Great 100 Calorie Food Swaps

Great 100 Calorie Food Swaps

You have your diet and you stick to it, but a subsitute here and there could help you loose up to a pound a month! Here are some great suggestions for food subsitutes that will save you up to 100 calories, every time guaranteed! So dig in and watch the guilt melt away!

1. Try Enlgish Muffins Instead of Bagels

The average bagel measures nearly 3 1/2 inches, which is a whole lot of carbohydrates that you don't need first thing in the morning, or really any time of the day. Instead, spread one tablespoon of peanut butter and some fresh sliced strawberries on a whole-wheat English muffin.

2. Try Greek Yogurt Instead of Low-Fat Milk

Instead of pouring 1/2 cup of low-fat milk into your 2/3 cup of cereal or granola, pour 1/4 cup of granola or cereal over 6 ounces of nonfat Greek yogurt. Try using lower fat granola that has about 75 percent less fat than regular granola.

3. Eat Oranges Instead of Drinking Orange Juice

Orange juice usually contains a lot of sugar, unless it is very freshly sqeezed. Instead, eat an orange that you know is completely natural and lots less sugar. In fact, one cup of orange juice has 24 grams of sugar, while one whole orange has just 12 grams! Eating an orange will also give you 3 extra grams of fiber that drinking orange juice wont.

4. Wrap Your Sandwich Instead of Using Bread

Find 100-calorie whole-wheat wraps (or really any kind of wrap you can find besides white flour wraps) that usually measure about 8 inches. These delicious wraps will save you calories, carbs and will still leave you feeling full. Oh, and don't be shy about what you put in the wrap because you are saving yourself 100 calories.

5. Try Fresh Apple Slices Instead of Crackers

When you are craving for a snack, try using fresh apples slices as the vehicle for your cheese instead of greesy and fatty crackers. Subsituting apples will also help you up your daily fruit count and will leave you feeling lighter come dinner time. Apples also don't have the sodium that crackers do - about five wheat crackers have 200mg of sodium while apples have none!

6. Corn Torillas For Your Fiesta Instead of Flour

So long to fattening and heavy burrito night! Introduce your family to a new and healthier option, corn torillas. They are more or less the same texture as flour tortillas, but differ slightly in taste. Stuff the torillas with the meat, veggies and fajita mix you've cooked, and people will thank you later for saving them over 100 calories and nearly 450mg of sodium.

7. Try Trail Mix Instead of Mixed Nuts

This one may be surprising as nuts are so healthy for you, but if you are looking for an in-between-meal snack, it's better to go for trailmix that is lower in calories. Instead of eating 2 handfuls of mixed nuts, make it one and add in a bit of air-popped popcorn and wholegrain cereal like Chex (not trailmix).

8. Eat Dark Chocolate Instead of Milk Chocolate

Dark chocolate has nearly half the sugar of milk chocolate and honestly is just as tasty. When intense dark chocolate is slowly savored, it's flavor can be just as delicious and satisfying as the same amount of milk chocolate. Also, try to minimize your portion to 2 or 3 sqaures (as pictured above) instead of a whole chocolate bar.

9. Try Local Crafted Beers Instead of Ultralight

A recent fad among avid beer drinkers that want to watch their weight has been to reach for ultralight beers instead of regular, full fat beers. However, if you are only looking to have a light drink, it is better to go for the full-flavor and superiority of the locally crafted beer. But be careful: some crafter beers can have up to 10 percent alcohol, much more than wine or regular beers.

10. Try Radishes Instead of Corn Chips on Your Chili

Instead of corn chips that are full of carbs, oil and, of course fat, try sliced fresh radishes for a nice crunch on your chili. You can also add jalepenos if you like extra heat and instead of sour cream, a dollop of nonfat Greek yogurt. With all these subsitutions there's even room for a bit of cheese so dig in!

11. Have a Bowl of Bran Cereal Instead of a Bran Muffin

The average coffeehouse muffin has the upwards of 400 calories, which means that you should probably stick to healthy bran cereal instead. Have your cereal with 2/3 cup of low-fat milk and you'll be getting 2 more grams of fiber than the muffin and 200 mg of calcium.

12. Try a Veggie and Cheese Filling Instead of Ham and Chedder

Some of us love a good melted ham and cheese sandwich or omelet, but try using vegetables and goat cheese instead. Try using spinach. tomatoes and about an ounce of goat cheese, along with peppers if you like them. You'll be saving yourself over 300mg of sodium by subsituting out the ham.

13. Make Your Own Parfaits Instead of Purchasing Pre-Made

Most of the parfaits that you get when you are on the go have lots of extra sugar and fat that you just don't need. They are actually more of a dessert than they are breakfast. Instead, make your own parfiat using about 6 ounces of fat-free yogurt, fresh fruit of your choosing and about 2 tablespoons of low-fat granola. If your sweet tooth still isn't satisfied, drizzle a teaspoon of honey over the parfait and you've got yourself a sweet and healthy breakfast treat!

14. Have Two Slices of Raisin Bread Instead of a Cinnamon Roll

The average cinnamon roll is so high in calories that you'll be working it off for weeks. Instead, pick up 2 slices of sweet raisin bread, toast them and spread low-fat cream cheese into every corner. Then sweeten the cream cheese with about 1 tablespoon of powdered sugar and a sprinkle of cinnamon for a spicy finish.

15. Try Pecans and Yogurt Instead of Butter and Syrup on Pancakes

When you are eating pancakes for breakfast, it's best to the leave the butter out at all costs (if possible). In a lower calorie, but just as delicious rendition of your beloved pancake breakfast, you can subsitute calorie-filled butter and syrup with 1 tablespoon of chopped pecans and a dollop of non-fat Greek yogurt. You can also cut a lot of calories by making the pancakes a shorter stack, 2 instead of 6 pancakes for instance.

16. Try a Bubbly Mimosa Instead of a Bloody Mary

A 12-ounce Bloody Mary contains about 2 shots of vodka, the main source of calories in the cocktail, and it has about 1000 grams of sodium (way more than you need). Instead, try a lower calorie mimosa, or champagne and orange juice combo, and if you can, add in freshly squeezed orange juice that's lower in sugar.

17. Have Pumpernickel Lox and Schmear Instead of a Bagel

If you're a fan of lox and schmear on a bagel for a Saturday morning breakfast treat (or really any time of the week), you could save a lot of calories by having it on pumpernickel bread instead. The bagel alone has over 300 calories, a total that the entire pumpernickel combination barely passes. Also, if you leave out some or all of the capers you'll be saving yourself a good dose of sodium.

18. Top Your Oatmeal with Apples and Honey, not Brown Sugar

If you're used to topping your morning oatmeal with nuts, brown sugar and cream, you should try adding just apples, honey and cinnamon instead. While the high-calorie toppings do taste good, they weigh down the entire dish and you with their high fat and sugar content that requires bodily energy to digest. However, apples, cinnamon and honey are all very easy to digest and healthy at that and will save you a good deal of fat and calories. If you miss the creamy taste, try adding a bit of non-fat Greek yogurt.

19. Have Center-Cut Bacon Instead of Sausage Patties

Sausage patties were probably the morning staples when you were a child, but nowadays you've got to watch your cholesterol and fat intake. Thus, you should try two piece of center-cut bacon which has only 25 calories per slice, much less in comparison to two sausage patties. Bacon is rather high in sodium, however, so indulge in this greasy treat with moderation.

20. Have Whole Grain Trail Mix Instead of Traditional

For all you snackers out there, listen up! Instead of regular, full-fat trailmix, try the whole-grain variety that has whole-grain cereal and a lot less sugar and oil. Indeed, the regular cup of trail mix has over 600 calories, which is great for those on the trail burning calories, but when you are sedentary like the most of us, those calories can pile on the pounds.

21. Try an Ice Cream Sandwich Instead of Full-Fat Ice Cream

This one may be joy to some of your ears. The average ice cream sandwich has 100 calories less than one scoop of full-fat ice cream and it is 8 grams lower in dangerous saturated fats (which is half of your recommended daily value). So next time you see the ice cream truck passes down the block, make sure to pick up your ice cream sandwich treat!

22. Have a Chocolate Graham Instead of Chocolate Almonds

When you're in a fix for some chocolate, don't reach for those chocolate almonds that may seem like a healthier alternative, but which really have over 240 calories in just 2 handfuls. Instead, smear some chocolate hazelnut spread, like Nutella, on a graham cracker. Top the graham with 1 teaspoon of chopped nuts and you'll be saving yourself 100 calories and over 16 grams of sugar. Note: Make sure not to over do it with the Nutella. Aim for about 2 teaspoons per graham.

23. Drink a Lemon Sparkler and Not Lemon-Lime Soda

It is important always to remember that soft drinks have calories too! A 12-oz. can of lemon-lime soda there is over 36 grams of sugar, which is nearly 3 tablespoons (imagine)! Instead, mix about 4 ounces of lemonade with 8 ounces of sparkling water and garnish with a lemon slice. You won't be able to tell a difference, and you surely won't get a sugar spike afterwards.

24. Have Cream Cheese and Honey Crackers Instead of Cheesy Snacks

If you are a fan of cheesy cracker snacks, try this just-as-delicious sweet and salty combination. Spread about 1 tablespoon of part-skin ricotta or low-fat cream cheese on two thin multigrain flatbreads. Then drizzle both with a teaspoon of honey for that delectable sweet kick!

25. Try Edamame Instead of Peanuts For a Salty Snack

If you are looking for a salty snack full of protein, try some Japanese soy beans called 'edamame' instead of your regular roasted peanuts. Peanuts can contain over 200 calories in just 1/2 cup and are usually full of oil. Pick up some frozen edamame in the frozen food isle, heat it up in the microwave or oven and sprinkle with 1 teaspoon of seasame seeds or sea salt to save yourself 100 calories and gain 4 more grams of protein too!