Along with regular exercise, a healthy diet is crucial to preventing health complications and staying fit. You do not have to change your entire diet to eat healthier. You just have to consume foods with fewer calories, sugars, fats, and salts. Here are five healthy swaps that can make a significant difference in your overall diet.
Swap energy drinks for tea or coffee
Often, most people result in taking energy drinks to reclaim their energy when feeling sluggish. While these drinks will leave you feeling re-energized, excessive intake could expose you to severe health conditions, including kidney damage or rapid heartbeat. This is because energy drinks contain high amounts of stimulants and added sugar.
For this reason, you should consider drinking tea or coffee, or other caffeinated beverages to boost your energy as they are naturally sugar-free and contain healthy antioxidants that protect against heart diseases.
Other ways you could reclaim your energy include exercising, developing healthy sleeping habits, managing stress, and investing in healthy energy-boosting supplements from https://steelsupplements.com/.
Try out plant-based protein or lean meat instead of processed meats
If you love pampering yourself with a serving of processed meat, then it is time to break the habit and opt for a bowl of plant-based proteins. Processed meat such as sausages, bacon, hot dogs, and corned beef, to mention a few, increase the risk of contracting pancreatic, prostate, and colon cancer.
Eating lean meat such as chicken or turkey breast without the skin and canned tuna or plant-based proteins like black beans and hummus is both cheap and healthy. These foods contain high amounts of fiber and low calories, reducing the risk of contracting heart diseases.
Enjoy the fruit itself instead of a glass of fruit juice
Part of healthy eating is including fruits in your meal. However, most people drink fruit juice instead of eating the fruit itself, therefore missing out on the benefits the whole fruit brings. Fruits are high in fiber; therefore, they improve your digestion, prevent diarrhea, hemorrhoids, and constipation. Fruit juice contains added sugars and preservatives that could expose you to illnesses such as cancer.
Swap white side dishes for green veggies
Rice, noodles, bread, and potatoes, to mention a few, are typical side dishes for most meals. However, constant intake of these starchy carbohydrates makes you vulnerable to high blood sugar, resulting in heart disease. For this reason, you should switch to green dishes such as kales, collard greens, spinach, and broccoli.
Green veggies are low in carbohydrates and provide essential nutrients, minerals, and vitamins A, C, and K, reducing internal inflammation and lowering cholesterol. Internal inflammation and high cholesterol often result in heart disease.
Nibble on dark chocolate instead of baked foods
Looking for a way to satisfy your sweet tooth? Consider nibbling on a little dark chocolate. Dark chocolate contains high amounts of flavanols, which help reduce inflammation and lower blood pressure, improving heart health.
Baked foods such as cookies and cakes contain sugar, white flour, and margarine, which are high in trans fats, and unhealthy for you.
Endnote
Eating healthy does not have to be complicated. All you have to do is swap to delicious everyday food and beverages with lower calories and sugars. Try out some of the healthy swaps mentioned above in your next meal.