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15 Simple Food Swaps for a Healthier You

What you eat is just as important as the exercises you perform when it comes to maintaining a healthy weight. One way to reduce your daily calorie intake is to reduce your portion size. But the issue with this method is you may not always feel full or satiated and losing weight is not all about cutting calories. Keep the faith yogis! There’s a better way to manage your weight while enjoying the food you eat—and getting enough of it. If you make some simple food swaps, you can reduce your calories, and eat healthier without sacrificing taste or serving size. When you cook at home (or even if you dine out), you can choose these 15 food swaps to maintain a healthy weight without dieting.
 

Switch This Food For That Food:

 

1. Sour cream for 0% Greek yogurt

(61 calories vs 17 calories per oz.)
Choose 0% Greek yogurt, a fat-free and protein-packed yogurt that makes a fantastic substitute for a sour cream-like taste. At less than a third of the calories of sour cream, Greek yogurt will keep you full and satisfied without the guilt. You can use Greek yogurt instead of sour cream for dips and toppings for soups, tacos and baked potatoes.
 

2. Butter for coconut oil

(203 calories vs 244 calories per oz.)
No, coconut oil does not have less calories than butter, but it has a ton of health benefits that far outweigh the additional calories. Additionally, a little coconut oil goes a long way and with the subtle coconut taste, you will use less coconut oil than the butter you would’ve used in the same dish. Replace butter with coconut oil for baking, on pancakes and waffles, or to grease a pan.
 
Recommended read: 50 Uses for Coconut Oil
 

3. Flour tortilla for corn tortilla

(190 calories vs 135 calories for medium shell)
While there is only a 55-calorie difference between the flour and corn varieties, do you only eat one tortilla? Probably not! In a plate of enchiladas, you can save 165 calories on the tortilla shells alone by choosing corn instead of flour. If you enjoy tortilla chips, cut up a corn tortilla and baked it in the toaster oven to have a lower calorie snack without the added salt, fat, or grease.
 

4. Fruit juice for coconut water

(111 calories vs 46 calories per 8 oz. glass)
Fruit juice is high in calories and full of sugar. Choose coconut water instead of fruit juice to slash your calories by more than half. As an added bonus, coconut water keeps you feeling fuller, aids in digestion, and has electrolytes to keep you hydrated during your practice – even hot yoga.
 

5. Choose cinnamon instead of sugar

(9 calories vs 6 calories per teaspoon)
Reducing your calorie intake by a third, cinnamon adds loads of flavor without the blood sugar spike. Use cinnamon instead of sugar in your beverages and breakfast foods. An added benefit is cinnamon’s positive impact on everything from lowering cholesterol to preventing cancer.
 

6. Lemon-lime soda for lemon water

(100 calories vs 1 calorie per 8 oz. glass)
While a splash of lemon in your water may not taste exactly like a soda, saving 99 calories per 8 oz. glass is worth the sacrifice. You can add a splash of honey or agave to sweeten your water and satisfy your sugar craving, or go without sugar entirely and know that you can shed 10 pounds by skipping just one glass of soda each day for a year.
 

 

7. Sorbet for frozen fruit

(130 calories vs 24 calories per half cup)
Swap out your sugar-filled sorbet for a half-cup of frozen strawberries or berries blended until smooth to save more than 100 calories. Did you know? The Vita-Mix blender can turn your frozen fruit into an ice cream consistency for the perfect delicious and healthy treat.
 

8. White rice for quinoa

(147 calories vs 136 calories)
While there may not be a large calorie difference between white rice and quinoa, quinoa is full of nutrients, healthy fats and protein instead of the empty calories in white rice. Also, because quinoa is more filling, you will eat less and thus save additional calories.
 

9. Mayonnaise for hummus

(90 calories vs 23 calories per tablespoon)
Hummus adds nutrients and protein at a fraction of the fat of mayonnaise, all while adding a punch of flavor and spice to a bland sandwich, salad or dish.
 

10. Alfredo sauce for marinara sauce

(81 calories vs 35 calories per half cup)
Marinara sauce has less than half the calories of Alfredo sauce and offers a quarter of the fat of its heavy cream-based counterpart.
 

11. Pasta for spaghetti squash

(182 vs 42 calories per cup)
Choose a fresh spaghetti squash and dress it just as you would a traditional pasta to save more than 140 calories per cup. Do this once a week to lose 14 pounds in a year.
 

12. Potatoes for cauliflower

(105 calories vs 26 calories per 4 oz. serving)
Choose cauliflower instead of a baked potato or mashed potato to save a quarter of the calories, and one-sixth of the carbohydrates. You’ll substitute starch for nutrients—now there’s a good swap!
 

13. Whole milk for unsweetened coconut milk

(146 calories vs 30 calories per cup)
Unsweetened coconut milk contains nearly one-fifth of the calories of whole milk, without the artery clogging saturated fat. This flavorful alternative also stays fresher longer in the refrigerator and adds a low-calorie creaminess to cereals, beverages and dishes.
 

14. Ice cream for fresh fruits and greek yogurt

(230 calories vs 35 calories per half cup)
Nix the high-calorie ice cream for some fresh berries with greek yogurt on top to save nearly 200 calories per half-cup serving. Go ahead and make it a double without the guilt!
 

15. Cream-based salad dressing for vinegar

(73 calories vs 3 calorie per tablespoon)
Salads can be quite boring without flavorful toppings and dressings. Yet by loading up on cream-based, high calorie salad dressings, you defeat the purpose of eating a light, healthy salad. Sprinkle a little balsamic or red wine vinegar on your salad to save hundreds of calories per salad.
 
If you choose healthier food options, you do not need to feel like you are sacrificing or missing out on anything when it comes to your next meal. These tips will help you shed extra pounds and maintain your figure, without yo-yo dieting or deprivation.
 
What are your favorite healthy food swaps? Share in the comments below to help your fellow yogis slay slim and trim this summer.

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Krysta Shannon

Krysta is a staff writer and product review guru at YouAligned. She believes in the powers of healing crystals and essential oils, and never leaves home without them. Krysta is a true Jersey girl (in the best sort of way) who embraces a non-toxic and all-natural lifestyle.

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