Trying to live a healthier lifestyle can be overwhelming at first, but that doesn't mean it has to be hard. People often mistake dieting for depriving themselves of the things they love most, but what many don't realize is that there are ways to satisfy your cravings in a healthy way, all while losing weight in the process.
There is so much you can do on a daily basis to alter your eating habits for the better, without making any major changes to what you're eating. Here are five simple diet hacks to eat healthier without noticing much of a difference in taste
1. If you love bread...
Bread is a tough item for most people to cut out of their diets, but it's often the number one thing they say you should stop eating if you want to lose weight. While cutting it out entirely isn't completely necessary, there are ways to still eat bread without overdoing your carb intake. If you're someone who loves sandwiches, try making them open-face. This way, you're only eating one slice of bread, so you're cutting out about 100-200 calories and a lot of processed carbs while still being able to eat all the delicious fixings, according to Lean It Up. If you're someone who can't live without a bagel, ask for it scooped out to cut more than 200 calories.
2. If you can't live without butter...
Avocado is the perfect alternative to butter whether you're putting it on toast or using it for a recipe. "An easy swap that boosts the health content of a recipe is replacing butter with mashed avocado," Erin Palinski-Wade, RD, CDE and author of "Belly Fat Diet For Dummies" told Everyday Health. "For insitance, swapping two tablespoons of butter for two tablespoons of mashed avocado in a baked good recipe not only saved 154 calories, but it also reduces saturated fat by 14 grams, making it a good way to slim down a recipe and make it a heart-healthier option as well."
If avocado really isn't you're thing and you want something that truly tastes like butter without all the calories and fat, there are some great butter substitutes out there like Brummel & Brown Spread, which is made with yogurt and only has 45 calories and 1.5 grams of saturated fat per tablespoon.
3. If you crave the crunch of a chip...
No matter what diet you're partaking in, chips and all junk food is probably a big no-no. While chips are tasty, it's often just the saltiness and crunchy texture that people crave, which is why veggie chips are a great alternative. Kale chips and sweet potato chips are particularly popular and much healthier and nutritional than potato chips. "I'm a sucker for salty chips. When I want that salty, crunchy goodness without all of the fat and calories, I make kale chips," Rachel Begun, MS, RDN, told Everyday Health. "I get all of the health benefits of leafy greens while indulging in something crispy and salty." Click here for a kale chip recipe, and click here for a sweet potato chip recipe.
4. If you put salt on everything...
Most people have high-sodium diets without even realizing it because of how much sodium processed foods contain. We also often tend to over-salt healthy foods to give them extra flavor, but since high-sodium diets can cause diabetes or high blood pressure, there are other ways to make healthy food taste better, according to Nutrition Secrets. Using different spices and herbs not only allows you to experiment and get creative with flavors but can also hold you back from using high-calorie cooking condiments that typically add flavor like soy sauce or olive oil. Flavor God makes incredibly flavorful spices that don't contain a lot of salt and have low nutritional value, so they have become very popular to those following vegan, paleo and low-calorie diets.
5. If you like to indulge in chocolate...
There's nothing wrong with indulging in your favorite sweets from time to time, but sometimes people have trouble staying away from them completely. If you're someone who just can't live without chocolate, no questions asked, then find a way to include it in your diet in a healthy way. Bonnie Taub-Dix, RDN and author of "Read It Before You Eat It" suggests mixing one tablespoon of dark chocolate chips with a snack-sized bag of mixed unsalted nuts and dried fruit as a way to create your own trail mix. "You'll get a chocolate hit without overdoing portion sizes," she told Everyday Health. "And you'll have the benefit of the protein and healthy fat in the nuts to keep you stable without crashing." You could also drizzle a portion of dark chocolate onto any fruit, like apples or strawberries, or even unsalted popcorn, for a healthy snack.
