Healthy Diet Swaps - 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. |