6 Healthy Recipe Substitutions for Your Favorite Dishes

When it comes to cooking and baking there are easy (and tasty) healthy substitutions you can incorporate in your daily meal preparation. Substituting new foods for your tried and true staples might feel foreign at first. (I’ve been there.) But if you stick with it you will start to notice positive reactions from your body and even learn to love the taste.

Veggie Noodles vs Pasta

Swap out your regular pasta for veggie noodles. Zucchini is a great replacement for the starchy carb. Even whole wheat pasta contains more than enough carbs for your daily intake. This is such a refreshing alternative, you’ll never want to go back.

Mayo vs Mustard

Mayo contains sugar and saturated fats, while mustard has none. At just 10 calories per tablespoon, it’s very low calorie, with no fat and lots of flavor and varieties. Keep in mind that honey mustard contains twice as many calories as yellow or brown mustard.

Sour Cream vs Greek Yogurt

Sour cream has nearly 2 times more calories than Greek yogurt. Not to mention Greek yogurt also has 3 times as much protein.Some people say that Greek yogurt has a tangier taste than sour cream, while others cannot tell the difference. It is really up to the individual to determine if Greek yogurt is a suitable substitute since taste widely varies

Rice vs Quinoa

Quinoa has more fiber and protein than white rice. Both foods’ calories come primarily from their carbohydrate content, and a serving of brown rice or quinoa offers 22 or 20 grams of carbohydrates, respectively. However, quinoa offers more dietary fiber and protein than brown rice, so it should make for a more filling addition to your diet than brown rice.

Vegetable Oil vs Coconut Oil

This is an ongoing battle. People question coconut oil being healthier because of its high contents of saturated fats. Although it is said for saturated fats to be bad for you, cooking with them keeps the nutrients in your ingredients and doesn’t damage their chemical structure.

Iceberg Lettuce vs Romaine

When you break down iceberg, it’s mainly just water. Romaine has more nutritional value overall than iceberg. Romaine lettuce is super rich in beta-carotene, containing much more vitamin A and vitamin K.