When preparing meals for our families, we often try to find healthier ingredients or alternatives to boost nutrition. Try out these 5 healthy food swaps to help cut down on sugar, salt and fat in your and your family’s diet. Just 1 or 2 everyday swaps can really make a difference and go a long way to making each day healthier – but the more you make, the better!
1. Bee hoon in place of thick yellow noodles
Thick bee hoon has 120 calories per 100 grams cooked, while ban mian and mee hoon kueh have 138 calories per 100 grams cooked.
2. Baking instead of deep frying
Swap traditional deep-fried French fries for oven-baked potato “fries.” Simply take the sweet potato or regular potato and cut it into rounds or slices. Then cover in olive oil, seasoning, and bake in the oven until crispy. This baked option cuts down the calories and fat content.
3. Lemon or flavoured water instead of soft drinks
Flavored water can be a good way to transition away from sugary drinks and sodas. You can make your own flavored water by adding fruit or herbs to a pitcher of water, muddling them to release their flavor, and then refrigerating. You can also add ingredients like green tea, mint, or lime to water.
4. Use olive oil instead of butter
Oive oil has many benefits. It contains lower amounts of saturated fat (bad fats) and is free of cholesterol, sugar, salt, and gluten, making it a better alternative than butter for the heart.
5. Make your own soup stock
Ready-made soup stocks often come with high levels of sodium that is not good for your health. Simply make your own soup from scratch. You can make soup stock with chicken bones, fish bones or scraps of vegetables.