Every time we eat, we make choices — whether we think about them or not. And being a little more thoughtful about the ingredients we choose can make a big difference for our physical, mental and cognitive health.
So try these simple food swaps — at work, at home, or somewhere in between. You’ll enhance your nutrition without compromising on taste.
- Instead of soft drink, try mixing 90% sparkling water and 10% grapefruit or guava juice. Both juices, when unsweetened, are lower in sugar, and the combination with sparkling water mimics the taste of soft drink.
- Instead of a protein bar, try two hard-boiled eggs or a bag of nuts and seeds.
- Instead of rice, try cauliflower rice. If you’re new to cauliflower rice, try mixing 50% rice with 50% cauliflower rice.
- Instead of croutons, try roasted pumpkin or sunflower seeds on top of soups and salads.
- Instead of tropical fruits in smoothies (e.g. pineapple), try blending frozen berries.
- Instead of ripe bananas in smoothies, try a green banana or 1/2 of an avocado. Both add creaminess with less or no sugar.
- Instead of pre-made dressings, try olive oil and lemon or vinegar.
- Instead of sweetened yogurt, try unsweetened yogurt and chopped or muddled strawberries to add flavour (any frozen and thawed berries work well here).
- Alternate between meat and plant-based protein, e.g. lentils, tofu or black beans, which are lower in saturated fat and higher in fibre.
- Instead of canned tuna, try canned salmon, which is lower in mercury.
- Instead of ice cream, try blending frozen bananas topped with dark chocolate and walnuts.
- Instead of a burger bun, try using 1/2 bun + 1 Portobello mushroom or lettuce wrap.
- Instead of a milk chocolate bar, try a dark chocolate bar (85% or higher).
- In most recipes, you can replace butter and canola oil with olive or avocado oil (avocado oil has a more neutral taste).
- Instead of ketchup, try mustard. You’ll reduce your sugar and increase your intake of anti-inflammatory spices.
- Instead of spaghetti or fettuccine, try shirataki noodles, which are a great source of prebiotic fibre. Hearts of palm pasta and spaghetti squash are also great substitutes.
- Instead of lasagna pasta, try thinly-sliced zucchini, eggplant or almond flour lasagna pasta.
- Instead of potatoes in hash browns, gratin, or scalloped potatoes, try using jicama or rutabaga (swede).
- Instead of a bowl of tortilla chips, try making a bowl of thinly-sliced cucumber chips sprinkled with coarse sea salt with a side of guacamole.
- Instead of potato chips, try veggie chips.
- Instead of taco shells or tortillas, try collard wraps, cassava flour tortillas or coconut tortillas.
- Instead of sandwich bread or toast, try a nut and seed bread or a thinly sliced sweet potato, toasted.
- When at a restaurant with limited bread options, choose sourdough. It spikes your blood sugar less than white or even whole wheat bread.
- Instead of canola oil mayo, try olive or avocado oil mayo.
- When cooking on high heat, use avocado oil instead of olive oil. It has a higher smoke point, meaning it won’t lose its nutritional value when cooked on higher heat.