While we all have our guilty pleasures when it comes to food, there are a number of easy food substitutions that can help make dieting and eating healthy a little easier.
Most of us enjoy our morning cup of coffee to kick-start our day and rather than making a full substitution (which may be hard for the die-hard coffee fan like me) it is easy to cut calories by ordering coffees made with nonfat milk rather than full milk. Grande nonfat Cappuccinos from Starbucks also only contain 80 calories compared to grande Caffe Latte which have 200.
One of the most common guilty pleasures, ice cream, can be easily substituted for nonfat frozen yogurt which is lower in saturated fat and calories. If you are going for ice cream, try low fat versions of your favorites and use fruit toppings rather than candy or chocolate.
Using nonfat Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or mayo will also save you on calories and fat and is a better source of protein as well. Additionally, if you are making a salad use nuts instead of croutons to cut on salt and increase protein.
There are a number of good substitutions for using oil in your baking as well. ¾ cup to 1 cup of unsweetened applesauce as well as mango, banana or avocado puree mixed with nonfat milk can be used for 1 cup liquid oil. Cutting out oil not only helps to lower cholesterol by avoiding high fats in oils but also can help to lose weight by cutting calories and improving overall health.
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