Making A Lifestyle Change: Simple Food Swaps

The decision is made: I'm making a lifestyle change! 
Your mind is synced. You have the portion tools! 

But now... #panic #now what #help! 

"WHAT DO I EAT?"

A few good examples@

No need to panic! You have this! In fact, here are few of the simple swaps I found really helpful to me get started. Hope they help you, too!

For me it was swapping out foods I already knew I liked - with a healthier version of the same food. Note: If you Google food swaps you will find a ton of ideas. Some are little harder to do cold turkey. So start with small swaps, and then try the more bold ones when you feel ready.

One such site, the popular cook and author, Hungry Girl has made a fortune creating recipes and with detailed food swaps. Check her out if you like to cook!

Of course, one-ingredient unprocessed foods are the optimal way to get healthy. Still, it's a process, a journey, if you will. So I'm going to start where I started. To be honest, I hate to cook, and often live in the pre-packaged food world for on-the-go meals and snacks.

The basics: When going for a swap, look for less sugar, less carbs and more protein. Of course, lower sodium also still plays a factor.

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My "go to" Food Swaps

Oatmeal 

Oatmeal is part of my go-to breakfast everyday! Oatmeal has been proven to not only stick with you, but to aid in fat-burning. Whether you choose the instant, flavored or good old steel cut, the benefits are huge! 

To round out my breakfast, I usually add 6 oz. of Tropicana 50 orange juice and a whole grain english muffin with 1 tsp. of raw honey. (Take note of my last blog, portions are key!)

Instead of this:
Quaker Maple and Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal
(160 cal, 12 g sugar, 32 carbs, and 4 protein)

Try this:
vs. Quaker lower sugar Maple and Brown Sugar Instant Oatmeal
(130 cal., 4 g  sugar, 24 carbs and 4 protein)

Even better:
Better Oats Oat Fit, Instant Maple & Brown Sugar Oatmeal
(100 cal, 3 g sugar, 18 carbs and 3 protein)

Savings: 60 calories and half the carbs!

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Yogurt 
Yogurt is a great source of calcium and protein! I usually combined this with fruit, nuts, or half of sandwich with petite carrots, for a nice light lunch. Oh and ya, a Dove dark chocolate mini! 

Instead of this:
Yoplait Yogurt (90 cal. 10 g sugars, 16 carbs, 5 protein)

Try this:
Chobani Greek Simple 100 Yogurt (100 cal., 5 g sugars, 15 carbs, 12 protein)

Savings: 5 grams of sugar, and adds 7 grams of protein for only 10 calories!!

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Breads and Buns

I love bread. But white breads are so nutrient deficient I can't bring myself to eat them. And frankly after not eating them for quite some time, they give me a stomach ache.

A good rule to remember is: Just because the serving size says two slices, you can eat only ONE slice. (Add a tbsp of natural peanut butter for protein and healthy fat boost!) 

Instead of this: 

Aunt Millies Butter top white bread
(120 cal., 3 g.sugar, 30 carbs and 5 protein)

Try these:

Aunt Millies Light Whole Grain 

(70 cals, 1 g. sugar, 19 carbs, and 5 protein) 

Another good choice is, Healthy Life 100% whole wheat bread

Savings: 40 calories, 2 g of sugar and a whopping, 11 g of carbs! 

Instead of buns try:
Slimwiches, bagel thins (I like the "everything" ones) or whole grain wraps. A bun - is not a bun - anymore. Some true "give up the bread" folk, even use romaine lettuce for sandwiches and wraps. 

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Granola Bars

Who hasn't grabbed one of the 90 calorie, sugar laden granola bars in a quick fix? But there are better options that will work just as well.

When looking for a good swap in this category, look for 6-10 grams of protein and 5 grams or less, of sugar. For high protein bars, keep an eye on the calorie count. They are great for total meal replacements, or large snacks for men, but they tend to jump from 180 to 300 calories. 

Instead of this:
Quaker Granola Smore bar (100 calories, 8 g sugars, 19 carbs, 1 g of protein)

Try this:
Kashi Honey Almond Flax bar(140 calories, 5 g. sugar, 19 carbs, 7 g of protein)

Savings: 3 g. sugar and gaining of 6 g. of protein for 40 calories.

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Milk  
For those with a milk allergy or those who are diabetic, almond milk is a good alternative. Low in sugar and carbs. I don't have an allergy, but found the almond milk still agreed with me better than skim milk. 

Instead of this:
Skim Milk
(90 calories, 13 g sugars, 12 carbs, 8 protein)

Try this:
Almond Milk Unsweetened Vanilla
(30 calories, 0 g sugars, 2 carbs, 1 protein)

Savings, 60 calories, 13 g. sugar, 10 carbs. (You do give up, 7 grams of protein though)

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Simple swaps to try!   

• For a white potatoes
  Try a nutrient-rich sweet potato. I love the pre-wrapped microwavable ones in the produce section. Quick and easy! 
• Deep fried french fries
  Buy frozen french fries and broil them! Watch - as some have more sodium than others! 
• Instead of head lettuce 
  Give fiber filled romaine lettuce a try. Romaine will last for two weeks in the refrigerator!
• Replace ice cream
  For the lower fat frozen yogurt. Be careful of portion size on this one!
• Giving up pop?
  Try flavored water with no additives. The varieties are endless!
• Got to have the crunch of chips  
  Try Special K or Wheat Thin popped chips. For 120 calories you get 28 chips!!

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Snacks in a pinch! 

When you just need a sweet crunch!
Petite carrots or Apples cut-up

When you just need to chew!! Gum

When you need a salty fix!
Microwave popcorn 100 calorie snack bags.
Need more of sweet salty mix? Try the kettle corn version. 

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2004

2014

My journey is simple: Improve my health and body through lifestyle change.
If I can do it, so can you! 

And to give thanks to God:
For being able to share my journey with you!

Please, feel free share your tips, thoughts, and ideas in the comment below!

Making a Lifestyle Change: Learning Portion Control

Not too many people like to be told HOW MUCH they can eat - or WHAT they can eat. It's just human nature. 

That is why I decided to look at my journey from the "Lifestyle Change" perspective. It was, and still is, my choice about how much and what I eat. No one elses! Remember, diets will end and you will go back to your old habits - but changing your lifestyle, well, that is forever!

To really "Sync Your Mind," ask yourself,
"Are you ready to commit to making a change?  

To take control of the choices you make?" 

The answer is simple really. The choice is yours! 

My # 1 Rule- 

This is a typical lunch for me.
Greek yogurt, petite carrots,
whole grain 35 calorie bread with peanut butter
and light string cheese...
Oh, and not pictured one- DOVE dark chocolate mini!

Always make WISE choices about "what" foods you are going to eat, This is just as important as "how much" you choose to eat. 

Yes, a calorie is a calorie- BUT the nutritional value in each calorie is not the same. (One of my future blogs will explain some of the food swaps I have made.) 

Hers an example:

Basic McDonald's Hamburg: 250 calories, 9 grams of fat and 480 mg. of sodium

vs:

Laura's Lean frozen burger: 160 calories, 9 grams of fat and 70 mg of sodium

Everything Slim bagel (as bun): 110 calories, 1 gram of fat and 190 mg of sodium 

Total: 270 calories, 10 grams of fat - but only 260 mg of sodium! 

So yes, the calories and fat are bit more, but you save a ton of sodium, and have a better quality burger! That alone is huge. Sodium retains water and creates inflammation. Not what you need when you are trying to get healthy! 

Deciding how much to eat

If you are using the My Fitness Pal, Lose It or Weight Watchers apps or websites, you most likely have already figured out how many calories you should be eating to lose weight or maintain. But there are other websites to give you the basic numbers. Many health and wellness websites offer these calculaters. Here are links to couple I use: Fitness Frog and MidMichigan Health

So now that you know your calorie needs  - YOU need to decide how much of each food group you are going to eat and how much. While there are a few ways you can use portion control, yet the end result should be the same. You should know how much you are eating, the nutritional value of the food and the calories in the portion.

Example: 

Apples are in season here in Michigan. They are a wonderful source of fiber, vitamin C and natural sugar- yet their calories vary by size and type.

A general rule of thumb for an apples is:

• Small, 55 calories 
• Medium, 80 calories 
• Large, 110 calories 

Still many items aren't straight forward, or are easy to double a portion size quickly. That is why measuring and planning ahead - is imperative!

I have found the following tools made the job much easier...

Portion Control Tools

First off - Eating out of the bag is not an option! The joke between my son and myself used to be, if ate you standing up and eating out of a bag or box -- the calories did not count! HA! Seriously, they do! 

To get started here are the basics:

• Digital food scale 
• Measuring cups 
• Measuring spoons 
• Specifically sized plastic reusable containers- (such as Glad)   1/2 cup and 1 cup are good sizes to start with.
• Snack size sandwich bags
• Prep bowls

Digital Food Scale

My first investment was a food scale. (Well, actually my husband bought it for me. He got tired of me asking, "Does this look like three ounces?") So he came home with this "Biggest Loser Scale" from Bath and Beyond for around $20.

By the way, eye-balling three ounces is not as easy as a deck of cards. Though that is a good rule of thumb when a scale is not available to measure meat portions. And one cup, is never one cup when you are really hungry!

This scale offers you both oz./lb. weight or grams. Now I for one never even thought about food as weighing a gram, but trust me once you get going with this- grams are sometimes much easier to use.

Measuring Cups and Spoons

I'm sure most of us have these tools in the kitchen as staples we use for cooking. But for portion measuring I like the clear glass or plastic cups marked with the increments, such as 1/4, 1/2, 2/3 etc. It saves getting out the different sizes when your making a smoothie with multiple ingredients.

Prep Bowls

These are great pre-measured sized bowls for quick snacks. (No dumping from measuring cup to bowl.)

You do have to be careful not to overload them though and stay at the marked amount. I bought the Food Network prep bowls that come in a set with specific sizes to use for quick measuring. These nesting bowls offer two measurements for each bowl. If you can catch them while on sale, the set was under $20 at Kohls.






Other good options are: Glad containers in specific sizes. Many come in half-cup, one-cup and even smaller sizes for snacks like almonds, or small amounts of dip for carrots and such.

Portion Bags

Now this one is for the really busy, but "I'm trying" measurer.
I have found these small pre-measured portion snack bagsat Walmart, Kroger and Target . Just put your food into the line and go.

A bit more economical, I use the general snack size sandwich bags for most things I measure and store.

Measuring is one of the most important rules I still stick too!

Pack Ahead!

Now that you have the tools, remember to always pack snacks and lunches when your going to be away from home- even for a few hours. Pre-measuring is done, just grab the snack bag or container and go! 

Because we all the know the reality. Hunger on the road will set you up to grab whatever is handy. Taking prepackaged snacks such as granola bars with protein, nuts, light string cheese, or fruit, is great way to avoid "junk food" pick me ups. For that sweet tooth, portion size Dove chocolate minis (one is 42 calories) or 100 calorie Special K Krisps, are a couple of my favorites.

As you can see, portion control is not about being restricted. It's just part of "Syncing the Mind."

REMEMBER: You are in control. 

You make the choice to fit the calorie and portion into your goal!

This "Lifestyle Change" is for you!

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