Enhance your dish's flavors by adding the right cheese!
Think again! Greek yogurt gives you the same tangy, creamy, smooth addition for less calories and more protein.
Make your own low-sugar, adult version with banana and PB chocolate cups. Mix super ripe banana and natural peanut, and coat it in dark chocolate.
You can still have popcorn! But air popping it without all the extra fat is the only way to truly benefit from this high-fiber snack. It’s low-calorie and makes for a great base for other flavors like cinnamon, cocoa powder, lime-chili, Parmesan—whatever your taste buds desire.
Whether it’s adding sugar to coffee or oatmeal, starting your day with sugar leads to worse food choices. Instead, use the naturally sweet-tasting cinnamon, which not only regulates your blood sugar but also has metabolism-boosting benefits.
Sometimes you just need pasta, and you have two options. The first option is to go for spiralized noodles (zucchini is a popular choice).
The sad truth is that this “healthy” food is actually often loaded with sugar. Swap it out for a plain, high fiber cereal and then add some cinnamon or berries to enhance the flavor.
See also: Avoid these "healthy" foods to live longer.
Roasted chickpeas, kale crisps, or chips that are baked instead of fried, as well as those made from other vegetables like beets or parsnip, all make better alternatives to that greasy, artificially flavor-dusted stuff.
Nut butter cravings are hard to quench, but instead of lopping on 200 calories with just two tablespoons, try stirring up some powdered peanut versions, which roast and press the nuts to remove 85% of the fat and calories.
If the real pasta is non-negotiable, go for a red sauce instead of a white one, which tends to be loaded with cream, butter, cheese, and inflammatory oils.
Be careful, because many nutrition bars seem like the healthy way to curb cravings but some brands are high in sugar and have enough calories to constitute a meal! Go for protein bars with around 150 calories for a satisfying alternative that will keep you full.
Forget delivery and save on bucks, calories, and sodium by using cauliflower as your base and mix in eggs, green onions, carrots, peas, garlic, soy sauce, and sesame oil.
The cold milk and comforting crunch are hard to replace, but you can swap out the sugary cereals (the obvious ones, and the sneakily sugar-filled raisin bran types), for healthier, low-calorie varieties like Cheerios. Plus you can add your own flavors!
The store-bought chocolate hazelnut spread is a dessert, despite its breakfast marketing, as it has about five teaspoons for sugar per two tablespoons, plus palm oil and artificial flavors. Make your own by blending hazelnuts, cocoa powder, coconut oil, vanilla, and your sweetener of choice.
Make your own from blended fruit and yogurt—or even make your own chocolate yogurt fudgesicles—and you’ll enjoy the icy treat without any regrets.
Invest in some ready-made cauliflower crusts or make your own for a much lower calorie indulgence.
Try making (or buying) no-bake energy bites. These little power balls are sweet, super easy to make, use natural ingredients, pack a protein and healthy fat punch, and their soft texture is close to the feeling of eating donut holes.
If it’s the smallness and the sweetness, you can go for chocolate or yogurt covered fruits or nuts, But if it’s the chewiness, you can always rely on dried fruit and all-natural fruit leather!
Popping fry-cut veggies in the oven is easy, and it gives you nutrients from roasted veggies like carrots, parsnips, and sweet potatoes. You can also whip up a delicious sauce like chipotle aioli!
Make chia seed pudding with oat milk, cocoa powder, and a little sweetener of your choice to get an important dose of fiber as well as omega-3.
Dips are often our biggest, fattiest oversight when everyone is focused on the chips. Instead of a heavy cream-based dip, try using beans as a base for an equally creamy option.
Try baked apples! For a lower calorie option, carve out the center of apples and fill with a mixture of one tablespoon of brown sugar, one teaspoon of butter, some rolled oats, and a pinch of cinnamon, then bake!
Try making black bean brownies instead. You won’t taste the beans, but you’ll enjoy all the soft, decadent, chocolatey taste.
Some say sugar is as addictive as cocaine, and can certainly hook you as fast as caffeine, if not faster. The added sugar and cream of lattes might be what’s drawing you back, so try unsweetened coffee beverages with milk instead.
So did most people! Unfortunately, the fro-yo you get in stores can be loaded with sugar and artificial flavors. A better option is to make yogurt bark with Greek yogurt to get all the same flavor with limited sugar and no fake ingredients.
When you're trying to eat healthier, the hardest moments are when a craving hits. A craving wants what it wants, and it often won't be fooled by a lemon tea or some fruit. That's why when you're starting out on your fitness journey, it's important to be realistic about your goals and your methods of achieving them, or else you may end up bingeing as a result of too many restrictions, and you'll lose motivation before you even make any progress.
Fortunately, there are many viable alternatives to junk food cravings that will actually hit the spot, and you'll get some nutrition points too. Click through to see some realistic healthy swaps for those nagging junk food needs.
You can enjoy the tasty fizz without all the sugar by having flavored sparkling water, or using seltzer as a base for a lime-lemon or orange beverage.
You can get a vodka and soda for the “skinniest” version, or try a martini or Moscow mule.
The most realistic healthy swaps for your junk food cravings
Enjoy the same great taste with less sugar, fewer calories, and lower cost
FOOD Health
When you're trying to eat healthier, the hardest moments are when a craving hits. A craving wants what it wants, and it often won't be fooled by a lemon tea or some fruit. That's why when you're starting out on your fitness journey, it's important to be realistic about your goals and your methods of achieving them, or else you may end up bingeing as a result of too many restrictions, and you'll lose motivation before you even make any progress.
Fortunately, there are many viable alternatives to junk food cravings that will actually hit the spot, and you'll get some nutrition points too. Click through to see some realistic healthy swaps for those nagging junk food needs.