once again I would have to stop swimming.

Because I hit a hard transition from intensely working out four hours each day to not working out at all, I had become agitated with all the energy I was no longer able to work out. This would cause me to feel symptoms of anxiety, however, at the time I did not know what was developing. Also, because swimming was my greatest stress reliever, I no longer had a place to think and clear my mind. Therefore, I began overthinking a lot more than I already had. I have always been a rather stressed person, but without an outlet to let everything go, I did not know what to do, and it all started bottling within me.

Long story short, I had become rather anxious and depression. To be blunt about it, it was awful. It impacted every single moment of my life. I would wake up, not wanting to go to school, go to school, nearly fall asleep in my classes because of the little sleep I received the night before. With time and a lot of self-reflection, I was able to work through it gradually.

By no means am I thankful for having to experience it. But I am thankful for the time that I did. It was my last year in high school, so I had a good amount of freedom to do what I wanted. I also knew that I would be getting a fresh start rather soon when I left for college. In addition, looking back on it, it was a good time to face that, because who I am was not fully developed. I was still evolving, and I still am.

Now, being much more on my own than I was in high school, being in a serious relationship, I know who I am and what I need in order to be happy and maintain a positive attitude. But more importantly, I know my signs. I know when I am at risk of slipping back, and I know what I need to do to prevent that. I am rather lucky I believe that I was able to have those realizations on my own.

It is so important to know that everyone is different. What one person needs can be vastly different than another. What triggers one person can be vastly different. It is important to know who you are and what you need. That may take some time; it took 3 years of ups and downs for me. But once it is all figured out, it’s great.

Watch our Virtual Panel Series by Debbie Motivates on Taking Care of You here.