13 Skinny Swaps to Try

Eating healthy is a conscious choice that we all must make in order to drop a few pounds or lose [...]

Eating healthy is a conscious choice that we all must make in order to drop a few pounds or lose a few inches. While workouts certainly do their part in weight loss, it's important to make good decisions in the kitchen as well. We've pulled together some skinny swaps that will help you trade in your old snacks for smarter, skinnier, delicious choices.

wheat english muffin

Reach for an English muffin instead of a bagel. For a yummy breakfast, try a whole-wheat English muffin with peanut butter and strawberries! Bagels are full of carbs that you can easily avoid with an English muffin.

Reach for an orange instead of OJ. Your morning glass of orange juice can set you back 24 grams of sugar, while an orange has only half that.

Reach for apple slices instead of crackers. Even whole-wheat crackers aren't doing you any favors. Instead of those crackers, throw a slice of cheese on top of an apple slice for a refreshing treat.

Reach for trail mix instead of assorted nuts. Although there's no denying nuts' health benefits, there's truth in the statement that nuts are quite calorie-heavy. Instead of a couple handfuls of assorted nuts, try a healthy trail mix! One cup of nuts plus some air-popped popcorn and whole-grain cereal ought to do the trick.

Reach for an iced vanilla latte instead of a vanilla frappuccino. A frapp with 2% milk and no whip has 300 calories and 67 grams of sugar! Switch out your usual vanilla frapp with an iced vanilla latte for only 11 grams of sugar.

Nonfat Iced Vainlla Latte
(Photo: Comfort Food Stuff)

>> Read more: Get the Skinny On Your Favorite Coffee House Drinks

Reach for two slices of raisin bread instead of a cinnamon roll. A big, warm cinnamon roll may sound enticing on a wintery morning, but next time, swap it for two slices of toasted raisin bread. Spread one tablespoon of 1/3-less-fat cream cheese on the raisin bread and sprinkle a teaspoon of powdered sugar and cinnamon for a mouth-watering breakfast.

Reach for pecans and yogurt instead of butter and syrup on your pancakes. Pancakes are one of the most deceitful breakfast items out there, especially when you slather them with butter and maple syrup. Try using nonfat Greek yogurt and one tablespoon of pecans next time.

Reach for apples and honey instead of high-cal oatmeal toppings. Oatmeal toppings like cream, brown sugar and nuts can really load on the fats and calories, but if you use toppings like apples and honey instead, you'll be getting a naturally sweet meal that fills you up until lunchtime!

Reach for an ice cream sandwich instead of full-fat ice cream. High-quality, full-fat ice cream may sound tempting, but to kick your ice cream craving, simply eat an ice cream sandwich instead! You'll save 100 cals and 8 grams of saturated fat.

Reach for bacon instead of sausage patties. Center-cut bacon contains only 25 calories per slice, although it does have quite a bit of sodium, so you still should keep a watchful eye for that.

bacon strips

Reach for a lemon sparkler instead of lemon-lime soda. Soda has extremely high levels of sugar, and we are so over drinking calories. So instead of a lemon-lime soda, go for a lemon sparkler. Use 4 ounces of lemonade with 8 ounces of sparkling water. Garnish it with lemon for a refreshing mocktail!

Reach for cheese on a flatbread instead of cheese crackers. Cheese crackers are convenient for an on-the-go snack, but full of bad ingredients. Next time you're craving a cheesy snack, spread one tablespoon of part-skim ricotta on two thin crisp multigrain flatbreads. Drizzle honey on top for some added sweetness!

>> Recipe: Flatout Delicious Blueberry Cinnamon Rollups

Reach for a veggie burger instead of a hot dog. Hot dogs basically have no nutritional value whatsoever. Next time you're grilling out, throw a veggie burger on the flames instead.

What are some of your favorite skinny swaps? Share with us in the comments below.

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