It's that time of year again, summer! And if you haven't stuck to your New Year's resolution to eat healthier, now's the time to start. Luckily, the journey to healthy eating can be easy and quite enjoyable! Just substitute your guilty pleasures with these equally satisfying, healthy options!
1. Avocado for butter
What's more refreshing than a slice of avocado toast? This easy meal/snack proves that fruit can compliment bread way better than butter, and it's the best way for me to start my morning!
Recommended Recipe: The Best Avocado Toast
2. Honey for sugar
One my favorite comfort foods is pancakes. While these fluffy cakes are usually sweet and high in fat, honey offers a delicious alternative to sugary syrup being lower on the glycemic index and naturally sweet. You can make this breakfast recipe even healthier by making your cakes using only bananas instead of flour and relying on agave nectar or honey for the sweet element of this dish.
Recommended recipe: Gluten-free 3 ingredient pancakes
3. Cauliflower for rice
As much as I love rice, I find cauliflower an enjoyable alternative that goes with literally anything! You can buy it in rice form at any grocery store, and voila: a way to make fried rice, pizza crust and so much more for so many fewer calories Recommended recipe: Cauliflower "Fried Rice"
4. Lettuce wraps for buns
Offered at many fast food restaurants like In-N-Out, the lettuce burger is a delicious alternative to greasy buns. Lettuce wraps work for any typical meat-bred combinations such as Asian wraps and tacos.
Recommended Recipe:Cheeseburger Lettuce Wraps
5. Chicken/turkey for red meat
Skip the red meat! Lean meat such as chicken and turkey is delicious and can be just as juicy as your beef burgers when cooked correctly. Grilling these lean meats retains protein often lost in dishes like fried chicken and reduces fat content!
Recommended Recipe: Easy Grilled Chicken Burger
6. Guacamole and roasted potatoes for ketchup and fries
The classic combo of ketchup and fries is definitely replaceable with this recipe. Roasting wedges produces a crispy crunch on the outside and soft potato fluffiness on the inside; while the guacamole offers an element of freshness that ketchup just doesn't have.Recommended Recipe: Crispy Baked Potato Wedges With Poblano Avocado Dip
7. Nice cream for ice cream
By far one of my favorite desserts, banana ice cream (or nice cream) is a vegan alternative to ice cream with half of the sugar and unhealthiness that comes with regular ice cream. Better yet, nice cream is so versatile with several flavor combinations and shake capabilities. It's just like ice cream (but healthier)!
Recommended Recipe: Blueberry Swirl Banana Nice Cream!
8. Spiral zucchini for pasta
If you love the shape of traditional noodles and pasta, you will love the versatility of zoodles or zucchini noodles. You can eat them raw or cook, either way, two cups of this veggie alternative are about 66 calories compared to two cups of pasta which are 480 calories .
Recommended Recipe: Zucchini Noodles With Cherry Tomato Garlic Cream Sauce And Breadcrumbs
9. Greek Yogurt for Creamy Condiments
When you add spices and herbs to Greek yogurt, it can become any one of your favorite dipping sauces like mayo, ranch and sour cream. The creamy texture of Greek yogurt makes it a great base for any beginning sauce and get this, there's an equally yummy fat-free option! Recommended Recipe: 3 Easy Greek Yogurt Dips You Don't Need a Recipe to Make
No matter what you eat, food is fuel for your body. So why not use the best options out there?