(MENAFN- The Peninsula) Food is everywhere, it surrounds us. If you are on a diet or watching your weight, do not give in to temptation. Listed below are some healthy and tasty alternatives to what you have been eating but are light on your waistline. The trick is to incorporate these healthy foods into your life and shun the high calorie treats.
Dairy Products
We all love dairy products, but milk, yoghurt and ice cream have non-fat versions too. Choose skimmed milk or toned milk over full fat milk, Greek or non-fat yoghurt over the full fat version and indulge in fat free ice cream or sorbets without feeling guilty.
Caffeine
When grabbing a cup of coffee on the go, give the whipped cream, caramel and mocha sauces a miss. Choose an iced latte over a very sugary frappe on a hot day.
Energy Bar
When at work, keep an energy bar in your bag instead of calorie laden muffins.
Baked instead of fried
We all love potatoes. It is not potatoes that are fattening but how we cook them. Have baked potatoes instead of French fries and opt to boil potatoes and add it to your food. When making mashed potatoes, skip the cream and butter.
Fresh fruits
As a pancake topping, skip the traditional maple syrup and butter. Top it with fresh strawberries, chopped nuts and whipped yoghurt. For a healthy twist on your favourite cereal, top with chopped fruit and a dash of honey.
Sweetened cookies
When buying snacks, choose ragi, digestive and oat biscuits instead of cream biscuits and calorie laden cookies.
Plain nuts
When it comes to nuts, remember they are good for your heart but nevertheless contain significant amount of calories so eat in small quantities. Roasted and salted nuts are to be avoided, stick to the plain variety.
Lime water
Next time you want to order a fresh lime soda, have lime water with ice instead. Skipping the soda will save you from those extra calories.
Ultralight Beer
When it comes to alcohol, choose quality or quantity. A well-flavoured pint of craft beer is smarter than two pints of ultralight beer. Choose red wine over white wine, vodka and rum; it's good for your heart too.
Peanut Butter
Peanut butter is healthier than butter, try making it at home to cut the calories even further.
Dark Chocolate
Dark chocolate has fewer calories than milk chocolate and the oxidants it has are great for your skin too. Switch over to the darkvarietyslowly but surely.
Multigrain or Wholewheat
Try multigrain or wholewheat bread, instead of the regular white bread. It will make you feel fuller too and without a doubt the former is the healthier alternative. Have homemade chappatis or flatbread instead of that bought at a store or restaurant. The darker they are the better as if they are too light, it indicates that refined flour or maida has been used. Maida is nutritionally nil so try to avoid it as much as possible. Use couscous and quinoa in some dishes. When it comes to rice, switch to red rice or brown rice instead of the regular white rice.
Lean meats
When it comes to meat, choose leaner cuts of meat. When having chicken, remember that the leg piece has the most amount of fat. Also processed meat like sausages and salami is higher in calories than regular meat. Opt for roasted chicken over fried chicken and your body will thank you.
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