Better Eating with Substitution

Swapping out certain foods can have a big impact when you're watching your weight or eating for long term health. Here are some tips for healthy food substitutions at home, work, and elsewhere to help you get started.

Small Changes Can Make a BIG difference
If you're trying to loose a few pounds or just hoping to shape up for a special occasion or swim-suit season, you don't need to diet. Just listen to your body and make appropriate choices. Here are four general suggestions that create a great framework for better eating.

• Eat breakfast EVERYDAY!
It jump starts your metabolism and gets your body fired up to burn calories throughout the day.

• Exercise.
Every little bit helps, so take the stairs instead of the elevator, park farther from the store and walk through the parking lot. The more active you are, the more energy you'll have.

• Eat smarter portions.
A bigger breakfast and lunch will give your body fuel when you need it most. You can balance them out with a lighter meal for dinner.

• Stop eating before bed.
When you stop eating three to four hours before you go to sleep, your body can process your food better. When you're awake, your metabolism is more active and able to burn off calories more effectively. You can help the process by timing your meals to work with your body and your fitness goals.

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Eating Breakfast
You can get off to a better start with some kind of breakfast. Don't have time to sit and eat some cereal, or even to make some toast? Here are a few ideas to help you create a strategy of better eating with a hectic schedule.

• Drink 100% fruit juice (canned, from a carton, or freshly squeezed) with breakfast, or take a can to drink at work.

• Spruce up your breakfast—a banana or handful of berries will liven up your cereal, yogurt, waffles, or pancakes. This small gesture will add more flavor and also help you reach the recommended 5-a-day servings of fruits and vegetables

• Take a piece of fruit to munch on during your commute.

• If you know in advance you'll have to grab something on the go, make a sandwich before you go to bed. This works great when you're up a bit later than usual or when you have an earlier than normal appointment.

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Eating Out
When the food arrives in a restaurant, it’s often piled high to over flowing. Typical restaurant servings in America are often twice the size of a single serving.

So how can you eat better while eating out? Try some of these tips:

• No "double" anything or "going large."

• Order items without the cheese.

• When dining out or ordering in, ask for half of a serving or a "doggy bag." That way you won’t be tempted to over eat, and you can have some for later too.

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Eating Salad
When you make or buy a salad, a little bit of salad dressing goes a long way. This same principle applies when using condiments; a little goes a long way. This is especially true with high fat items like mayonnaise. If portion control isn't your style, try using the light or fat-free version and scale back your portions slowly over time.

• Measure 1 tablespoon of dressing and toss well with your salad. The dressing coats the salad instead of drenching it.

• For even more flavor, sprinkle the salad with lemon pepper before adding dressing.

• Even better, use light or fat-free salad dressing.

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Eating Butter
Baked potatoes, corn on the cob, bread. What do these items often have in common? We cover them with butter, right? And if we’re not careful—and who is, all the time—we don’t realize how much we actually use. If you must use butter and margarine, use them sparingly and try some of these substitutes:

• Switch to reduced-fat margarine or try jelly on your bread, bagels, and other baked goods.

• Other butter substitutes include Flax Seed Oil which is a great source of omega fatty acids and has a rich nutty flavour.

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Eating Fruits & Vegetables
Wouldn’t it be easier to eat something if it was right in front of you? An easy way to make fruits and vegetables more accessible to you is to make sure you buy them. Makes sense, right?

• When you go grocery shopping, hit the produce section first.

• Keep bowls of fruit on the kitchen table and counter. Now that you’ve bought them, eat them.

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Eating Meat
If you like to eat meat, there’s no reason you have to give it up, just keep these tips in mind:

• All cuts with the name "loin" or "round" are lean.

• Reduce fat by choosing the leanest cuts such as beef round, loin, sirloin, pork loin chops, turkey, chicken, and roasts

• If you cook meat yourself, trim all visible fat and drain the grease. Press-style grills like the George Foreman Grill can help keep the grease away from your plate.

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Eating Snacks
Why do we eat snacks? They taste great, they’re easy, and they satisfy our sweet and salt cravings. And, let’s face it, crunchy food is fun, so try some of these snack-time substitutes:

• Make your own snacks by packing healthy, quick, and easy-to-grab foods such as little bags or containers of ready-to-eat vegetables (e.g., baby carrots, celery sticks, cucumber wedges, and cherry tomatoes).

• Remember fruit. It tastes great, is filling, and provides energy.

• Or make healthier choices on snacks that are store bought, like pretzels instead of high-fat potato chips.

• Head off your cravings by keeping healthier choices within easy reach. That means having better options in your briefcase, office, car and home.

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Eating Fat-Free
Substituting low-fat or fat-free baked goods, cookies, and ice cream can be a good idea if going cold-turkey is too overwhelming for you. They still taste good and may help you taper-off your reliance on these foods. One word of caution: just because something is fat free or low fat doesn’t mean you can eat as much as you want. Many low-fat or nonfat foods are also high in calories. Eat everything in moderation.