There are many benefits to a healthy diet, but even the healthiest person has those days when they just don’t have time.
Maybe you’re too busy with work, school, or perhaps even family commitments. Or is it that you’re out of fresh food and need something fast and easy for lunch that will still be nutritious.
While there is a great benefit to making more when making a chili colorado recipe to carry over to make lunches, it isn’t always possible. But making healthy alternatives to unhealthy foods when eating on the go is the next best thing.
Here are some tips on swapping out your favorite unhealthy foods for healthier food alternatives so you can still maintain a balanced diet without spending hours in the kitchen.
7 Healthy Alternatives To Unhealthy Foods
1. Swap Out White Bread For Whole Wheat
White bread is a processed food that’s full of preservatives and additives. It’s easy to find, affordable, and tastes good for the first day or two. But then, you end up with a hard piece of bread that contains no nutrients.
A better option is to swap white bread for whole wheat bread. Whole-wheat bread has more fiber, vitamins, minerals, and protein than white bread, making it a healthier choice.
Not only can you find these types of bread at your local grocery store, but they are also available in most places where you buy groceries.
2. Switch From Butter To Olive Oil
Switching from butter to olive oil is a great healthy swap. Butter has too much fat and calories, but olive oil is more beneficial.
It has the same amount of heart-healthy fats as butter, but it’s also rich in antioxidants that help improve your immune system.
You can also opt for olive oil spreads to benefit from the heart-healthy goodness olive oil offers.
3. Choose Low-Sodium Options For Canned Soups
One of the healthy alternatives to unhealthy foods made healthy is canned soup. Unfortunately, many soups can be high in sodium which can cause an increase in blood pressure and heart disease.
But, there are healthier options you can choose from to make your canned unhealthy soup a little less damaging. For your soup to be low-sodium, look for soups that have under 600mg of sodium per serving.
You’ll also want to avoid soups with ingredients like bacon bits or cheese, as these ingredients will likely contain a lot of salt as well.
If you’re looking for a favorite flavor of canned soup that won’t break the diet, try finding Campbell’s Healthy Request Soups that contain only 180mg of sodium per serving.
4. Drink Whole Milk Instead Of Skim Milk
One of the healthy food alternatives to junk food is to drink whole milk instead of skim or low fat. Whole milk doesn’t have any added sugar, and it’s about 150 calories per glass.
If you’re used to drinking skim milk, then you might not notice the difference in taste at first. But soon enough, you’ll realize that skim milk has a lot more sugar than whole milk (who knew?).
Plus, it is worth knowing that experimental data has shown that people needn’t be afraid of the level of saturated fat in whole milk as was once thought.
5. Instead Of French Fries, Try Sweet Potato Fries
French fries are a favorite but they can often be too greasy or salty. If you’re looking for healthy alternatives to fast food, try sweet potato fries! They’re crispy and delicious, and they’re full of vitamins and minerals.
Plus, as a bonus, they’re low-glycemic so that they won’t spike your blood sugar. You can find them pre-made at the store, or you could make them yourself with a food processor.
6. Use Canned Tomatoes Instead Of Tomato Sauce Or Ketchup
Canned tomatoes are an excellent option for swapping out tomato sauce or ketchup. They have a ton of flavor and can be used in many different recipes.
This is one of the healthy alternatives to unhealthy foods, but it’ll take your dish up a notch.
7. Instead Of A Burger, Have A Grilled Cheese Sandwich
If you’re out of fresh food and you need some fast and easy junk food healthy alternatives for lunch, a grilled cheese sandwich is a great option. All you need is some bread, butter or margarine, and cheese.
Grill the sandwich in a hot skillet or pan with a slice of cheese on each side. A nice side to this would be some tomato soup.
Once you know the healthy alternatives to junk food, you can make when making healthier food choices, the easier it will be to grab food on the go and still make sure you are healthy eating alternatives when out and about.
Conclusion
These are the healthy alternatives to unhealthy foods made healthy that you can choose on busy days. If you like my post on healthy food alternatives for weight loss, please share it with others as well.
