Foods That Taste Just as Good as High-Calorie Ones!

Life is all about choices! And of course, the same goes for your diet. While you may be aiming for a healthy, fit appearance through the choices you make, you might unknowingly be falling victim to some very wrong ones! What would you think if I told you that many of the foods you love could be swapped for alternatives with half the calories — and you'd get the exact same taste? That probably sounds completely impossible right now. But once you hear my suggestions, you'll be consuming a high-calorie food at half the calories, and enjoying the same flavor!

Avocado Instead of Store-Bought Dressings: Are you a fan of sauced-up sandwiches or salads? But those dressings you think are so innocent are hiding nearly as many calories, fat, and sugar as a kids' meal! Especially when eating out, make a point of ordering your salad or sandwich without dressing. When preparing salads or sandwiches at home, try using avocado instead of store-bought dressings — its beneficial fatty acids can even help your body burn fat! Keep in mind that while 20 g of Caesar dressing gives you about 130 calories, 20 g of avocado gives you only about 44 calories and also boosts your metabolism!

Use Potato Instead of Cream in Soups: If texture matters to you in soups and you prefer a thicker consistency, you don't have to reach for heavy cream! Use potato instead of heavy cream to thicken your soup. Adding 1 medium boiled potato to vegetable soups will give you the flavor you're after while also helping you get the energy you need thanks to its B vitamins. While 100 g of store-bought cream averages around 300 calories, by adding 100 g of boiled potato to your soups you'll take in only 70 calories!

Zucchini Spaghetti Instead of Wheat Spaghetti: Here's something you should know: we dietitians are absolutely not against carbohydrates! Whether you exercise or not, eating unbalanced meals — consuming too much of one food group and cutting out another entirely — is not something we endorse. As long as it's whole wheat and eaten in the right portions, there's nothing wrong with having pasta or spaghetti! But if your cravings sometimes push you to eat far more carbs than your body needs, there's nothing wrong with tricking yourself with a little nutrition hack. Grate zucchini just like spaghetti strands and boil them the same way you would cook spaghetti. Topping this dish with a yogurt sauce will be good for your digestive system, and you won't be taking in any extra calories.

Sparkling Mineral Water Instead of Acidic/Sugary/Carbonated Drinks: You're well aware of how much sugar and how many calories acidic, sugary, carbonated drinks contain. And if you think you can drink unlimited amounts of zero-calorie, artificially sweetened drinks, you're mistaken. Not only does the high acid content in these drinks damage the stomach and various other organs, but the high caffeine causes the body to excrete calcium — another dangerous point. This means you're not only depriving yourself of calcium, a mineral that supports fat burning, but also risking the health of your teeth and bones. Instead, fill a bottle of natural sparkling mineral water with lemon and cucumber slices and mint leaves, and you'll meet part of your mineral needs with zero calories while protecting your health and figure. Remember — while 1 glass of a carbonated drink gives you an average of 150 calories, you can get through your entire day with plain sparkling mineral water and take in absolutely no unnecessary calories!

Dates Instead of Sugar: Instead of adding sugar to the desserts you make or the smoothies you blend, use dates! That way, not only will you avoid the empty calories from sugar, but you'll also benefit from a fruit rich in minerals like magnesium, potassium, and calcium — and help overcome any digestive issues. While 100 g of refined sugar gives you about 400 calories, 100 g of dates gives you high mineral content and only 280 calories.

Cauliflower Mash Instead of Mashed Potatoes: Boiled potatoes have a high glycemic index. A food with a high glycemic index means your blood sugar rises quickly. This can cause blood sugar fluctuations and leave you feeling much hungrier again after just 1–2 hours. On top of that, ingredients like cream and butter added to mashed potatoes increase the fat content, leading you to take in even more calories. You can make a much healthier choice by boiling cauliflower and mashing it instead of potatoes. Cauliflower is not only high in fiber but also rich in potassium and antioxidants. And while 100 g of mashed potatoes gives you about 190 calories, 100 g of cauliflower gives you only 18 calories!

Banana Instead of Store-Bought Ice Cream: I have a super idea for ice cream lovers! If you can't give up store-bought ice cream and can't get enough of that ice-cold taste, there's absolutely nothing stopping you from making your own ice cream at home with just one ingredient! All you need is 1 medium banana. Place your banana on a plate and mash it thoroughly with a fork until it becomes a smooth purée. Then freeze it and enjoy your homemade ice cream. If you like, you can add ingredients such as raw almonds, hazelnuts, walnut pieces, flaxseeds, peanut butter, or cocoa to flavor your homemade ice cream. While 100 g of plain ice cream is 160 calories, the ice cream you make with 1 medium banana is only 95 calories.

Applesauce Instead of Oil: Do you sometimes get sweet cravings and find it hard to say no to sugary treats like cake and pastries? By changing up the ingredients you add to homemade cakes and muffins, you can satisfy your sweet tooth while also cutting out unnecessary fat. Add applesauce instead of oil to your cake and muffin batters. Thanks to the natural sugars in the applesauce, you also won't need to add extra sugar to your batter.
I Ate It — But Now I Need to Burn It Off!

Many of the foods you eat outside are far from innocent! Believe me, if you knew the fat, sugar, and calorie content hiding in these foods, you'd run the other way. So let's say you did eat them — how do you burn them off now?

Here are the most commonly consumed fast-food items and the exercises you need to do to burn them off!

1 can of cola = 55 minutes of moderate-paced walking
15 potato chips = 12 minutes of jump rope
1 slice of mixed pizza = 40 minutes of cycling
1 cupcake = 1 hour of moderate-paced running
1 hamburger = 2 hours of moderate-paced walking
1 slice of baklava = 1.5 hours of dancing
1 Lahmacun (Turkish Flatbread) = 30–40 minutes of playing basketball