​Eat this, and not that

​Here are some ideas of how you can introduce healthy eating into your diet using a simple swap system.  These healthier alternatives are lower in calories, fat and sugar and higher in nutrients.

Breakfast choices

Swap this food	​    To this healthier option
​Full fat or semi-skimmed milk (blue or green top).	​Skimmed milk (red top).
Sugary cereal and toast and jam.	Porridge made with skimmed milk with mixed berries.
Rice Krispies, or cornflakes with full fat milk and sugar.	Wholegrain breakfast cereal – fruit n fibre, granola or low sugar muesli and skimmed milk with fresh fruit.
Croissant, or pain au chocolate or Danish pastry.	​ Granary bagel with jam or peanut butter spread thinly
Fried English breakfast	Baked beans, poached egg on granary toast.
Latte full fat with a muffin from the coffee shop	Skimmed milk or soya milk latte and low fat fruit yogurt, or banana.
Fried bacon sandwich	Boiled egg with granary toast

Mid morning break

Swap this food	​    To this healthier option
Standard bar of chocolate.	Low calorie instant chocolate drink.
Crispy cream doughnuts.	Low fat fruit yogurt or banana.
Sugary cereal bar.	Low fat yogurt drink.
Crisps	Handful of nuts or plain popcorn.
Chocolate biscuits	A banana or 2 figs
Dried fruit	A portion of fresh fruit. ​​​​

Lunches

Swap this food	​    To this healthier option
Battered fish and chips	Baked salmon with homemade tomato sauce, brown rice and steamed vegetables.
Toasted mozzarella and tomato pesto panini.	​Jacket potato, cottage cheese and salad.
Toasted cheese sandwich	Granary bagel with cottage cheese or edam and salad.
Pizza with pepperoni, or salami.	Pizza with thin crust and extra vegetable toppings.
Chips and beans	Jacket potato and baked beans
Egg mayonnaise white bap	Chicken or ham salad in granary/seeded bread
​Cheese and pickle French stick	Brie and tomato in granary/seeded bagel.
Lamb kebab in white pitta	Beans, chicken or hummus in wholemeal pitta.
Creamy chicken soup and white French stick	Bean, or lentil soup with rye bread, or granary roll.

Dinner

Swap this food	​    To this healthier option
​Roast chicken dinner	Roast, or grilled chicken cooked with no skin baked in small amount of olive oil with new potatoes and steamed vegetables.
Cottage pie and peas	Brown rice, small portion of chilli con carne and sweet potatoes
Spaghetti bolognaise	Spaghetti with sardines served with salad
Fish in parsley sauce, mashed potato and peas.	​Grilled mackerel with basmati rice and lentils and steamed vegetables.
Chicken korma and pilau rice.	Chicken jalfezi with vegetable side dish and steamed rice
Burger, oven chips and baked beans.	​Turkey burger with baked sweet potato and salad vegetables.
Chicken nuggets and chips	Grilled chicken with no skin, oven baked sweat potato and vegetables. ​
Chinese takeaway	Chicken stir fry with Chinese vegetables and black bean sauce
Pasta carbonara	​Pasta arrabiatta – tomato based sauce with salad.
Beef casserole with dumplings	Chicken casserole with brown basmati rice .

Desert

Swap this food	​    To this healthier option
​Apple pie and custard	​Baked apple and low fat ice cream.
​Full fat rice pudding	​Low fat rice pudding with mixed berries.
Chocolate pudding	Low fat chocolate dessert or soya chocolate dessert.
​Ice creams and wafers	Fruit Salad with low fat fruit yogurt, or low fat ice cream.