How to Eat Healthier Without Even Noticing
Deep down we all want to eat healthier. There are plenty of excuses as to why we don’t, but one that most won’t admit to is that they don’t like the taste of healthier foods. But you’d be surprised just how easy it is to sneak in healthier options into your diet without even noticing.
Trade out lettuce and use spinach leaves instead. With the plethora of nutrients found in spinach (protein, iron, and zinc, just to name a few), which are in higher amounts than in lettuce, the switch makes a substantial difference. For most, the taste difference is nearly undetectable. If you happen to not take an immediate liking to spinach, you can ease yourself into this change by mixing in a few spinach leaves with your lettuce. Eventually you won’t even notice the taste difference.
The quickest way to make your diet healthier is with your choice of bread. Eating white bread deprives you of the fiber content and health benefits of wheat bread. If your taste only appeals to white bread, you’re in luck because there are a number of “whole grain white breads” on the market. You will never even notice the difference. However, the healthiest option is still indeed whole wheat bread. To adjust your taste slowly, start by occasionally trading out your white bread for honey wheat (which is a light wheat version, mostly white with a small amount of whole grains added). Once you’ve gotten to the point where you eat honey wheat all of the time, then you need to sneak whole wheat into your bread repertoire. Eventually your body’s natural ability to prefer the healthier option will prevail and you will actually desire whole wheat bread. However, give it time. For picky bread eaters this may take months.
Just like with bread, whole grain noodles are healthier than white noodles. To make the change unnoticeable, mix in half whole grain noodles with half white noodles. The whole grain noodles, while they taste the same, do have a slightly different texture. If you start out with half and half, you won’t even notice.
Sneak some veggies into pasta dishes. When it comes to making a sauce, or even just using a jarred sauce, the spices and flavoring will disguise most any vegetable into tasting like part of the sauce. This is the perfect opportunity to add in vegetables without even tasting the difference. If you want to sneak vegetables into the family’s meal without them noticing, use a food processor to grind up vegetables so your family won’t even see them. Good suggestions of vegetables that hide well in sauces include squash, carrots, zucchini, and cucumber. Feel free to give any vegetable a try, though.
Make your burgers and casseroles healthier by tossing in some beans with your ground beef. You can use black beans, kidney beans, or pinto beans. Not only will this make your meat healthier, but also will save you money by making your beef go further. Start out small and you won’t even notice the taste difference. And truth is, if you add in enough to notice a difference, you will probably like it better anyway.
Eat soy meats. Nowadays there are many pre-made soy meat substitute products that taste just like the real thing, or better. Don’t be afraid to give a veggie burger a try, or a veggie hot dog, corn dog, chicken patty, bacon, ground beef, or chicken nuggets. If you haven’t checked out the vegetarian meat options lately, it’s time you take another look and realize just have far soy products have come from boring tofu.
When it comes to dessert, get frozen yogurt instead of ice cream. It tastes just as good, but it has substantially less fat (if any fat, depending on brand). Eat chocolate with nuts to sneak in protein and healthy fats (plus it will fill you up faster, so you’ll eat less). And another great way to satisfy that sweet tooth is to snack on trail mix. It still has the chocolate you want while adding in nuts, raisins, and sometimes other nutritious fruits too.
You see it, isn’t as hard as you think to eat healthier. A few simple substitutes and additions for items you eat anyway will keep your favorite options tasty but nutritious.
