Make Your Meals Healthier With These Food Swaps

By Stepy Kamei

For anyone who adheres strongly to a traditional Western diet -- foods that are high in fat, sodium, and sugar -- the words "nutritious" and delicious may not align very often. The truth is that more often than not, nutritious foods really can be delicious if they are only given a chance. For many people who are ready to clean up their diet in favor of more healthy foods, the desire to switch out unhealthy foods for healthy ones can often be trumped by the overwhelming amount of choices that can and should be made.

It can definitely be a challenge to change a person’s entire eating habits, staple ingredients, and favorite recipes to accommodate a healthier approach to diet, but there is good news: It can be accomplished with subtle changes. Many people may find it easier to simply start by swapping out some of the more unhealthy and fatty foods in their favorite meals in favor of healthier -- and less fatty -- ingredients that can still provide a rich and tasty flavor (really!).

I recently came across an article post by Buzzfeed that offers up some excellent advice, as well as some very helpful suggestions, on how to replace certain unhealthy ingredients with foods that are much better for your overall physical health and well-being. Here is what I picked up from the article post.

Cottage Cheese

Many recipes call for milk, cream, or cream cheese as a thickening agent, and this can prove to be a bit of a dilemma for people who simply don’t care much for the taste of dairy products. Cottage cheese has a much milder dairy taste, yet it is incredibly rich and textured. It’s lighter in fat, too, and it contains quite a lot of protein.

Whole Wheat Bread

The next time you’re stocking up on bread to make sandwiches, paninis, or any other lunch creation, be sure to ditch the white bread, which is highly refined and contains little to no nutritional value. Instead, you want to go after whole wheat bread, which is full of protein and fiber to help you stay full and nourished for a longer period of time.

Olive Oil

Finally, cooking with olive oil instead of butter will provide your diet with healthy fats and a lack of artery-clogging minerals.

Just trading out these three items in place of their non-healthier counterparts can set you on the path to good health. Be sure to take that first step and you might discover a more healthier you at the end of your journey.