Food Substitutions

When it comes to eating right and losing weight, the number of calories you consume and burn can make a big difference. Whether it be you pre-run snack, post-run snack, or one of your three meals, it is important to make the right decisions and eat those healthier foods. It is easy to work out, and then justify eating loads of food. This is an extremely unhealthy habit that can be easily fixed with a little bit of knowledge and will power. Below are some tables that compare different foods and may offer some simple substitutions that can change your whole diet.

In the first column is a food (and the number of calories) that most people would commonly choose to eat. The second shows a simple, healthier food that you could trade out. The final column shows the number of calories you save by switching. Also keep in mind that the number of calories per food are approximated and may be slightly different depending on the amount and brand of food.

Food	Substitution	Calories Saved
Small Bag (1 oz.) of Chips (160 Cal)	1 cup Mixed Veggies (80 Cal)	80 Calories
Latte w/ whole Milk (1c) (136 Cal)	Latte w/ Skim Milk (1c) (67 Cal)	69 Calories
Cappuccino w/ 2% (1c) (100 Cal)	Black Coffee (1c) (2 Cal)	98 Calories
4 oz. lb. 80% Lean Beef (306 Cal)	Chicken Breast (130 Cal)	176 Calories
1 Cup Orange Juice (112 Cal)	1 medium Orange (62 Cal)	50 Calories
Yogurt (150 Cal)	Greek Yogurt (100 Cal)	50 Calories
1 tbsp. Grape Jelly (50 Cal)	½ Banana Sliced (36 Cal)	14 Calories
1 Cup Ice Cream (273 Cal)	1 Cup Frozen Yogurt (235 Cal)	38 Calories
Chips (1 oz.) (160 Cal)	Popcorn (1 oz.) (122 Cal)	38 Calories

The difference in calories for these foods seem insignificant, but it is important to keep in mind that we normally eat more than the given amount, and therefore would be saving more calories. Plus, when you think about how often you eat these things, the number of calories saved begins to really add up. This is why keeping a food log can help you lose weight. If you compare food logs from when you first start keeping track of your calories to a food log today, you would see that you consume much less calories than before, and your calories probably come from foods that are healthier and have less calories.

Eat Well!

Danielle Renee ♥