“stay away from the milk and white chocolate and turn to the dark side”

Crisps
Look for alternatives to potato crisps such as chickpea, lentil, egg whites, seaweed, kale, plantain, popcorn, rice, carrot and beetroot just to name a few. How they’re cooked should also be taken into consideration as well. Air frying, baking etc could produce a snack you enjoy just as much.

Chocolate
When choosing chocolate, you could choose white or milk chocolate but the higher the amount of real cocoa in your chocolate, the more flavonoids your bar contains. Flavonoids are powerful antioxidants with various health benefits for your heart, brain cells, reducing your risk of disease. So best to stay away from the milk and white chocolate and turn to the dark side.

Butter
Butter is a staple in most people’s diets but this staple can be substituted at your pleasure for certain other products. Margarines and other oil based substitutes for butter have their health benefits and negatives so we recommend you look into it and make your own decision. Avocado is a substitute that is undoubtedly healthier, but is not necessarily a full substitute for butter unless you’re a masochist. Even still there are recipes where it is arguably better, such as breakfast foods where it compliments less healthy ingredients.

Ice Cream
You scream, I scream, we all scream for a more healthy alternative to ice cream. Your options are frozen yoghurt which retains the creamy nature of ice cream. Another alternative is a sorbet where an easy version can be made out of frozen fruits with a bit of fruit juice to aid in blending it.

Flapjacks
When making flapjacks why not reduce the amount of golden syrup and butter used whilst adding dried fruits and nuts to balance the recipe out. This approach can be applied to baking in general, the trick is trial and error in working out what proportions you enjoy like with any recipe.

Bread/Carbs
Changing what breads you eat from unhealthier options such as white sliced bread and bagels can positively impact your nutrition. Choosing whole wheat, whole grain, emmer, quinoa, sourdough and rye breads are widely considered healthier. So changing up your typical carbohydrates such as plain rice and potato with various grains such as bulgur wheat or some ancient grains or couscous adds variety to your diet which aids in your nutrition whilst adding variety to the meals throughout the week.

Nuts/Raisins
Honey roasted nuts and yoghurt coated raisins can actually be a healthier option than other traditional snacks such as chocolate bars and such. If you want to take it one step further you could change this in for plain nuts and raisins which will be considerably more healthy.

Meat/Fish
Fish is a low-fat high quality protein which is filled with omega-3 fatty acids and vitamins such as D and B2. There are many types of meat and fish out there varying from poultry, beef, lamb which are the typical favourites. Fish on the other hand, there is more choice. Salmon is one of the most beneficial along with tuna, but if you are feeling something different to the average bacon sandwich or fish and chips, why not try some battered fish, jackfruit or even some banana blossom for some vegan alternatives.

 

Carbohydrates
Changing up your typical carbohydrates such as plain rice and potato with various grains such as bulgur wheat and couscous adds variety to your diet which aids in your nutrition whilst adding variety to the meals throughout the week.

 

Cookies
There are so many alternatives to cookies! You can purchase light, vegan and vegetarian cookies that substitute different ingredients to the normal chocolate chip cookies! But try not to be fooled by apparently healthy alternatives like “light” cookies, these often contain as many calories as well as additional artificial additives.These can make the cookie very calorie rich, filled with sugar and not healthier. So choose wisely!