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10 Swaps That Improved My Health

April 16, 2015 by Cris 19 Comments

I am posting this article as I promised to a few followers on Instagram to post more articles on healthy habits.

10 Swaps That Improved My Health
I know I already said it, but I don’t believe in quick magic diets that promise you to lose weight in a short time, gain energy and fix all of your health problems.

Quality for quantity, get fit for video games — this is how I see it, “no excuses” when it comes to making healthier choices.

1. Cooking for eating out

I am sure we all try to pick the healthiest restaurant in town, but let’s be fair with each other that sneaky salad topped with heavy-in-calories and full-in-sugar kinda dressing packs way too many calories. Instead cooking at home most of the time will more likely be healthier, not to mention cheap too.

Bottom line: Cook it fit for a healthy and happy life & so much mooooore. 🙂

2. Eating breakfast for hitting snooze

Oooooh believe me that I know how tempting is to hit the snooze button (I loooooove sleeping in a bit longer), but you must have noticed that skipping breakfast gives you the munchies later on and slows down your metabolism, too.

Bottom line: Stop skipping breakfast. It is the most important meal of the day because it boosts your energy levels and maintain a constant body weight.

3. Whole fruit for fruit juice

Juice derived from fruit with no added ingredients (100 percent fruit juice) is certainly healthier than juice from concentrate or with added sugar. And it contains many of the vitamins found in the equivalent whole fruit. But it still lacks the dietary fiber found in whole fruit, which may help you reduce heart disease risk, control weight, and aid digestion.

Bottom line: So skip the juice glass as often as possible and go for the whole piece of fruit instead to reap its benefits.

4. Olive oil and lemon for other dressings

Think this way: the fewer ingredients listed on that dressing bottle, the healthier. Not to mention, it’s cheap (when you sum it up, you might even save some cash), healthy and no additives included!

Bottom line: Easy-peasy dress your salad with some extra-virgin olive oil and lemon juice.

5. Fresh spinach for iceberg lettuce

How many times have you used iceberg lettuce for your regular salad? I bet a dozen times. Frankly, I did it too until I got bored. Besides, spinach is full of vitamins K, A, calcium, and iron.

Bottom line: Start adding spinach to your salads more often and I promise you won’t go wrong.

6. Oatmeal for sugary cereals

Oh gosh, you have NO idea how much I HATE those sugary cereals bought from any store. YES, they can be filled with sugar and additives.

Go to the natural stores instead and buy all the ingredients, such as: oatmeal (I for one prefer the gluten-free version as I find it easier to digest), sunflower seeds, chia and flax seeds, goji berries, dried cranberries, walnuts, almonds, acai and maca powder. It’s been nearly five years since I’ve used any type of store bought cereals and I couldn’t be happier with the visible results (one of them is that my skin looks so much younger).

Bottom line: So choose to make your own müsli from scratch instead.

7. Avocado for butter

Love this one, really! It’s so much tastier to spread avocado instead of butter. You could also add some smoked salmon and sprinkle chia seeds on top for a perfect healthy snack.

Bottom line: Buy AVOCADO instead of margarine/butter and let me know how much you liked it.

8. Medium plate for extra large one

It does make sense that using a larger plate have us eating more than planned. Take it step by step and switch to a smaller one – the medium one.

Bootom line: I am not kidding!

9. Mustard for mayo

Don’t you also love spreading some tasty and naturally fat-free mustard on the bread and then topped with turkey breast, goat cheese, and sliced red bell pepper??? Hmmmm, yummy!

Bottom line: For tomorrow’s healthy snack, skip the mayo and use mustard.

10. Eating three meals for skipping out

I heard you – your are too busy for three meals. Then STOP being that busy and grab a mid-day meal to boost your energy and good mood.

How many times have you felt tired and sluggish? Right, I forgot GRUMPY too. Way too many hours going by without eating won’t do you any favor.

Bottom line: Try to eat healthy snacks between breakfast, lunch and dinner (so you eat more than 3 meals a day) and you will be less likely to grab junk food once you get home.

Love this article? Share it with your friends too.

Be healthy and happy!
With love, Cris

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Filed Under: HEALTH Tagged With: article, fitness, health, healthy habits, healthy swaps, lifestyle

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Comments

  1. ana carol says

    April 16, 2015 at 6:28 pm

    love that post! was talking with my mom this afternoon about how my quality of life is better after i change to eat healthy. plus she’s diabetic and she’s at my place now and eating my food every day… i think she’s liking!

    Reply
    • Cris says

      April 17, 2015 at 9:56 am

      Yay! 🙂 Ohhh, I am sure your mother loves every bite of your food. I love every food picture you post on Social Channels. Thank you very much! Take care of yourself and that beautiful baby, Theo! Wish you guys a lovely weekend! Muah to both of you :*

      Reply
  2. faya says

    April 17, 2015 at 4:28 am

    Great post Cris – Love it! 😀

    Reply
    • Cris says

      April 17, 2015 at 9:48 am

      Thank you Faya! :*

      Reply
  3. Dana says

    April 17, 2015 at 6:35 am

    I need to improve my health, I want to anyway so I will be following these lovely tips! Easy swaps as well. I love cooking,
    Not sure about mustard for mayo 🙁
    medium plate – YES
    Avacado – YES YES YES
    I can´t eat three meals, my mind will never allow it, I always worry its too much 🙁 stupid thoughts
    Thanks for writing this Cris
    Hope you have a wonderful weekend ahead
    Dana
    x

    Reply
    • Cris says

      April 17, 2015 at 9:52 am

      Thank you very much Dana! I’m so sooo happy to hear that. I wish you good luck, especially with the mayo one. Happy Friday & Cooking! Cris xoxo

      Reply
  4. Cristi says

    April 17, 2015 at 8:32 am

    I need to do this, but medium plate is going to be a big challenge. I will give your swaps a chance and hopefully I will improve my healthy too. Thanks Cris

    Reply
    • Cris says

      April 17, 2015 at 9:48 am

      Thank you & wish you good luck with that Cristi! I am sure you can do it. Please let me know how my swaps go for you, too. Cheers, Cris

      Reply
  5. Maria says

    April 17, 2015 at 10:53 am

    I must admit you’re so right about these swaps. It worked in my case, too. I feel so much better, with extra energy. I am a happy person. Great article and keep up the good work!

    Reply
    • Cris says

      April 17, 2015 at 10:58 am

      First of all, thank you for your message and sharing with us your experience. I know your life before and after the drastic change and I couldn’t agree more. You look indeed healthier and happy! Keep it up, you do a great job! :*

      Reply
  6. Sarah says

    April 17, 2015 at 5:00 pm

    Great swaps! Thanks for the fantastic ideas!!

    Reply
    • Cris says

      April 17, 2015 at 8:58 pm

      Hooray!

      Reply
  7. claudia says

    April 17, 2015 at 6:13 pm

    Super bun articolul!

    Reply
    • Cris says

      April 17, 2015 at 7:34 pm

      Multumesc frumos Claudia!

      Reply
  8. the ness life says

    June 28, 2015 at 4:07 pm

    These are great and simple tips that are so easy to implement yet people always seem to forget. Thank you for sharing 🙂

    Reply
    • Cris says

      July 1, 2015 at 7:25 am

      You’re welcome! 🙂 I am glad you found them useful. Wish you a nice day! 🙂

      Reply
    • Cris says

      July 7, 2015 at 8:03 am

      So happy to read your message. You’re welcome! 🙂

      Reply
  9. CannaGary says

    August 4, 2015 at 5:12 pm

    Cris,

    Great job with some very sensible alternatives. The avocado for butter blew me away, I can’t wait to try it.
    Have you given any thought to the benefits of adding Hemp Protein Powders and Hemp Seeds to the diet.

    A lot of folks are coming to the realization that we should have been eating Hemp Seed right along. Perhaps America would not have more Obese than Overweight people heading for illness.
    Love your site and really enjoyed my read, thanks again,

    CannaGary

    Reply
    • Cris says

      August 6, 2015 at 3:04 pm

      Thank you so much, Gary! 🙂 Your comment means so much. Talking about hemp seeds and hemp powder, I love them both. Basically, I add the hemp powder to my breakfast routine and the hemp seeds to post-workout protein shakes. I should write a post about their benefits. Thanks for this idea! 🙂 Wish you all the best! Cheers

      Reply

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Welcome to Cook It Fit! Since June 2014, this blog has been the place for me to inspire and support you to make healthy lifestyle changes that last – with simple, delicious recipes and tips on how to make healthy choices every day. Though I'm now a certified nutrition coach, the information here is not intended to substitute the professional medical advice.
Stay healthy & be happy, Cris

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