How to Make Healthy Food Substitutions

Starting a diet doesn't have to be a total change in the food you normally eat, but by making healthy food substitutions you can get started the next time you go to the grocery store. I've met many people who believe that low fat foods are going to taste terrible, but from my experience many are very difficult to tell from the original. In this article I've listed some suggestions that I use often on how to start making healthy food substitutions in your diet.

Try a turkey or a veggie product instead of the of the beef or pork version. I've been doing this for many years now and the alternatives are quite good as well with less than half the calories and fat, sometimes even less than that. Products out there are sausage, bacon, burgers, pepperoni, and so many others.

If you drink milk try to scale down from whole milk. Switch to 2%, 1%, or if you like the taste skim milk. I've been drinking skim for a long time to and now I really don't like the fat in the others, it's just too thick. There is enough fat in the foods most people eat every day that having fat in your beverage is unnecessary.

Switch to diet soda or cut out soda all together if you can. Let's say you drink 5-6 12 ounce cans a day, that can be anywhere between 500 and 700 calories in regular sodas. That is a large portion of your calories for the day, and it is all sugar. If you will cut out soda and you will see some weight lost.

Try eating salsa instead of other fatty dips or cream based spreads. Salsa is delicious and comes in about countless different varieties. Most types have no or little fat, low calories and contain vitamins. Next time you are at the store compare a container of french onion dip to a jar of salsa. Salsa is much better for you.

Deep frying foods can turn something healthy into something very bad for you. Take a chicken breast for example, naturally they are quite healthy, but all that oil used in frying just won't allow it. Instead of deep frying take that that same piece with some lemon juice, garlic, and black pepper, bake it and now it's still tasty as well as good for you.

If you buy canned produce make sure you read the label first. Many of the vegetables will have salt added to them and many of the fruits have additional sugar. When in doubt buy fresh or frozen produce. Frozen produce can be just as beneficial as fresh with the bonus of having a longer shelf life. If you buy canned tuna make sure to get the kind packed in water not oils, as the oil adds plenty of extra fat and calories that are unnecessary.

These are just a few substitutions you can use in your diet to replace some foods that aren't very good for you. Remember don't change everything at once; try to find substitutions you really do like, and then experiment with new ones. Start making these healthy food substitutions and your body will thank you for it down the road.