9 EASY Food Swaps to Make the Average Diet Healthier

Making your diet healthier doesn’t have to mean drastic changes. Sometimes it’s just about the small but effective changes.

These simple food swaps can significantly improve your nutrition and help cut calories without sacrificing flavor.

Let’s get into these impactful and realistic swaps that make the average diet so much healthier.

1. Syrup Swap

Sure syrup is used to shower our pancakes and waffles in but it’s also used by many as a sweetener. The problem is that conventional syrups are made with artificial ingredients like high fructose corn syrup and natural flavors which make syrup less of natural sweetener and more of a artificial and color dense topping.

Instead go for organic maple syrup and raw honey which can help you avoid unwanted ingredients.

Syrup and honey can be used as a sweetener for baked goods, beverages and other foods.

My husband likes to melt peanut butter and mix it with maple syrup for his pancakes. He promises it’s the best thing ever lol

2. Cooking Oils & Butter(Fats) Swap

Cooking oils and butter have the power to make the meals we cook healthy or not.

Vegetable, canola, and soybean oils are highly processed, high in omega-6 fatty acids, which can contribute to inflammation, and lead to harmful trans fats and free radicals.

Instead, switch to grass-fed butter and avocado oil. Grass-fed butter provides a natural source of healthy fats, vitamins, and antioxidants.

I prefer to cook with avocado oil because it’s perfect for high-heat cooking unlike many oils.

3. Bread Swap

In order to make bread healthier you have two options.

Instead of conventional bread you can make your own bread which means you control all the ingredients or you can buy healthier bread at the store.

If you’re not comfortable making your own bread and choose to buy bread at the store, look for bread either made with whole grains or sprouted ingredients. The fewer ingredients the better.

As far as thin sliced bread, it’s almost a cheat code for when youre options are limited.

If you’re unable to find a bread made with top tier ingredients, going for generic bread but sliced thin can lower you intake of artificial flours at each meal and drastically cut down on carbs and calories.

Take it from someone like me who loves bread, thin sliced bread is the perfect amount. The switch helped me digest my food quicker and not make meals with bread so heavy.

4. Pasta & Rice Swap

Another healthier carb swap is switching out your traditional pasta and rice for something a little more nutritious.

For example, you can switch out white rice and regular pasta for cauliflower rice and chickpea pasta.

Cauliflower rice, while it needs a little extra seasoning at first, is low in carbs and packed with nutrients.

Lentil and chickpea pasta are higher in protein and fiber, making them more filling and nutrient-dense than traditional pasta.

These swaps provide help you manage your carb and help you add some yummy veggies into your meals in a unique way.

5. Flour & Breading Swap

Flour and breading is used for many things. If you love to bake bread like me, you understand how important it is to choose a healthy flour. And you could say the same for breading with baking or cooking different foods.

Swap out your white flour for almond or oat flour is a great way to make your meals healthier. Almond flour is a bit more expensive but oat flour is made with just some basic oats.

I like to grind up some oats in my food processor and, Voilà! You have oat flour!

My husband loves both my almond flour and oat flour breaded chicken tenders.

Both options are less processed and have a lower glycemic index, helping to stabilize blood sugar levels.

6. Coffee Creamer Swap

As a coffee lover, I don’t play about what goes into my coffee!!

At first finding a good alternative to traditional coffee creamers high in sugar was challenging.

It seemed like everything was full of additives like fake sugar and natural flavor.

But eventually after a lot of research and looking through ingredients at the store, I found a few great coffee creamer options.

Now I will say some of them take some getting used to lol, especially if you’ve become accustomed to creamers high in sugars(like I was). But eventually for the sake of your health, you’ll learn to love these healthier options.

You can swap out traditional coffee creamers for options like oat, coconut and almond milk, or homemade creamers.

Coconut milk adds a creamy texture and healthy fats, while almond milk provides a lighter, dairy-free alternative.

For a personal touch, make your own creamer by blending almond milk with a splash of vanilla extract, syrup, honey or cinnamon.

7. Soda Swap

I’ve never been much of a soda drinker myself but as someone who loves a sweet iced tea, I know what it’s like to crave a sweet beverage.

Swapping soda or other sweetened beverages for sparkling water is a refreshing way to cut out excessive sugar and artificial sweeteners.

Soda often contains high fructose corn syrup, aspertame and other chemicals that can cause harm to your health over time. Sparkling water provides the same bubbly satisfaction without the downsides.

I like adding a hint of lemon or lime to my sparkling water to give it more flavor.

8. Salad Dressing Swap

I can’t tell you how many times I have stood in the salad dressing aisle at the store going through ingredient list after ingredient list, only to find soybean oil, canola oil, natural flavor and high amounts of sodium and sugar in almost every single one.

This struggle did eventually lead me to find a few good options but my favorite option is making my own at home.

My homemade cesar salad dresing and my homemade chipotle ranch dressing. My husband asks me to make them all the time!

The best thing about homemade salad dressing is that you can customize your dressing with ingredients that you want based on your desired taste.

🥗…And because I love you, here is my favorite salad dressing recipe!!

9. Meat Swap

If you consume any type of animal products whether that be dairy, eggs or meat it’s important that you choose quality.

When it comes to eggs, choosing organic pasture-raised eggs instead of regular, cage-free, or even free-range eggs is a great way to improve the quality of eggs you and your family consume.

Pasture-raised eggs come from hens that roam freely, allowing them to eat a natural diet, resulting in higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids, vitamin D, and antioxidants.

Grass-fed meat is leaps and bounds better than conventionally raised meats because it offers a better fat profile, with higher levels of omega-3 fatty acids and antioxidants like vitamin E.

Choosing organic or grass-fed also means avoiding unnecessary antibiotics and hormones often used in conventional farming, which can disrupt your body’s natural balance.

In animal products, always look for products made from the most natural sources and raised using human treatment of animals.

The better quality of life for animals the better the animal products, which in turn is better for your health. Plus it’s what the deserve!

I hope this was helpful! Taking even some of these swaps into consideration can help you eat healthier.

And just to be transparent we didn’t make these changes all at once or remain consistent in them at first but with intentionality and consideration for our health we eventually grew to adapt these swaps as a lifestyle.

Our hope is for you to take these swaps and start living a healthy life as well.

Thank you for reading!