Yes friends, there are fun, delicious alternatives to junk food. It is possible to have food that is healthy AND fun. Perhaps that seems like an oxymoron; after all, how can healthy food be fun? We’ve all conditioned ourselves that fun is now associated with being unhealthy and we start to feel like we are sneaking guilty pleasures because something isn’t nutritious yet high in calories. That is just a warped sense of thinking. Simply making a few modifications to regular indulgences can make many favourites, healthy and fun.
Pizza
Let’s take PIZZA for example, a long time topper on anyone’s indulgence list. Even the name itself is FUN. You eat it with your hands, it comes delivered to your front door, it’s piping hot and it’s absolutely delicious. Pizza is obviously, a very unhealthy option. It’s incredibly high in calories and fat content and is normally made with white flour dough which does not enhance any fibre count to your diet. Here’s an idea….instead of ordering pizza, make a healthier family oriented fun night at home. Choose whole-wheat tortillas, pizza sauce and a medley of healthy toppings from the grocery store. Go together and choose what toppings you want on the pizza. You can even get Turkey Pepperoni. Have eachfamily member create their own; put the music on, name the pizza, sample each other’s. Take turns putting on the baking gloves and bake it in the over. It’s still a finger food, yet healthy, fun and interactive for everyone to enjoy.
Spaghetti
If you’re a carbohydrate addict, like most of us are, eating pasta has become a right of passage. Who doesn’t love to slurp up long noodles and make a mess? Much like pizza; white pasta is also made with white flour and does not contain any fibre. One way to make this dish healthier is to cook with whole-wheat pasta. Or for something completely OUT THERE, think about cooking up a spaghetti squash and get rid of the noodles all together. When cooked, spaghetti squash pulls apart quite easily and resembles spaghetti noodles. Just by doing this, you’ve completely eradicated the carbs in the pastaand are now consuming only vegetables.
Burgers, Hot Dogs, Fries
Burgers are of course, part of the North American Culture and a food that many families love to indulge. Take away the white buns and replace them with whole wheat buns. For an added palate-awakening, take away the bun completely and serve the burger on a Portabello Mushroom and use the Mushroom heads as the top and bottom of the bun. Absolutely delicious. For added healthier choices, try the burgers with ground turkey or chicken. Love affair with hot dogs? Instead of having regular hot dogs, choose turkey or chicken wieners and wrap them in a whole wheat soft tortilla. If you’re a person that enjoys breaded chicken fingers and fries, change this dish around and cook grilled chicken fingers with sweet potato fries or yam fries, which will offer more vitamins and nutrients along with a higher amount of fibre. And…they taste so much better too!!!
Chips, Preztels & More
Most of us love chips, but they are on the high list of being high in fat YET not all is lost. Grocery stores are now offering mega-delicious alternatives to salty, greasy potato chips and cheesy snacks. Look for the fun alternatives which include flaxseed tortilla chips, low fat puffed cheese snacks as well as sweet potato chips and vegetable chips. You can still have the crunch and munch experience with fewer calories. And the veggie chips are awesome!!!
Obviously, Pretzels have always been a low fat snack food and don’t forget about graham crackers. Home made trail party mix make a healthy snack of just nuts and raisins. Instead of adding salt to the mixture, why not try adding different spices to the concoction. If you want to get more adventurous, add in high fibre cereals, whole grain cracker bits, along with yoghurt-covered or dried fruits. Your palate with thank you for the variety and the hint of sweetness and besides you will also receive the benefit of protein and nut oils.
If you’re going to have some veggies and want some dip, choose yoghurt dip instead of regular chip dip. Chip dip is higher in fat than yogurt dip. Offer baby carrots, snow peas, and celery sticks with a low-fat salad dressing dip and watch how you can actually enjoy raw foods. Cheese and crackers can be a harmless snack as long as its light cheese and you are choosing whole-grain crackers.
Rice cakes make a great alternative to snack cakes and cookies, and aren’t over-filling, if you just need a little something to get you over the hump until dinner. And they do come in all sorts of flavours now, but again, be sure to read the labels.
Ice-Cream & Desserts
Be sure to read the labels of sherbets, sorbets, and frozen yoghurts. Sure, they have lower fat than ice cream, but are also full of sugar. Ice milk and fruit ices are fun alternatives to ice cream, and you can make your own frozen fruit pops from all sorts of fruit juices just by pouring them in an ice tray in the freezer.
Milk Shakes
Who says you cannot enoy the frothy whip of a milk shake. You just have to modify. Purchase some fresh OR frozen fruit from the grocery store, add cinnamon, put it into a blender along with fruit juice, ice-cubes, vanilla yoghurt and you’ve got yourself a great smoothie. If you want to get away from Cow’s milk you can enjoy Soy, Almond or other alternatives or just use water. Low calorie healthy alternative. And if you want to add that ice-cream texture, you can always use sherbets.
Fruit Salad is NOT just about the fruit.
You want a great way to spice up your leafy salad? Try spinach leaves or salad greens instead of lettuce and add in FRUIT. Raspberries, cherries, strawberries, blue berries, along with walnuts, almonds, cashews, sunflower seeds and dash it off with Raspberry Vinaigrette for a delectable salad and dessert in one. There are all types of fruity/leafy recipes out there and each one is more mouth-watering than the next.
You can have your cake and eat it too!!!
Get away from the white flour cakes and the dreaded chocolate cake and get used to the fabulous taste of Angel Food Cake along with low-fat Dream Whip or Cool Whip and sprinkled with Fresh Cut Strawberries or Cinnamon. Or add fruit cocktail or canned fruit packed in water or its own juice. Better yet, add fresh fruit from the local market.
But my kids want chips!!!
Ok, so you want a bag of chips but you know you need to eat fruit, so how about making them look more appealing. (Pun intended). A plain piece of fruit may be met with resistance. Bite-size fruit pieces and mixed fruit salads take a little extra time to prepare, but are more likely to be consumed because they are more appealing when cut into chunks and fun shapes. Sprinkle some cinnamon on fruit, or add in cocoanut or vanilla yoghurt for a quick fruit salad. For best results…get creative. If you want to have some fun, stick straight cut pretzels into a pear and create a fruit-man. Continue with raisins for eyes. If you put that all on a lettuce leaf, you’ve created an edible bug. Or the infamous “ants on a log” with cream cheese and raisins inside a celery stalk. All fun to eat and nutritious.
Keep it Simple and Fun
It may be time consuming but taking that extra few minutes get creative and to shop and prepare for the best alternatives is a gift to you.
Having A Love Affair With Food?
Being a food addict doesn’t mean you have to stop eating food and indulging your addiction, you just have to choose other foods. Educate yourself about the foods and find out what you are eating to better understand your relationship with food. The healthiest choice you make today is eating sensibly and committing to yourself.
Food needs to be thought of a as fuel put into your body to get you through the day, much like a car needs gas. It’s not supposed to be used to satisfy frustrated desires, build up an injured ego or dull the senses. Eat to live, instead of living to eat.
And remember these simple tricks.
Add Colour. Get creative. Frying equals dying. If it runs, swims or flies…eat it.
I didn’t set out to redirect anyone other than myself those many months ago; but it became evident that my journey was one that so many others were on a path to as well. Stories from others not only inspired me but kept my fire going to take my own message out to the universe and share my struggles and my ultimate successes. I have always been alive, but now I can honestly say I am TRULY LIVING! THAT is one of the messages I hope comes through to the reader when they pick up my Book.
