What if you could enjoy your preferred junk foods and keep the figure? Whether it sounds too good to be true, it’s not!
Here are a few healthy alternatives for typically the most popular junk foods, so you can surge forth confidently for a more health-conscious year!
Mexican Food
Lots of fried chips, the giant deep-fried beef chimichanga smothered in queso sauce, a side of white rice, and extra refried beans.
Salivating? You’re not the only one.
But as delicious as these dishes sound, not one of them are conducive towards the health goals you have looking for yourself. You will find, however, plenty of healthy alternatives in a Mexican restaurant that are still just like tasty!
Just remember that many Mexican restaurants offer plenty of options that are filled with healthy vegetables, lean grilled meats, flavorful salsas and toppings, and also the healthy fats present in delicious avocados.
Here are handful of tweaks you may make for your favorite Mexican dish.
Fajitas
As long while you limit your using the higher fat toppings and extras such as sour cream, fajitas can be quite healthy. Request corn tortillas rather than flour to chop calories immediately, and ask for extra lettuce and pico de gallo instead of sour cream.
My favorite fajita combination is made with grilled Portobello mushrooms, lots of peppers and onions and topped with a reasonable quantity of guacamole, lots of spicy pico, good crunchy lettuce, and just a sprinkle of cheese. The fiber within the vegetables helps me feel fuller longer, the guacamole is creamy and delicious as always with enough healthy fat to make the meal balanced, and also the pico adds so much flavor with almost no fat or calories.
I like to make use of the corn tortillas with my salsa rather than the fried chips.
Soup and Sides
There’s no reason to alwys pick something standard on the regular menu. If you’re seeking to make your own healthy meal, then by all means, do!
Start with a cup of broth-based soup, and complete your meal having a vegetable-based salad or a single soft chicken taco. Just be sure you try and omit the cheese, the crispy tortilla strips, and the dressing in the soup and also the salad.
Personally, I always leave the avocado in my tortilla soup because it is full of healthy fats and I possess a dressing trick I enjoy use. I am going ahead and ask for the Ranch dressing on the side however i don't dump everything on. Instead, I mix my very own dressing, using about a 3 to at least one ratio with salsa to Ranch dressing. It provides me the creaminess I love within my salad plus lots of flavor and less fat.
Italian Food
Creamy Caesar salad with extra dressing, hearty Italian sausage lasagna, several slices of garlic bread, also keep in mind the wine.
Americans have a long-standing romance with Italian food and there's nothing wrong with this. But the meal I just described would probably add up to a large number of calories.
Want to maintain your figure without the deprivation?
Here’s what you can do about your favorite Italian foods.
Bruschetta
Not only will it taste delicious, but it's a lot healthier compared to fried mozzarella or sausage-stuffed mushrooms.
Bruschetta is usually small slices of bread rubbed with garlic then grilled and topped with a flavorful combination of fresh tomatoes, olive oil, garlic and basil. It is light and refreshing, but still has that garlic bread flavor that you simply always want with an Italian meal.
Soup and Salad
As long as the soup is broth-based and vegetable-rich, it’s the easiest method to start your meal. Minestrone is an excellent option, full of all kinds of beans and vegetables. Combined with an easy dinner salad, you will find the makings of the flavorful yet light meal.
Just make certain to not choose any options that could be filled with cheese or high-fat meats such as salami or sausage. As long as you pair it with other healthy options, one of my personal favorite salads ever is the Caprese, consisting of sliced tomatoes and sliced fresh mozzarella, topped with basil, balsamic vinegar, and essential olive oil.
Grilled Entrees
Stick with grilled or roasted fish, chicken, or seafood. Do be aware of how the proteins are prepared and ask for little to no oil in the cooking process.
If you want pasta, consider ordering a separate side with your grilled entrée. Certainly one of my personal favorite requests would be to swap the regular pasta for whole-grain and choose a sauce like Primavera (full of zucchini, peppers, and tomatoes) or margharita (fresh tomatoes, garlic, and essential olive oil).
Or, when the option is available, try spiralized vegetables rather than pasta altogether! In your own home I like to make a mixture of spiral-cut zucchini and regular pasta. You can hardly differentiate once that marinara sauce gets ladled on.
Snack Food
Extra buttery popcorn throughout a movie night, an enormous plate of nachos for a football game, a slice of cake in a birthday celebration, or perhaps a big bowl of frozen treats after dinner.
Who doesn't love these treats?
But trust me, providing healthy alternatives is going to be appreciated by all your partygoers!
Popcorn
Air-popped certainly is the way to go! It eliminates all the oil that is needed for many traditional popcorn makers.
As far because the buttery topping goes, consider using a generous sprinkle of grated Parmesan cheese for your salty flavor boost.
Ranch dressing powder is another great flavor addition for something quite different.
Nachos
Nachos can be a difficult someone to make healthy. The whole concept of nachos is pools of cheese, lots of spicy beef or chicken, and dollop after dollop of guacamole and sour cream. It may be difficult to find healthy nachos inside a restaurant – but you can always go homemade-style.
Start with baked tortilla chips instead of fried, top all of them with shredded chicken, black beans, a drizzle of enchilada sauce, diced avocado, lots of fresh pico de gallo, salsa, and a sprinkle of cheese.
Everything continues to be full of deliciousness with lots of textures and flavors to relish. And that's really what we all love about nachos!
Dessert
One of my favorite healthy desserts is angel food cake with fresh strawberries. You could use blueberries or blackberries if you prefer. For any frozen treat, try sorbet instead of ice cream.
If you’re more within the mood for something warm and comforting, you could possibly get all the flavor of the apple pie from the delicious baked apple. Cut your apples in half, and take away the seeds and core. Mix together just a bit of melted butter, some brown sugar, cinnamon, and nutmeg, pour the mixture within the apples, after which bake the whole yummy concoction in any fruit juice. Topped with a dollop of fat-free whipped topping, it is a treat for anyone!
Of course, there’s always something to become said for the way one perfect bit of rich dark chocolate melts in your mouth.
Weekday Lunches
A bacon cheeseburger with French fries, a triple-decker club full of bacon and mayo, pepperoni and sausage pizza, or even a Philly cheesesteak.
Not will just these midday meals fill your (growing) belly and (hardening) arteries however they will even empty your bank account really fast. While them are a tasty treat from time to time, dining out on meals such as this every day will begin to drain your bank account and expand your waistline before you realize what has happened.
Not to mention the afternoon slump wonderful that heavy food in your tummy!
Brown bagging your lunch will save you money and provide you with complete treatments for what you are eating.
Sandwiches
You might have developed using the simple ham and cheese on white bread, but sandwiches is really so much more now. Let's start using the part that holds everything together – the bread. Instead two slices of plain white bread, consider using a whole wheat tortilla or half a pita or even a premade sandwich thin. Instead of high-fat mayonnaise, try something with less fat, fewer calories, and considerably more flavor.
My personal favorite, based on what else the sandwich may have, is definitely an avocado spread for any dose of healthy fat and delicious creamy flavor. For the most part, I usually forgo the meat and employ the avocado plus some flavorful cheese like pepper jack in my protein.
And, of course, pile around the vegetables like fresh spinach, crunchy cucumbers, tangy roasted red peppers.
Other Options
I love making my very own lunchables with hard boiled egg, cheese, crackers, apple slices, and peanut butter. I also enjoy taking soup along with a small green salad.
One of the tricks I've learned is to make my lunches for the week. Even when I'm taking a salad, I go ahead and pre-dice my toppings and divide out my dressing. The only thing I do not prep in advance would be the greens; I add those the morning of.
It is really much easier to keep on track when you are able still enjoy your favorite foods. And with some substitutions or additions, it is possible to make healthier versions of all your preferred fast foods. The three important aspects to remember are:
- More vegetables – The fiber helps fill you up, and you obtain a wider variety of nutrients, minerals, antioxidants, and flavor.
- Less high-fat meats and cheeses – I am not saying to cut out meat and cheese altogether. But stick to lean meat for example turkey or tuna packed in water, and then try to introduce super-healthy meats such as smoked salmon in your salad for those omega3 fatty acids. And check out a more flavorful cheese like pepper jack so that you use less but still enjoy it.
- Indulge every so often – To remain on the right track, you have to still keep some of the food you actually love. Try a small high-quality bit of chocolate rather than a number of cheap candies; order the standard nachos but intend to split it having a table filled with friends.
