Sustainable weight loss is not hard. You just have to be smart. If you want to lose weight, be prepared for a change in your diet. These simple food swaps assure weight loss without leaving you famished.
1. Water instead of soda
Before you grab a can of soda, realize maybe you’re just thirsty. So just drink a glass of water and watch your craving for soda die down. This is one of the most important food or drink swaps for weight loss. Water has zero calories. A glass of water and an 8-ounce soda is a difference of more or less 100 calories.
2. Brown rice instead of white rice
Refined grains, like white rice, have lower nutritional value than whole grains. Brown rice, quinoa, and oatmeal are more nutritious and are loaded with more fiber than white rice or white pasta.
3. A piece of apple instead of chips
Chips are empty calories. They are also high in salt. If you get hungry in between meals, just have an apple, pear, or guava. They are rich in vitamins, minerals, and fiber.
4. Fish instead of steak
Steak is high in fat and cholesterol, particularly the bad ones. The best source of protein, minus the saturated fat, is fish. If you choose salmon or mackerel or tuna, you get loads of omega-3 aside from protein.
5. Fresh fruit instead of juice
Artificial fruit juice is rich in sugar. If you’re drinking fruit juice because you’re thirsty, just drink water. If want to experience the taste of the fruit, just eat the fresh fruit instead. Peel that piece of orange instead of stirring powdered orange juice in a glass of water.
6. Fresh fruit instead of fruit pies
A slice of blueberry pie or apple pie may look delicious, but since you’re cutting back on calories, it’s not a clever choice. Just help yourself to a cup of blueberries or a piece of apple if you get hungry in the middle of the afternoon.
7. Eggs with vegetables instead of egg sandwich
The former packs much less calories. For instance, an egg sandwich with bacon has roughly 280 calories, whereas two scrambled eggs served with half a cup of spinach only has 150 calories. Plus spinach has fiber but doesn’t have fat.
8. Plain coffee instead of lattes
Coffee is extremely low in calories. In contrast, lattes are rich in sugar and additives that make each cup pack more than 100 calories from sugar and cream. Skip the latte and just drink coffee plain. It will give you the morning perk you need without introducing simple sugars into your body. Add honey to taste.
9. Kale chips instead of potato chips
Potato chips taste good, but a cup and half of them has more than 200 calories. On the other hand, the same amount of kale chips has only 84 calories plus Vitamins A and C, calcium, and folate.
10. Olive oil instead of butter
Both are fats, but one is much better than the other. Butter is a good source of saturated fat that soon clogs arteries. Virgin olive oil provides heart-friendly unsaturated fat. It also increases the levels of serotonin in the brain. This neurotransmitter does a lot of things including regulating your satiety. People who have higher levels of serotonin tend not to overeat and thus tend to manage their weight much easier.