What you eat and drink can help save your health and weight. Did you know that what you put into your body (if it’s healthy!) can prevent up to 80% of heart attacks and stroke? Not only will it help you lose weight, but you’ll feel great, too. Living a longer, fuller life.
And we promise and guarantee, is that you’ll actually again begin to prefer the taste!
How do you do this? A simple trade-off. A food substitution of one from the other.
Vegetable Oil Instead of Butter
When it comes to your heart, butter is a source of saturated fat, which raises your level of artery-clogging LDL cholesterol.
Cook with a vegetable oil instead (olive, canola, corn, or safflower). They have healthier unsaturated fat. If you replace 5% of your daily calories from saturated fat with the unsaturated kind, you’ll cut your chance of heart disease by up to 25%.
Whole Grains Instead of Refined Carbs
Whole grains are soaked in fiber, which helps to lower your LDL, or “bad,” cholesterol. As an added bonus, it takes your body longer to digest fiber, so you stay full longer. This may help you eat fewer calories and stay at the weight you wish to be.
The American Heart Association recommends getting at least three servings of whole grains a day. To hit that mark, try these substitutions:
- Buy 100% whole wheat bread and tortillas in place of white.
- Have oatmeal instead of cream of wheat or corn flakes.
- Eat brown rice, wild rice, quinoa, or whole-grain barley rather than white rice.
- Replace at least half of the all-purpose flour in a recipe with the whole-wheat kind.
Poultry, Fish, or Beans Instead of Beef
At lunch, instead of a burger, go for chicken, turkey, or fish instead. Or try a dish made with beans.
Baked or Broiled Instead of Fried
Broil or bake that beautiful chicken or fish, instead of frying it.
When you fry food, the breading soaks up extra grease. That means you eat more fat, which often is the unhealthy saturated kind.
Spices Instead of Salt
Before you reach for that salt shaker, head to the spice rack. Spices can add flavor and disease-fighting antioxidants without the extra sodium.
Too much salt can raise your blood pressure. Keep your salt intake to about 1,500 to 2,300 milligrams a day.
Nuts Instead of Chips
Getting a little sleepy? Nuts will give you a dose of fiber and heart-healthy unsaturated fat with your snack. These are great, but too many will negatively affect your caloric intake.
Fruit Instead of Sugar
Kind of obvious, but real sugar is always better than fake, and we all want a little sweet snack every once and awhile.
Consider these trades:
- Top your cereal with fruit rather than sugar.
- Stir fresh berries into your yogurt instead of buying the flavored or fruit-on-the-bottom kind.
- In place of ice cream, puree a banana in a food processor and freeze it for a creamy frozen treat.
Avocado Instead of Mayonnaise
Avocados add creaminess to everything without all of the saturated fat of mayo. Avocados have healthy unsaturated fat and nutrients that can boost heart health.
Avoid Trans Fats
The FDA has asked food companies to remove trans fats from their products. This is bad!
