Getting started with healthy eating doesn’t have to be a chore.
Often, the best changes are the small ones you manage to stick to, not the big ones which you’re tempted to abandon after a week.
Keeping that in mind, here are five easy lunchbox swaps to get you on the path to healthy eating.
REPLACE YOUR STANDARD CRISPS WITH HOMEMADE BAKED CRISPS
Crisps may be delicious, but they’re usually pretty bad for you.
Most store-bought crisps are drenched in killer trans fats in the form of hydrogenated vegetable oils. Trans fats are a big deal — studies[1] have linked them with coronary heart disease.
Along with the trans fats, store-bought crisps are also likely to be high in sodium, along with various potentially dodgy flavourings and preservatives.
Mix things up by making your own batch of baked crisps instead.
The process is as simple as cutting potatoes into thin strips, putting them on a baking tray, sprinkling them with olive oil and your favourite seasonings, and popping them in the oven until they’re crispy.
Unlike hydrogenated oils, olive oil is known to have many health benefits. One of its core components — oleic acid — has possible anti-cancer properties, for one thing.[2]
With homemade baked crisps, your food will be less oily overall, and you’ll also have direct control over the levels of salt.
REPLACE YOUR BISCUITS WITH RICE CAKES (AND SPREAD)
Biscuits probably seem like a pretty innocent snack on the surface. Don’t be fooled.
Most biscuits contain low-fibre refined flour, meaning they can play havoc on your digestive system and trigger constipation.
Good gut health is a key part of good overall health, so anything that disrupts that is trouble.
With the high gluten content of many biscuits, sufferers of celiac disease and gluten sensitivity can be in for an even worse time, with IBS or leaky gut syndrome being the result.
Switch your biscuits for rice cakes instead.
As well as being low calorie, rice cakes tend to have a good fibre balance, and are rich in essential nutrients such as iron. Combine with a healthy spread for extra flavour and calories, as needed.