World Food Day: Healthy Swaps of Your Favourite Junk

Wanting to eat healthily, and also wanting to binge eat junk is a constant battle that most people face today. Be it fries, cupcakes, chips, pizza, or ice-cream, everybody just wants to indulge in their guilty affair once in a while, or maybe every once in every week. Interestingly, what’s ignored in the battle of fulfilling the cravings is long-term health. Hence this World Food Day, let your unhealthy junk be swapped with some healthy funk while feeding your taste buds guilt-free. Read on to find out healthy swaps for your favourite junk food.

• Fried Potato Fries With Baked Sweet Potato.

Fries are not inherently bad for your health. But it is their high sodium and oxidized oil content that makes them extremely unhealthy. Hence, instead of ordering them from eateries, try swapping the potatoes with sweet potatoes, frying with baking, and oxidized oil with coconut oil. Sweet potatoes are loaded with beta carotene, which is an antioxidant and a potent source of vitamin A. It also is a low Glycemic-Index (GI) food, which does not spike your blood sugar levels instantly, and can help in maintaining a healthy weight.

• Candy Bars With Dark Chocolate & Peanut Butter Covered Almonds.

Store-bought candy bars have high sugar content. They can not only make you gain weight but also spike your blood sugar levels and have an inflammatory effect on your body. Instead of munching on them, try swapping it with almonds dipped in dark chocolate and peanut butter. Dark chocolate- is loaded with antioxidants that protect against free radicals damage, a peanut butter- is high in protein, and almonds- are rich in fibre, vitamin-E, and healthy fats. Together they make an ideal snacking option. You can sprinkle on some maple syrup and sea salt for an enhanced taste.

• Milk & Cream Ice-Cream with Vegan Milk Ice-Cream.

Milk and heavy cream ice-creams are loaded with unhealthy fats, artificial flavours, and sugar. Altogether, they only satisfy your cravings in return of creating truckloads of health havoc. Try swapping it with no milk, no sugar, and only natural ingredients ice-cream. For instance, a peanut butter ice-cream. All that you need to do is- take 1 cup of peanuts, 6 seedless dates, 4 large ripe frozen bananas, 1 tablespoon peanut butter, some jaggery and salt. Pulse them together and scoop it into your ice-cream bowls to relish.

• Refined Flour Pizza Base With Cauliflower Base.

Cauliflower is not only a great low-carb alternative to rice, pizza, and potato, but also is easier to digest. It has amazing benefits on health like being rich in fibre, which keeps you full for a longer period of time. Refined flour, on the other hand, spikes the blood sugar levels and creates inflammation in the body. Also, for the weight watchers- cauliflower base pizza is the best alternative as it is low in calories too.

• Milkshakes with smoothies.

If you are craving for something decadent, flowy, and filling- have smoothies instead of milkshakes. As, fruit with milk is a bad combination according to Ayurveda, for it wreaks havoc on the digestive system, and also makes you gain weight. Smoothies, on the contrary, are healthy, easier to digest, and loaded with the goodness of vitamins, antioxidants, and minerals. You can have a very berry smoothie or a cherry mocha smoothie for a bust of flavours.

Over to you.
Good health is but a matter of choices. If you swap your unhealthy food choices for healthier alternatives, you will start noticing commendable changes in the way you and your body feels. Try introducing the above mentioned healthy swaps for your favourite foods and lead from the guilt-free end.