Although eating at home is generally healthier than eating out, there are many tricks you can implement in your kitchen that will make your meals even healthier without sacrificing flavor. With that said, here are 7 simple swaps that replace less healthy ingredients with ones that are equally, if not more, delicious.
First swap: olive oil for butter. While it can be tempting to put butter on just about everything, olive oil shares the same ability to be diverse in its uses. And by drizzling it over vegetables, you can actually unlock more nutrients than without olive oil.
Second swap: miso paste for salt. As delicious as salt is, it doesn’t offer a huge array of health benefits; on the other hand, miso paste does. Like salt, fermented soybean paste is high in sodium, but it also comes with vitamins and minerals. Additionally, as a fermented food, it provides a good dose of probiotics.
Third swap: pureed cauliflower for cream. It may sound strange, but the seemingly humble cauliflower is actually a super sexy rockstar that can be used to replace anything from the dough of your pizza to the cream you use for your spinach dip.
Fourth swap: baking for frying. Frying food is one of humanity’s more tempting inventions. So crisp, so delicious, so unhealthy. That said, the oven can do a pretty decent job replicating some of that fried-food texture. With a little olive oil and hot temperatures, you can get the crispy feel of frying without actually frying.
Fifth swap: zoodles for pasta. Pasta is high in carbs. Instead, make noodles using nutritious, delicious zucchini.
Sixth swap: plain Greek yogurt for sour cream. Zero fat Greek yogurts, for those watching their saturated fat intake, is thick and creamy and has the sour cream tang.
Seventh swap: beans for meat. Beans also provide lots of bulk and protein, but without the less healthy attributes that come with meat. Plus, you’ll help spare the environment.
This story was one of the best from 2019, and we are happy to include it in our “12 Days of Optimism” as we get ready to welcome 2020!
