Many of us make major diet changes in the wake of health-related news from our doctors like diabetes, high blood pressure or high cholesterol. While the intent is good, most of us struggle to keep up with diets because we make too many changes at once or choose changes that are too hard to make.
Making changes to combat preexisting conditions (or prevent future disease) is easier when you make simple, everyday swaps to the foods you already eat.
With summer in full swing, you're probably wondering how to make that backyard barbeque healthier. The good news is your cookout doesn't have to be loaded with fat and sugar.
It's possible to make some simple swaps and have a meal that's healthy and delicious, a nutrition expert at UT Southwestern Medical Center in Dallas says.
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"If you're not ready to replace your entire plate with healthy alternatives, you can still cut down on added sugar and fats by blending your favorites with some healthier options," Lona Sandon, an associate professor in the clinical nutrition department, said in a school news release.
Sandon offers some other tips for making your favorites a little healthier:
1. Build-your-own taco salad bowl
Sandon suggests including a build-your-own taco salad bowl with plenty of mixed greens, baby spinach and arugula. You can also offer a mix of toppings, including drained and rinsed canned black beans, diced avocado, black olives, fresh pico de gallo and reduced-fat shredded sharp cheddar cheese. Use corn tortillas instead of a fried shell, Sandon advises. Offer lettuce leaves, dill pickles, sliced onion, tomato and avocado as toppings.
2. Choose low-fat lean beef and chicken
For the grill, choose low-fat lean ground beef (90 percent or higher) and chicken breasts.
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3. Fill up on veggies and fruit
Fill half of your plate with vegetables or fruit, such as mixed berries or fresh-cut watermelon, a treat on a hot day.
4. Wings
Take the skin off chicken wings, and bake or grill them instead of deep-frying. Consider grilling chicken pieces instead of traditional wings. Use low-fat sour cream or plain Greek yogurt for dipping, along with your favorite hot sauce.
5. Barbecue
Use vinegar-based sauces that are lower in added sugars. Lean meat cuts are another healthy grill option. These include
sirloin or skinless chicken or turkey breast.
Serve your barbecue alongside grilled vegetable kebabs with cut-up zucchini, yellow squash, cherry tomatoes, purple onion and sweet potato instead of potato salad.
6. Ribs
Choose leaner beef ribs instead of pork. Opt for baby back instead of regular ribs. Consider brisket, which can be wrapped in lettuce leaves or top off a salad.
7. Burgers
Shop for the leanest ground beef or swap out for lean ground turkey, tuna, salmon or a black bean veggie burger. Top with your favorite spices and rubs.
8. Hot dogs/bratwurst
Lean, all-beef, turkey or soy franks have less saturated fat and fewer calories than bratwurst and are an easy swap. Serve these on wheat buns or corn tortillas.
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Healthy swaps
Looking for more healthy swaps to reach blood glucose (blood sugar) levels and A1C targets? Check out these healthy swaps provided by the American Diabetes Association:
- Choose cauliflower pizza crust with veggies over regular pizza crust to lower the amount of carbohydrates in a meal.
- Cauliflower pasta with veggies, spaghetti squash, or zucchini noodles are great swaps for regular pasta for an extra dose of fiber and veggies.
- Make a fried rice dish using cauliflower rice as the base and adding lean protein, veggies, and egg for a delicious lower-carb meal.
- Fiber can help with managing blood glucose levels. Try to include a source of fiber at every meal by choosing whole grains over refined grains (white bread, white pasta, white rice).
- Make tacos using cauliflower or corn tortillas
- Top toast with sweet potato and scrambled eggs instead of butter
- Flavored sparkling water or seltzer and infused water are great flavored swaps for soda to reduce intake of sugar.
- Choose dark chocolate instead of milk chocolate. Dark chocolate is lower in sugar and higher in beneficial antioxidants.
Being mindful of the foods you put into your body, especially if you are living with a health condition such as diabetes, can be difficult. Remember to give yourself grace, start slow and make a few small swaps at a time until a habit is formed. Once you've formed a habit, you'll find that it's much easier to make additional swaps to a healthier you.
