It is quite tempting to indulge, and don’t get me wrong… nothing is wrong with that! However, healthy eating involves consistency, with the occasional cheat day. Regularly eating unhealthy can cause many different health issues. Some people are not a fan of carrots and hummus. We wanted to make a healthy version of alternatives to unhealthy foods so that you have choices to mix it up, and still enjoy what you eat!

Replace chocolate with dark chocolate

If you make sure you’re eating organic dark chocolate instead of milk or white chocolate, you will find that it’s much better for you. Dark chocolate is quite nutritious and contains fibre, iron, magnesium, copper, potassium, phosphorus, zinc and selenium. These are all good for you. It’s also full of antioxidants, which help keep you young!

Replace chips with popcorn

Chips are full of salt, oil, and saturated fat. As they are usually placed out in a bowl, it’s hard to judge how much you’re eating. You can replace these with lightly salted or plain popcorn for a healthier snack! It’s a good idea to buy plain popcorn kernels and cook it yourself so you can measure how much salt you want to add. Popcorn is also full of anti-oxidants, loaded with fibre, and low in calories. Even try kale chips! You may be surprised.

Replace cake with banana bread

Most cakes aren’t particular healthy. If you are looking for an alternative that has some benefits then try a whole wheat, organic banana bread. It’s full of fibre and the whole wheat contains potassium, magnesium and zinc. Check out our Hawaiian banana bread recipe here!  

You can even tweak the ingredients according to dietary restrictions.

Replace hamburgers with a chicken or veggie burger

Some more healthy alternatives to unhealthy foods is to replace hamburgers with a chicken or veggie burger. Your standard burger can have around 350 calories in it. However, if you were to replace this with a grilled chicken breast, it’d be just 220 calories –and that’s for a large 150g piece of chicken. Anyone love veggie burgers as much as we do?! Sure, it may not taste like chicken or hamburgers. However, they are a delicious, nutrient packed alternative that is much healthier. It will keep your belly full, with the right things!

Replace beer with spirits or wine

Here’s a scary fact – drinking five pints of lager a week adds up to 44,200k calories over a year or the same as eating 221 doughnuts. A pint of beer can have around 180 calories in it while a single measure of spirits has just 61 calories. Match that with a soda water and some fresh lime juice and you’ve got a less fattening alternative.

Even red wine has fewer calories, at 159 a glass. We don’t normally “count calories”. However, it is good to be familiar as to what goes into your body, and the harm it may cause. It is also about everything in moderation. A glass of red wine at night might satisfy the urge you are looking for, and healthier on your heart and body.

Baked veggie fries instead of French fries

Sweet potato fries are a favorite in our home! Chop a bunch of local sweet potatoes up, slither them in a tablespoon of olive oil, top on some salt or spices… and throw in the oven! That easy! You can even do this with carrots as well! It is a much healthier alternative to French fries, or processed fries in the frozen section at the store.

Frozen Yogurt or homemade popsicles instead of ice cream

We all love to eat ice cream! It really hits the spot sometimes. If you just can’t seem crush the sweet tooth, a healthier alternative is frozen yogurt. If you don’t eat dairy, try making homemade popsicles! You can blend your favorite fruits in the blender, and put them in reusable popsicle molds, and freeze! Now you have little frozen smoothies in popsicle form. Healthy, sweet, and great summertime treats!

Sparkling water instead of soda

It took me a while to get used to sparkling water, but now I love it! It really is a great alternative to soda or juice when you are craving a drink for something other than water. A nice cold sparkling water will definitely satisfy you… and give you hydration! There are many different varieties so you can pick your favorite flavors (or unflavored).

Power balls to replace donuts

Power balls are delicious, nutrient packed snacks. They can easily be made at home with just a few ingredients. You will be filled by eating a couple, and your body will thank you later! These little guys are so nutritious that you will gain energy from eating them! Talk about Superfoods! Here is a recipe for you to try. 

These are just a few of our favorite alternatives to eat. If you slowly try to incorporate each of these into your diet, before you know it you will be eating much healthier! Even if you are snacking. Give these healthy alternatives to unhealthy foods a try. Let us know what you think in the comments! Tag us on instagram to share your recipes.