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Food Swaps for Weight Loss

Lose Weight and Feel Better With These Simple Food Swaps

Making a few simple tweaks to your diet can save you a few hundred calories without sacrificing flavour. But ditching simple, refined carbs for more nutritious food won't just help you lose weight; it can have a major impact on your overall health, too.

As author of New York Times best-seller Genius Foods Max Lugavere posted on Instagram, there are four seemingly healthy foods that people eat every day that actually have healthier alternatives. Instead of eating a (grass-fed) burger with a bread bun, he suggests swapping it for portabello mushroom caps. "Mushrooms are loaded with health-promoting compounds," he wrote in the caption. "This may be why frequent mushroom consumption is related to 20% reduced risk of developing dementia."

Instead of a flour tortilla, which is empty calories from refined white flour and corn, opt for a large piece of sturdy lettuce, such as romaine or butter lettuce. And while dried fruit seems like a health, all-natural option, it's calorie- and sugar-dense, so it's easy to over consume and ingest hundreds of calories and dozens of grams of sugar. Instead, reach for fresh fruit, which is mostly water and will keep you fuller, longer.

If you think frozen yoghurt is a healthy dessert option, think again — as an alternative, Max suggests full-fat Greek yoghurt. "Steer clear of frozen yoghurt, which masquerade as healthy, and stick instead to full fat grass-fed Greek or Islandic yoghurt, which can be dressed up to be just as satisfying (you can even throw a little stevia or monkfruit in yourself if you want it sweet!)" he wrote in his caption.

With these pointers in mind, rethink your meals and snacks — not only will you save calories, but you can protect your overall health, too.

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