Ever played the “Would You Rather” game? I love that game for the crazy juxtaposition of various scenarios. I hate that game because I can never choose. For example:
Would you rather…have a perfectly healthy body through eating healthfully and never having to workout again OR through eating whatever the heck you want and having to workout daily?
I love to workout. And I love food. Tasty food. Sometimes not so healthy for you food. I’m a sucker for creamy, sugary desserts or crunchy, salty snacks like so many. That makes me think I would go for option 2 in the above scenario. BUT WAIT! I love fresh fruits and vegetables and the clean feeling of eating a diet full of produce. I love the energy from quality nutrition. Harumph. Yea. I couldn’t choose.
Good thing I don’t have to choose. And good thing I can incorporate ways to have those more indulgent type foods and flavors without sacrificing quality and healthy choices.
I spent years playing by the “food rules” and believing that “healthy eating” only involved eating chicken, tilapia, green beans, brown rice, sweet potatoes, and broccoli. I couldn’t imagine that healthy eating could be flavorful, delicious, and FUN. Now? Now, I won’t put something in my mouth if I don’t like it and it doesn’t satisfy my body as well as my cravings and personal taste preferences. Thankfully, I have found quite a few healthful ways to nix some of my biggest cravings.
Alternatives for Sweets Cravings
Craving ice-cream? I love to go with a Greek yogurt I popped in the freezer for about 30 minutes or the infamous banana soft serve.
You can’t beat a frozen treat that is solely a frozen banana blended up in a food processor!
Craving chocolate? I grab a square of DARK chocolate and take small bites that I let melt in my mouth slowly. It helps the chocolate to last and the richer flavor satisfies way more.
A baked treat? Homemade Vitatops!
I will have to post our even more healthified adaptation of the full recipe someday soon. They are GOOD!
Flavored coffee drink? A bit of almond, coconut, or vanilla extract with some drops of NuNaturals stevia to create the perfect flavored and slightly sweet coffee drink.
Honestly, NuNaturals is my secret weapon for sweet needs. It is the ONLY sugar substitute I will use…and, goodness, do I use it. A few of those drops go into every bowl of oatmeal and cup of coffee I make. In other words, I use it pretty much daily. A bit about the company and product:
NuNaturals is an Oregon Company serving their customers for 20 years with Quality, ALL-NATURAL products. Their NuStevia products have the reputation of being the best tasting, Non-Bitter Stevia Products available. NuNaturals products always adhere to the highest standards for taste, quality, and the purity of the ingredients they use.
Truth. I adore their drops and fiber baking blend. I even stockpile it.
Onto the savory, shall we?
Alternatives for Savory Cravings
Want pizza for lunch or dinner? Why not make your own using a whole wheat pita, flatbread, or english muffin. All you need to do is top it with some basic marinara, low-fat cheese, seasonings, and vegetables of your choice. They are also GREAT for kids!
Fries? Why not make some oven roasted zucchini strips or sweet potato fries. They taste GREAT, I promise!
A big bowl of cheesy pasta or plate of a heavy casserole? I bulk up these dishes by adding lots of chopped vegetables to the mix so I need less of the heavier ingredients. I cut the cheese down by at least 1/3 of the recipe and opt for whole grain rice/pasta or quinoa to make it a healthier option. Then, I serve a smaller portion alongside a salad.
Chips and dip or chips and salsa? Raw veggies work wonders with hummus or salsa for that crunchy, snacky craving. I have cucumber or carrot slices with either salsa or hummus on a daily basis.
And, when I really need CHIPS – I can always use some Popchips because I honestly prefer them over standard chips. Popchips are air popped instead of fried or baked – giving them more flavor, much less fat, and all natural ingredients.
They are perfectly crunchy and flavorful. Plus, they have a ton of flavor options to fit any mood. I personally love the BBQ and Salt & Pepper flavors, but have my eyes peeled for the new Sweet Potato and Jalapeno flavors because they sound sooooo good!
So, see? You can eat a healthy, balanced diet without sacrificing the fun and flavor!
Now, your turn…what are your favorite alternatives and healthy treats?
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A huge THANK YOU to NuNaturals and Popchips for contributing prizes for this week’s Best Body Bootcamp! Say hello to these great companies on both Twitter and Facebook:
NuNaturals – On TWITTER and on FACEBOOK
Popchips – On TWITTER and FACEBOOK
Congrats to Amy W for winning the Mizuno Wave Rider 15s shoes for last week’s prize!
Register now for Round 5 Best Body Bootcamp
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Mother. Wife. Personal Trainer. Exercise lover. Blogger. Woman of faith. Striving for fitness inside and out. 
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{ 52 comments… read them below or add one }
I LOVE popchips! At the convention this weekend, when I was done and heading back for a long drive to my hotel, I ran into Target quickly and grabbed some sugar snap peas and popchips with a bottle of water. That was such a tasty snack!
I’m a NuNaturals girl all the way too! It literally goes into every sweet food I eat! Such a great company and product!
I’ll never forget offering tomake the husband ‘healthy pizza’ (this was about 10 yrs ago) and he said NO WAY.
He would rather have pizza once a month which is NOT NOT HEALTHY than the ‘swap’
I guess we are all different
Oh, I still have the full on options when it comes to pizza and ice cream especially…but the above make great everyday type options. Because I could seriously have pizza and icecream every day if it wouldn’t make me feel cruddy.
Mmmmm, some of these sound tasty! There are certain things I know I crave that I just need to eat (a hankering for ice cream, for example, will not be satisfied by fro yo no matter how much hot fudge I put on it and salty potato chips will not be satisfied with rice cakes or kale chips). I like to make myself a sweet treat with a chocolate chip rice cake topped with melted peanut butter as a sort of healthy way to get something rich tasting! I also love to make my own “fries” by broiling potatoes til they’re crispy!
Can you believe I’ve still never tried popchips?? I need to, I always hear great things
I love Greek yogurt! My favorite is Stonyfield organics and some of the Chobanis. They really do taste like a dessert but much healthier.
I just tried one of Makenzie’s Chocolate Vanilla Chobani Champion cups yesterday. It straight up tasted like the frosting that was part of those Dunkaroo snacks as a kid. Do you remember those?
I haven’t tried those, but you’re the second blogger I’ve read in the past 2 days that said they liked them! I’m not surprised they’re that good though, because it’s Chobani
. And yes, I remember Dunkaroos, loved those as a kid! But they’re gone away now just like a lot of foods around when I was a kid.
I really love the Stonyfield Oikos superfruits Greek yogurt. It’s a little pricier than Chobani, but it’s delicious… they had it on sale this week so I stocked up on 6 containers!
I bought dunk-a-Roos for a party I hosted (a 90s party). I found them at the dollar store and they were as awesome as I remember.
I cant find those champion chobanis but I’d love to try them sometime.
I need to try the Nu Naturals in my coffee. I use Stevia, but I also use hazelnut creamer, which I know isn’t the best for you. I discovered mixing steel cut oats with a little Better N Peanut Butter, agave, and yogurt is really good. I’ll put some fruit in it sometimes too.
carrot slices with salsa…GENIUS!
Wish we could eat most of these! but great great ideas!
I could never chose, I love food and workout out too much equally!! Stevia is amazing!
Okay, I think I need to try NuNaturals! I love to sweeten my coffee, and I’ve been looking for healthier ways to do it besides no-calorie sweeteners like Sweet N Low. Also, did you ever announce the winner last week?? Or did I miss that haha.
I ended up not announcing it in the Tuesday post since I drew late but sent an email to the winner. It was my bad for not sending some announcement out to everyone. I meant to put it in another post but forgot until I got asked about it again on like Friday. I’ve been a scatter brain lately it seems!
I’ve never thought to dip veggies in salsa! I’ve enjoyed them in hummus, but I’ll have to try that too. Great post!
i love doing all of these healthy swaps. great swaps tina!
I Loooove popchips and agree, they do actually taste better than real chips. I’ve yet to try NuNaturals but really need to get on that boat since everyone seems to love that stuff!
Love these ideas! I am a big fan of slowly eating a square of park chocolate. I also love baking healthier desserts using whole wheat flour, and using bananas or other fruits as sweeteners!
jalapeno popchips make my world. I like to go bananas with them.
mmmm, i love banana softserve. haven’t made it in awhile…maybe tonight!
Popchips really are better than regular chips! I’m right there with you on that one!
Popchips are my favorite! I love them all, but especially the bbq ones.
I make healthy alternatives to not-so-healthy dishes all the time. Last week I made lasagna cups, but used zucchini slices instead of noodles. Both my husband and I loved it! We also make a lot of homemade pizzas on whole wheat tortillas, flatouts, and English muffins (with turkey pepperoni).
Huge fan of NuNaturals. Hands down the best stevia. And I need to remember the banana soft serve. I love blending in strawberries too. MMMMM
I love making chocolate pancakes for dessert when I’m craving cake! They are so quick and easy to whip up, are super healthy, and taste awesome with a bit of raspberry jam and spoonful of greek yogurt!
Oh that’s a GREAT idea!
i have to agree with you – i LOVE LOVE LOVE nunaturals and use it in literally every bowl of oatmeal and cup of coffee i drink. i used to have a ton of their baking blend but haven’t been able to get around to ordering more lately – it’s amazing though!
I am SO addicted to PopChips! They are the yummiest things
I just tried pop chips this weekend and my and the family love them! Also, I made some brownies with whole wheat flour and my 14yr old son even loved them…it feels so good to feed my family better options. I love some of your ideas. I have to try dipping my veggies in salsa, that’s a great for summer!
Oven sweet potato wedges instead of fries, microwave sweet potato chips instead of their fried counterpart, smoothies or banana soft serve instead of ice cream, fruit with nut butter instead of traditional dessert. The one thing there is no replacement for is beer!
I feel like I can “healthify” any recipe but making a few changes that taste great. Even the simplest changes- like using less sugar or oil, etc. than a recipe calls for- is easy to do. I also like to bulk things up with veggies (like using ground mushrooms and onions and less meat to make a burger).
I’m a big fan of Greek yogurt that’s been in the freezer for a little bit, too.
Back to your first question- I WISH I eat whatever I want and just have to work out each day. I love exercise, and just take a (forced) rest day once a week, and still have watch every calorie not to gain a ton of weight.
I’m a BIG fan of banana soft serve. I’m so excited to be able to share it with Nolan soon:-).
I have just become a big fan of frozen grapes. Just about 10 will kill a sweet tooth craving. I also love making my own Italian comfort food at home. I know it’s much better then restaurant meals.
Mmm I LOVE popchips! Now I’m craving them
Love all these swaps, especially the banana soft serve.
Banana slices topped with peanut butter. Always curbs my sweet tooth!
Definitely a good option!
I love popchips!!! So yummy!!!
I’ve been wanting ice cream all week like crazy – my hormones want suggarrrrrrr!
With that being said, I shouldn’t eat a pint of ice cream every night this week, so perhaps I’ll give the greek yogurt thing a try!
Pop chips are great when I’m really craving something salty! And they have so many good flavors, there are tons I haven’t even tried yet!
I am totally with you on this one – so glad I don’t have to choose one or the other! I LOVE making healthified versions of my favorite treats. It’s amazing what you can concoct on your own that tastes even BETTER than their fattier counterparts! Like that grilled cheese I made the other day that I posted about – it’s seriously my favorite lunch now. haha!
I love peanut butter “mousse” for a sweet treat: peanut butter stirred into Greek yogurt and chilled in the freezer for about 30 minutes!
Definitely a fave of mine too. That was actually my dessert most every night during my competition prep a few years ago. I had to have a low carb snack before bed and that was like heaven to me since I was so restricted during the day. It may just be the only thing I still love out of competition style eating.
YES!! It is SO true. Good foods can taste like splurges or good substitutes for big splurges! I have been loving things like sweet potatoes with chobani plain on top or a taco salad with chobani plain mock sour cream, stuff like that. So tasty and wholesome but makes it feel a little bit on the edge
haha! Great post! (LOVE popchips!)
Great post–interesting choices resolved by all the healthy deliciousness there is.
I love your tips for healthifying standard food so simply.
Pop chips–I had a glance at them one time, and they’re not gluten free, which is a problem for me obviously, but I seem to remember they contained trans fats also? Or maybe I’m wrong…Hope so!
love
Ela
I would choose working out and eating whatever I wanted any day! I have the worst sweet tooth, and I love to bake, so I just try to make my desserts as healthy as possible and keep the portions small. My favorite savory swap is spaghetti squash for pasta! You can eat so much more and not feel gross and heavy after!
I mix a few eggs whites with a scoop of chocolate protein powder, nuke it for about a minute, sprinkle with chopped pistachios – and my little choc cake is being served. A quick fix for my choc cravings.
You covered it all! I, too, go for Greek yogurt with some fix-ins when I want something sweet or ice-cream type thing. In fact, I’m eating that right now! Chobani plain 0% with a drop of honey and some chopped walnuts. Tasty and healthy!
My family and I got into a huge argument/discussion on sunday night about dieting vs healthy eating. I know they were trying to help me, but I can’t imagine living on nothing but chicken/tilapia/tuna/turkey breast, green beans and brown rice or sweet potatoes. I told them I don’t believe that’s the only “right” way to lose weight! I think I can do it eating healthy foods with occassional splurges and working out.
Love the ideas for these healthy swaps, thanks!!!
I haven’t yet tried pop chips! I love frozen greek yogurt, yummm! I mix berries and PB2 into it
I love pop chips! They are SUPER addicting
Also, I am dying over your vita tops recipe. I can’t wait to try it!
thank you so much for these ideas. I love the change up for pizza and the yogurt trick is one I love for summer.
When I have a crunch-craving, I bake up a tray of kale chips
To look after my sweet tooth, I whip up a batch of homemade LaraBars and put the extras in the freeze