Healthy Alternatives

By Lynda Smith Hoggan

Breakfast

Consider Replacing:	With:
Bacon	Soy bacon
Sausage	Soy or turkey sausage
Chorizo	Soy chorizo
Eggs	Egg whites or egg white products
Cheese	Soy cheese or reduced-fat cheese
Processed cereals	Whole-grain cereals
White bread	Whole-wheat bread
White tortillas	Whole-wheat tortillas
White bagels	Whole-wheat bagels
Sugar	Stevia powder
Whole milk	Soy milk, rice milk, or reduced-fat milk
Yogurt	Reduced-fat or soy yogurt
Orange juice	Organic juices
Butter	Heart-healthy margarine, olive oil, or cooking spray

Add

Vegetables such as mushrooms, tomatoes, spinach, onions and green peppers to foods like omelets

Fruits and nuts, such as bananas, berries, almonds, pistachios and coconut to cereal or pancakes, or together in a fruit salad

Lunch

Consider Replacing:	With:
Lunch meat	Soy or reduced-fat lunch meat
Cheese	Soy or reduced-fat cheese
Mayonnaise	Mustard, reduced-fat mayonnaise, hummus, or mashed avocado
Potato or tortilla chips	Reduced-fat or baked chips or whole wheat crackers
White bread	Whole-wheat bread
White tortillas	Whole-wheat tortillas
Whole milk	Soy milk, rice milk, or reduced-fat milk
Soda	Sparkling, flavored or plain water

Add

Vegetables such as lettuce, tomatoes, spinach, onions and green peppers to sandwiches

Serve whole fruits or fruit salad instead of dessert

Dinner

Consider Replacing:	With:
Grilled steak	Grilled chicken or fish
Hamburgers and hotdogs	Soy burgers, dogs and corndogs

Add

Vegetables such as veggie shish kebab, roasted corn

Fruits such as fruit salad or fruit in dessert

Scrumptious Snacks

Consider Replacing:	With:
Chips and Salsa	Reduced-fat or baked chips and salsa
Crackers and Cheese	Whole-wheat crackers with hummus, soy cheese, or reduced-fat cheese
'Smores	Reduced-fat hot chocolate, apple cide with cinnamon sticks, flavored herbal tea

Add

Soy nuts, edamame (soy beans steamed in their pods and served warm or cold)

Nuts and seeds

Vegetables such as celery stuffed with peanut butter or baby carrots with reduced-fat dip

Fruit such as apple slices, orange segments, grapes

Author’s bio: Lynda Smith Hoggan is a Professor of Public Health in the Biological Sciences Department at Mount San Antonio College, Walnut, California.