8 Easy Nutrition Swaps to Help You Lose Weight

When we are trying to lose a few kilos, making small changes to your eating habit can make a huge difference to your “get fit” journey. It’s easier and more enjoyable than you think! 

“Making small changes is more doable because you don’t feel as deprived,” says Keri Gans, R.D.N., author of The Small Change Diet. “Feelings of deprivation can derail even someone with the best weight loss intentions. In the long run, small changes will lead up to big results.”  

Remember it is not what we do once or twice that get us those results, it’s the consistent activities. There is no need to starve yourself for sustainable fat loss. Instead, choose healthy alternatives and don’t fall for fad diets and weight loss pills (these don’t tackle the reasons you gained the weight in the first place and are crazy hard to sustain I.e. often the start of the weight-loss roller coaster!). Always have some healthier options as your pantry staples can be a big help! We tend to reach for what’s on hand when we are hungry. Keeping nutritious food and snack swaps around can set ourselves up for healthy eating success!  

There are many simple nutrition swaps you can make every day to get you on your way to a healthier lifestyle without scarifying the things you love. Try these small changes when you have your meal or drink, or when you are looking for a snack.  

Easy Food Swaps for Weight Loss and Health! 

1. Use Red Sauce Instead of White Sauce- the creamy white sauce is often made with lots of heavy cream, cheese, and butter, to achieve that silky-smooth texture. These ingredients are high in saturated fat and calories, which can increase the risk of obesity, heart disease, and type II diabetes. Instead, a tomato, vegetable or bean-based sauce is a much better choice as it contains more fibre, vitamins and minerals and less fat and kilojoules (calories).  

2. Try Konjac Noodle Instead of Regular Noodle – You might not have heard of it. Konjac noodle is a unique food that is very popular in some Asian countries. It is high in glucomannan, a type of soluble fibre from the root of the konjac plant. It has a composition of 97% water and 3% fibre. Therefore, it is extremely low in calories 100kJ/ 100g compared to pasta with 500kJ/ 100g. It helps you to control your daily food intake by keeping you full for longer during the day. It also acts as a prebiotic, which feeds the beneficial bacteria in your gut. Win-win 

3. Choose Thin Crust Pizza Instead of Thick/ Stuffed Crust - everyone loves pizza. But have you ever thought that you could reduce almost half the calories by swapping the thick/stuffed crust to a thin crust? A stuffed crust pizza is loaded with cheese, 1 slice (12-inch) of it can contain 1500kJ and 15g of fat, where a slice (12-inch) of thin crust pizza has a much lower calorie with 900kJ and 7g of fat. 

4. Use a Vinegar-Based Salad Dressing Instead of creamy based – opt for low-fat or vinaigrette salad dressing as it contains fewer calories. Also, don’t drown your salad in olive oil. Although olive oil is rich in monounsaturated fat (a type of good fat), it is still 100% fat, and each tablespoon contains about 500kJ (120 calories – more than an apple), more than all the salad leaves combined!! I love a drizzle of extra virgin olive oil but remember a “drizzle” - it is possible to have too much of a good thing!! 

5. Include Hummus or Mustard Instead of Mayo – it is easy to overdo the mayo. 2 tablespoons of mayo will add an extra 800kJ (190 calories - almost as many calories as the bread itself!!) to your sandwich. Swapping to an equal amount of hummus or mustard will save you about 250kJ (60 calories), as it has less fat than mayo (10g vs 1.5g for 1 tbs).  

6. Indulge in Air-popped Popcorn Instead of Chips- popcorn can be a healthy snack when it is prepared without the addition of butter, oil, sugar, and flavourings. It is a good source of fibre, protein, vitamins, and minerals. It is best to avoid microwave (check the packet for ingredients and calories)  and store-bought popcorn, as those may contain lots of hidden calories!  

7. Enjoy Edamame Instead of Flavoured Crackers- Edamame are young soybeans commonly served in Japanese restaurants. They are low in calories and an excellent source of protein, fibre, antioxidants, and calcium. You can simply prepare it by boiling it in water in the shell with a bit of salt or roasted it in the oven.  

8. Drink Sparkling Water or Kombucha Instead of Soda- switching to diet soft drink is not the best option. A growing body of evidence suggests that diet soft drinks consumption is related to an increased risk of a wide range of medical conditions, including cardiovascular diseases, metabolic issues, and liver problems1. Frequent consumption of artificial sweeteners might cause a person to crave for more sweets and eating more food2. Instead try: 

• Infused Sparkling water - A good way is to toss some fruits and herbs and spices into a bottle of sparkling water to “spice” it up. Berries, citrus, ginger, turmeric and dragronfruit are great for adding flavours to sparkling water.  

• Kombucha- this fizzy fermented drink is a good probiotic source, which provides support to your digestive and immune system.  

Choosing a healthier alternative can be simple and delicious. Following these tips to replace foods that are high in calories and low in nutrient content with simple wholefoods can speed up your weight loss journey and improve your overall wellbeing! These tips may inspire you to think of other healthier swaps that suit your eating habits. Comparing different products’ nutrition information panel is another great way to guide you to choose healthier options.  

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1Johnson, R. K., Lichtenstein, A. H., Anderson, C. A., Carson, J. A., Després, J. P., Hu, F. B., ... & American Heart Association Nutrition Committee of the Council on Lifestyle and Cardiometabolic Health; Council on Cardiovascular and Stroke Nursing; Council on Clinical Cardiology; Council on Quality of Care and Outcomes Research; and Stroke Council. (2018). Low-calorie sweetened beverages and cardiometabolic health: a science advisory from the American Heart Association. Circulation, 138(9), e126-e140. 

2Wang, Q. P., Lin, Y. Q., Zhang, L., Wilson, Y. A., Oyston, L. J., Cotterell, J., ... & Browman, D. T. (2016). Sucralose promotes food intake through NPY and a neuronal fasting response. Cell Metabolism, 24(1), 75-90 

Acknowledgement: Nikki for content. Nikki is an amazing dietitian and available for corporate and public health nutrition opportunities nikkihny@outlook.com