Delightful Healthy Food Swaps for Every Meal

Food is one of the great pleasures of life – but tasty doesn’t need to be unhealthy. Food swaps are a great way to keep the taste you love by changing out some ingredients for healthier alternatives. 

Whether it’s a new recipe you’re trying out or a favourite dish you want to tweak, food swaps are the perfect way to level up your meals. Not sure where to start? Here’s everything you need to know about food swapping – including three flavour-packed swaps you can try at home. 

Why are food swaps important?

Food swaps are a great way to help improve your daily nutrition. Swapping certain ingredients can add more vitamins and minerals to each dish and make some of your favourites a touch healthier.

Changing things up can also be a great way to avoid eating the same old thing, adding a fresh twist to your mealtimes. By expanding the variety of food you’re eating, and by trying new flavour combos you might not have had before, you might just discover a new favourite. Best yet? It’s not hard at all. Sometimes easy food swaps might just be one or two ingredients!

How do you make a healthy food swap?

Half the challenge of food swaps is knowing where to start, so having a plan going into it can be a lifesaver. Before you focus on new ingredients, work out what foods you’d like to swap out. Do you want to focus on kicking off your day with a healthier breakfast? Or are you looking to improve dinner for the whole family? You may also have a certain ingredient that you want to cut out of your diet completely. 

Keep it simple by starting small with a couple of your go-to meals. Take a look at the ingredients in each meal, including both fresh and pre-made. Read the labels on anything pre-packaged to get a better understanding of exactly what’s in it. Once you have a good idea of what’s in your favourites, it’ll be easier to get swapping.

What are some good food swaps?

Whether it’s breakfast, lunch or dinner, there are plenty of easy food swaps you can make throughout your day. Here are a few tasty food swaps to tempt yourself with:

Breakfast swap: Cinnamon & Fruit Block Loaf vs muffin

Swap out that sugary muffin for something just as irresistible – a thick slice of Bakers Delight Cinnamon & Fruit Block Loaf. Packing the same flavour punch as a muffin but with the natural sweetness of sultanas and currants and the warming spiciness of cinnamon, it’s the perfect way to start the day.

Lunch swap: Hi-Fibre Lo-GI White Block Loaf vs standard white bread

With cloud-like pillow-y softness our Hi-Fibre Lo-GI White Block Loaf is an easy bread swap you’ll thank yourself for making. A healthier white bread, it’s light, fluffy, and simply delicious. The best thing about this loaf? The high fibre will help you feel fuller for longer, and the slow energy release of the Lo-GI will keep you powering through your day with ease.

Dinner swap: White Pizza Base vs takeaway pizza

Ditch the takeaway pizza and fire up your own oven instead. By making a pizza swap to DIY at home you can save a bunch of money, and pile your pizzas high with your own fresh ingredients, tailoring the toppings to your heart’s desire. Pick up some healthy pizza base alternatives like our White Pizza Bases and add a make your own pizza night to your weekly menu. It’s a fun way to get the whole family involved in making dinner, and whip up new creations that you won’t find anywhere else.

Food swaps for cooking

It’s often those common everyday ingredients that get overlooked when we’re trying to eat healthier. Here are some quick tips on healthy ingredients that you can easily use in your next meal:

• Oil and butter are common when frying meat or veggies. Instead, try using a splash of water to poach or saute instead. 
• If your recipe calls for cream or sour cream, go for unsweetened Greek yoghurt as a lower fat, nutritious alternative that’s just as creamy. 
• When baking you can swap out butter for applesauce in cakes and muffins. It keeps things moist and comes with an added fibre kick.
• If you love a good Thai curry, swap out the coconut cream for evaporated milk and coconut essence for a light and healthy twist. 
• Keep a stash of healthy recipes on-hand so you can easily whip up something nutritious whenever hunger strikes.

Incorporating healthy alternatives into your lifestyle

It can be easy to fall back into old habits, especially when we’re tired or hungry, so make it easy to stay the course on your healthy swap journey. 

Keep a list of healthy swaps on hand, plan your meals ahead of time, and track your progress so you can easily see how much better you feel. And don’t forget to bring your friends and family along for encouragement and ideas – after all, a journey is way more fun with great company!

Whether you’re hunting for a whole new recipe, or freshly baked items to include in your cooking, we’ve got you sorted. Pop into your local Bakers Delight store and pick up your latest food swap today!