5 Healthy Snack Swaps

Last Updated on November 22, 2023 by Cathy

Going from the Standard American Diet (SAD) to an anti-inflammatory diet is tough. It’s such a big change you may even wonder what you can eat at all. There are many healthy snack swaps you can make that are good for you and tasty. – There is no reason for you to go hungry.

Swapping out unhealthy snacks for healthy snacks isn’t that hard. You’ll find how delicious real food tastes compare to processed foods you won’t want to go back to. You will find that you will start feeling better. Such as having clearer skin, thinking clearer, or sleeping better.

Plus, eating an anti-inflammatory diet reduces inflammation. And it can stop the progression of multiple sclerosis. This can be a hard diet if you allow it to be. Instead of looking at what you CAN’T eat, look at all the foods you CAN eat. 

Enjoy these 5 healthy snack swaps to improve your health:

1. Substitutes for Breakfast on the Go 

Mornings are busy and most people need something quick to eat. Instead of reaching for the usual cereal, donut, toast, or bagel eat something healthy. The typical SAD breakfast is full of grains. Grains contribute to chronic inflammation and autoimmune diseases.

“The effects of cereal grains and their individual components on intestinal permeability and inflammation are warranted.” – PubMed

Breakfast can be whatever you want to eat like fruit or leftovers. Leftovers are the best, it’s already made so you don’t have to cook plus are quick and easy. If you have time to cook, make some hash with sweet potatoes and other vegetables.

Easy One-Pan Rosemary Chicken With Veggies

2. Substitutes for Candy

Eating fruit is the best option for candy, fruit is like eating nature’s candy. If you pay attention to nature you’ll notice animals like fruit as a special treat. Birds, bears, deer, horses, and humans all enjoy eating fruit. We have coyotes coming into our yard to eat fallen apples every October.

The fruit has beneficial vitamins and minerals, it also has natural sugars. Some fruits like blackberries are high in fiber which helps our digestive system. It also raises our blood sugar. Sugar is addictive so our body craves sugar. Even though fruit is very healthy, don’t eat a lot of fruit in one day. It’s best to eat enough to fit in the palm of your hand, like one cup of blueberries or a small apple.

3. Substitutes for Chips

Chips are a popular junk food snack, they are crispy, crunchy, salty, and delicious. If you’re not careful it’s easy to eat an entire bag in one sitting. They’re also addictive, have empty calories, and increase inflammation in the body.

The best chips to eat are vegetable chips. Eat them raw or slice them up and roast them, they give you that same crispy, crunchy taste you crave. There are store-bought healthy chips like Siete, but they are very expensive.

Instead, make your own, they are easy to make and you’ll be saving money. Here’s a quick recipe:

Ingredients:

• Beets, carrots, parsnips, rutabaga, sweet potatoes, summer squash, or a combination of veggies
• Himalayan sea salt
• Healthy oil like avocado, coconut, or olive oil

Directions:

• Preheat oven to 300° F 
• Line the baking sheet with parchment paper, and set aside
• Scrub and clean the vegetables, peel if needed
• Using a mandolin or a sharp knife slice the vegetables into equally sized thin slices
• Coat veggies with oil and sea salt
• Bake at 375° F for 15-20 minutes or until golden brown, turning once

I have Ninja Foodi which I use all the time, here’s how I make simple roasted veggies:

• Use what veggies you desire
• Scrub, clean, and peel the vegetables if needed
• Coat veggies with a healthy oil
• Season with sea salt, garlic salt, or any other seasoning (I like to use Herbs de Provence by Trader Joe’s)
• Air Crisp on high for 6-7 minutes depending on how much you have or however long you prefer

4. Substitutes for Dairy

Conventional dairy comes with antibiotics and growth hormones. Many people are sensitive to cow’s milk due to casein or lactose. Plus, farmers feed the cows GMO grains and soy that pass on to you.  Instead, use nut milk like almond or cashew milk. They’re packed with vitamins and minerals like iron, magnesium, protein, and vitamin E. Make sure it is sugar-free and not full of other additives. 

Coconut milk is another option, it’s creamy and devious. You can use it in smoothies, soups, and yogurt. Coconut cream (the part that rises when refrigerated) is often used for desserts and in coffee. Coconut milk is very popular and is found in many recipes.

Also avoid condensed milk, oat milk, rice milk, and soy milk. Condensed milk is milk, rice is a grain, soy is a legume, and oats are often contaminated with gluten. Even though these are healthy options make sure you don’t have a sensitivity to nuts or coconut. It took me years to figure out my body was sensitive to coconut.

If you are craving a milkshake enjoy a smoothie instead. If you are craving ice cream you don’t have to miss out! Here is a simple and delicious ice cream recipe that only requires one ingredient:

Banana ice cream recipe:

• Peel 3-4 bananas and cut them into pieces
• Place slices in a glass bowl and freeze overnight
• Add frozen bananas to a high-speed blender or food processor
• Process until smooth, you may need to scrape down the sides with a spatula
• Once it’s smooth add it back to the freezer for about one hour to let it firm
• Add toppings such as berries, dark chocolate chips, or nuts
• Serve

5. Substitutes for Salty Treats

People like sweet or salty treats but not all salty treats are healthy. Iodized salt is heavily processed. Processing eliminates minerals and contains additives to prevent clumping. A good substitute for iodized salt is sea salt. Just like it sounds, it comes from the ocean or saltwater lakes.

However, sea salt has the same amounts of sodium by weight as iodized salt. So your best option for substituting salt is herbs which add a boost of flavor to your food. Plus they have antioxidants, lower inflammation, vitamins, and minerals. 

There is a huge variety of herbs and spices to choose from. Including cinnamon, basil, garlic, ginger, oregano, rosemary, thyme, turmeric, and more. Add herbs to everything from meats, smoothies, soups, and vegetables.

Healthy Snack Swaps

There are a lot of restrictions to eating an anti-inflammatory diet. That doesn’t mean you have to give up enjoying what you eat. Eating real food tastes much better than processed foods.

Eating minimally processed, whole foods is the key to good health.

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Resources:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3705319/

Photos courtesy of: pexels.com and pixabay.com

5 Healthy Snack Swaps