Food Swaps

A misconception is that healthy eating is boring, bland, hard, involves salad and the need to be on a diet! However, a healthier lifestyle starts with small manageable changes over time that become part of our daily routine.  A healthy change is one that benefits your physical, mental and emotional health, improving your overall well-being and reducing your risk of health problems in the future.

Making small nutritional food swaps can make a huge difference over weeks and months.

For example, the benefits of swapping white potatoes to sweet potatoes include a lower glycaemic index, a richer source of nutrients (Vitamin A and Beta-carotene), more fibre, whilst providing the body with sustained energy. Milk chocolate contains added sugar, milk and cream, so swapping to dark chocolate reduces the fat and sugar content and increases flavonoids which can lower blood pressure and cholesterol whilst providing more minerals to the body. Switching from sour cream to Greek yoghurt provides a higher level of protein, vitamin B12 and healthy probiotics. Using a good-quality butter, compared to margarine, provides a nutritional powerhouse of vitamins A, D, & K. It is also rich in conjugated linoleic acid (CLA), which has been shown to help lower body fat percentage.

Have a look at the 14 swaps below to give you and your family a daily nutrient boost with extra vitamins and minerals, sustained energy, reduced calories and mood boosting feel good factors. Consider healthy swaps a fun way to spice up your normal meals, rather than a diet or something that you have to give up.