It’s really difficult to make healthy eating choices in the summer.
Actually, it’s really difficult at any time. In winter, there is a stream of holidays while the summer offers plenty of impromptu (ah, go ahead and spoil yourself, right?) gatherings and lots of late nights.
You may find that a few of these food swaps are easier during summer. And, if you start now, you can bet they’ll fit readily into your routine by winter. (Bonus!)
Skip Creamy Dressings – Ranch tastes good (especially with wings), but it’s not great for you. Nor is creamy Italian dressing or 1000 Island, for that matter. And, you don’t need them either. Vinegar is so much healthier for you as it diminishes the calories instantly. And, you don’t need to rely on balsamic either; give rice wine vinegar a try. You’ll crave it soon.
Cut the Mayo – While you’re at it, why not update the potato salad you bring to every cookout? It’s a lot easier than you think. Remove half the mayo from the recipe and leave it like that. Okay, okay… we know you’ve grown to love the creamy flavor, and you can’t call it summer without it. If you must have creamy potato salad, at least use half yogurt instead of mayo. It’s so good that you won’t even notice it’s gone. (And if you need a touch more flavor, a little mustard worked into the yogurt works wonders.)
Add Some Chili Peppers – You can swap chili peppers for just about anything – even butter. Of course, we’d like to clarify that. You can’t pour a cup of chili peppers instead of a cup of butter in a cake recipe. That simply won’t work. But, you can use chili peppers to add serious flavors to savory dishes. And, when you do that, you can easily halve or remove the fat that typically offers deliciousness in that recipe. That’s because the capsaicin in chili peppers speaks to your brain in the same way that fat does. (We know; that’s totally awesome.)
Substitute Salsa for… Just about Everything – You can put salsa on just about anything to cut calories or fat. Use it instead of pizza or enchilada sauces. Put a little salsa on your sandwiches instead of mayo. And, next time, give it a try instead of sour cream on your favorite tacos. There are hundreds of incredible salsa recipes, and better still, you can make yours as hot as you want.
In general, you know there are healthier food options available; it’s just difficult to choose them all the time. But, you don’t always need to order the lightest item on the menu though you should do so most of the time.
And, in case you’re wondering, hot sauce really does increase your metabolism, cut your cravings, and make you feel fuller faster. So, if you’re looking for the healthiest summer food swaps, you’ve just found one miracle ingredient that really works wonders.
