The purpose of this article is to help you replace junk food with healthy alternatives. Open your refrigerator and cupboards, and I’ll tell you how to improve your diet.
How to improve the contents of your refrigerator
Limit cold cuts and processed meats
Bacon, sausage, packaged chicken wings, sliced ham… These products are highly processed, and this reduces their nutritional quality. The protein is low quality, the fat content is too high and the list of ingredients is too long (and harmful). This inevitably has a negative impact on your body and your health (weight gain, cholesterol, illnesses, etc.).
You should replace them with unprocessed meat.
It can be white meat or red meat, provided that it hasn’t been chemically processed. This means it should not be already cooked, nor should it have an appearance that’s different from its raw state. For example, a piece of turkey, chicken, rabbit, veal, beef, pork, etc. which you’ll then need to cook yourself!
Limit factory-produced desserts
Cream desserts are desserts that come in small containers: mousses, custards, creams, puddings…all deliciously treacherous! They quickly increase the total number of calories in a meal, since they generally contain a lot of sugar.
You should replace them with yogurt.
Organic if possible, with a very short list of ingredients: for example, whole milk, skim milk powder and lactic acid bacteria. You can add a spoonful of honey or syrup to sweeten up the taste. This bit of sugar is nothing compared to cream desserts.
Yogurt has another advantage in the fact that it contains probiotics which are appreciated by the intestinal flora, as they facilitate digestion. Furthermore, they participate in the stimulation of the intestinal immune system by fighting against harmful micro-organisms responsible for infections (gastroenteritis, for example).
Limit vacuum-packaged sandwiches
Vacuum-packed sandwiches and ready-made meals contain nothing – absolutely nothing – good for the body. They are full of preservatives and contain more chemical ingredients with strange names than real ingredients. They should be avoided.
Tip: Opt for home-made
Take the time to prepare a real meal to go the night before!
Limit soda and energy drinks
They contain way too much sugar (among other things).
You should replace them with water or water-based beverages, such as tea or herbal tea.
Water is the only drink that human beings can’t do without. It’s necessary for the body to function at its best. However, beware! Sweetened iced tea is not a good alternative!
How to improve the content of your cupboards
Limit canned foods
A few cans of food obviously never killed anyone. However, they shouldn’t constitute a large part of your diet. They may be convenient from time to time, but that’s about it.
You should replace them with fresh fruit and vegetables.
Generally, people purchase cans of tomatoes, beans, corn, carrots and other products. It’s better to buy fresh fruit and vegetables to benefit from their vitamins and minerals. Vitamins and minerals are wiped out by canning because they’re extremely fragile molecules. The preservatives in the cans destroy them.
Limit snack foods
Crunchy snacks, chips and crackers of all kinds should not be consumed on a daily basis. They add calories to the scale and are devoid of nutritional benefits, since they’ve undergone extensive processing.
If you eat them very rarely from time to time, it’s not so bad. However, if you’re snacking on this type of food every night, you’ll need a healthier alternative.
You can replace them with sliced vegetables dipped in a homemade cottage cheese sauce or with a small handful of nuts.
It’s a much healthier snack that’ll tide you over until dinner.
Limit cakes and sweets
It’s no secret. Cakes and sweets should not be your go-to snacks! They contain too much fat, too much sugar, and they’re addictive, but it’s sometimes difficult to go without them when the habit is long-established. However, they’re not good for the body and should be kept to a minimum. (Read : 3 tips for cutting back on sugar)
You should replace them with a homemade snack.
A bowl of cottage cheese, a piece of fresh fruit, a dash of honey, some nuts, and you have a real snack which will has the added value of being nutritionally sound by meeting your body’s basic needs (proteins, carbohydrates, lipids, vitamins and minerals).
What if you’re not home? Plan ahead. Make homemade cookies beforehand, with oatmeal, for example. Slip a piece of fruit in your bag. Be creative.
So what’s in your cupboards? Tell me in the comments, and I’ll give you a healthier alternative.
