Food Swaps

Losing weight could be as easy as substituting  some foods for a healthier choice such as

• replace one cup of cooked rice with the same amount of barley - will give you less kj's, more fibre, iron and protein.  Barley is also a low gi option
• skip grapes try berries instead.  Half your kj's and increase fibre, vitamin C, folate and antioxidants
• replace couscous with Quinoa (pronounced keen-wah) - it has way more nutritional value than couscous - fibre, protein and iron
• skip potatoes and eat beans! Beans are a great protein source, significantly boost your iron and magnesium levels plus make you feel fuller for longer
• forget commercial pasta sauce and use tin roma tomatoes instead. Its cheaper and you can add your own garlic and fresh/dried herbs.  Plus greatly reduce your sugar intake.
• say no to marshmallows and yes to dried apricots.  You may think marshmallows are fat free but they offer zero nutrition.  Replace 10 marshmallows with 10  dried apricots and you will increase your fibre, iron, betacarotene, potassium and folate intake.
• try greek yohurt instead of sour cream - less fat and more calcium.
• forget diet softdrink (research suggests they do not help with weight loss) drink water or sparkling mineral water if you want a tiggle!
• skip choc-chip cookies and try dark chocolate.  If you need a fix, go for quality.  Dark chocolate has a range of health benefits!