There is nothing worse than giving up delicious foods cold-turkey. It’s a recipe for restrict-and-binge behaviour, and for most people, it doesn’t stick.

But what if you could make a healthy food regime easier to achieve? One of my favourite ways to do this is to switch a few options for healthier counterparts. This means that you don’t have to go without entirely, but you have a more nutrient-dense option.

As you all know, I want you to get the most bang for your calorie buck!

Why baby steps are best

Yes, you heard me – the best way to transform your health is sticking to small steps over time. This is because we’re not designed to change everything at once. If you try changing all of your habits at once, you’ll give up as soon as you have a bad day.

But as they say, it takes 21 days to change a habit. So try picking two or three of these switches for a month. Once you’re used to them, pick another one or two. Over a few months, you’ll get healthier, but you’ll also establish healthy habits.

Switches to try

Ready to get your switch on? Here are some to get you started.

Switch chips for air-popped corn

I might be biased here, as popcorn is my favourite snack! But popcorn also provides more fibre and contains few calories.

Switch sour cream for skyr or Greek yoghurt

Skyr and Greek yoghurts have the added bonus of more protein, less fat and healthy probiotics. But both still have that slightly soured flavour.

Switch vegetable oil for extra-virgin olive oil

I love me some EVOO! It’s the healthiest oil we know of, with plenty of antioxidants and fat-soluble vitamins. It also adds great flavour to your salads.

Switch beer for red wine or low carb beer

Want to enjoy a sneaky drink on the weekend? Red wine is your best option, as it has antioxidants that fight off damage to the body. But low-carb beer is a better option if you want to stick to beer.

Switch white bread products for wholemeal or wholegrain

Processed carbohydrates like white bread sends your blood sugar levels sky-high, so your body stores the energy quickly in your fat stores. If you choose high-fibre options like wholemeal, it feeds the energy into your body slowly. This means you can use the energy, instead of storing it.

Switch white pasta for wholemeal pasta or zoodles

Again, processed carbohydrates will sky-rocket your blood sugar levels. Instead, go for fibre-rich wholemeal options. You can even get good lentil-based pasta options in the supermarket. Zoodles, or zucchini noodles, are a good option if you want to keep the calories down and the nutrition up.

Switch nut bars for nuts

Believe it or not, nut bars are generally nuts bound together with 2 or more types of sugar. So skip the unnecessary sugars and just munch on a handful of nuts instead.

Switch soy milk for unsweetened nut milk

Soy is a controversial food at best, and can be problematic for many people. Instead, look for unsweetened nut milks such as almond milk.

Switch margarine for avocado or butter

‘Caroline, are you crazy??’ No, you read right. A small serve of butter is more natural and healthy than margarine. Avocado is an even healthier choice, as it provides fibre as well as fat-soluble vitamins and healthy fats.

Want to learn more ways to live and eat well? Make sure you check out The Lifestyle Collective. To learn more, click here.

I am also running a free webinar “Discovering your Perfect Diet” on Monday 26th February. To find out more, click here.

PS Keep your eyes peeled for healthy food swaps part 2 in the future!