5 day-to-day food swaps for a healthy you and an even healthier pantry. Thank us later

Bread, biscuits, aerated beverages, potatoes—well, we aren’t just listing random kitchen ingredients for you. All these ingredients form our staple diet and we end up eating them more often than we realise.

Devoid of nutrition and laden with saturated fats, additives, and all things sugary–these foods and drinks can mess up with your weight loss goals for real!

But, you know what? Just glance around your kitchen cabinet and you’ll notice that all these unhealthy foods can be easily swapped with healthier substitutes.

Also read: Beware! These 7 misleading “healthy” food labels are actually quite unhealthy

Don’t believe us? Well, check it out for yourself. For something as basic as your brekkie comprising sandwiches, you can discard the white bread and instead go for whole-wheat or multi-grain bread for their relatively healthier nutritional profile.

Easy-peasy, right?

So, here are some healthy food alternatives to get you started:

1. Swap potato snacks with sweet potato
Who doesn’t love to binge on potato chips and crisps?! They undoubtedly stand out to be one of the most preferred snacks among the entire lot.

But girl, those lovely potato bites come packed with excess carb content that can make you go out of shape.

An easy way out here is to swap potatoes with sweet potatoes instead as they can keep you full for a longer spell and further reduce unwanted hunger pangs.

According to a study, published in Journal of Medicinal Food, sweet potatoes have the ability to shrink fat cells.

2. Swap ice-creams with frozen yogurts
That decadent tub of hazelnut ice-cream sitting sneakily at the corner of your freezer might be a lot tempting—but let’s hear it for the 100th time—it will only add to your calorie count of the day.

A healthy alternative to this is frozen yogurt (minus the sugar) that provides a way better nutritional profile with lesser number of calories and the taste intact!

Also read: Trying to get healthy in 2020? Start by reinventing your kitchen in just 5 easy-peasy ways

As per a study, published in the American Journal of Hypertension, consuming more than two servings of yogurt per week may lower the risk of developing heart disease or stroke.

What else do you want in life?

3. Swap milk creamers with coconut milk
All you coffee and tea lovers out there, if you like your cuppa to be thick, stop using milk creamers as they are not adding any nutrition to your body.

Instead, go for coconut milk as it contains medium chain fatty acids that are exceptionally good for the brain and body. Oh, and this healthy substitute will still keep the drink creamy and tasty.

4. Swap white rice with quinoa
The next time you plan to prepare biryani or pulao for yourself, try replacing the white rice with quinoa instead. Quinoa is super versatile and can be used in just about everything.

This protein-rich and gluten-free whole grain is definitely a better pick than white rice, which is a pure source of carbohydrates.

5. Swap sugar with jaggery
Ladies, stop topping your favourite cuppa with tablespoons of sugar! Replace that spoon of sugar with jaggery as it is healthy substitute.

Excess sugar intake would only lead to sudden spikes in your blood sugar levels; whereas, jaggery would impart that same sweet flavour without comprising on your health as it comprises complex carbs that give energy to the body gradually, which in turn lasts for a longer spell.

So, without further ado, give your kitchen cabinet a healthy spin and your body will thank you for it.