Swapping out favorites for Healthier options

"There’s no way I can live without tacos." 

"You can’t convince me that I would be healthier if I gave up desserts."

"Grandmas chicken noodle soup is my blood."

OK OK I hear you! Let’s not focus on giving up the things that you love! Let’s figure out how we can incorporate them into your life but maybe make them a little bit more nutritious and full of healthier ingredient list! Sound good? 

I hear tacos a lot. People love tacos. Me too! I grew up eating tacos from a corn shell with high fat meat, sour cream, cheese and maybe a sprinkling of lettuce. That was the tacos I had at my family‘s gatherings. I also grew up with Taco Bell tacos! When I became an adult and started to cook food for my own family I started experimenting with other toppings. I found out that there were lots of other exciting toppings to be had and some of them even unhealthier. 

So when I started to shift to being healthier and didn’t know a lot about nutrition at this point, I was heading towards the low-fat cheese, low-fat sour cream, spinach instead of lettuce, and whole wheat tortillas. I’ll let me tell you what is wrong with this. I was swapping for higher chemicals and processed versions of the problem and didn’t even taste good! It felt like a punishment trying to work these down when all I wanted was the original. 

Have you ever felt this way yourself? Sometimes feeling like you’re eating healthy feels like a punishment. I’m here to tell you that is not our goal here. The goal is to enjoy it. Find healthier versions that makes sense for you that are so much more than taking away what makes you happy. 

So what I would tell somebody who is at that original taco state, is to start by adding to the taco. That’s right we’re going to add some more to it before we start swapping or taking away. Let’s add a few more veggies and that you can happily tolerate! Maybe it’s some grilled onions or some green peppers, maybe it’s some more taco friendly green that isn’t iceberg lettuce and isn't spinach. 

Avocado, arugula, coleslaw, red cabbage, roasted red pepper, sun dried tomatoes, corn, cilantro, zucchini, mushrooms, sprouts, sweet potato, olives, different kinds of beans, experiment with some sweet fruit like pineapple or mango! The list goes on and on with some fun stuff you can play with!

So once you’ve gotten used to adding a few new things to your taco, then you can start swapping or eliminating as you see fit! If it pains you to eat a lettuce wrap instead of tortilla, don't do it. It's not worth the pain and torture! 

But maybe you will consider trying a turkey instead of beef or a shredded chicken. Or maybe a meat alternative like impossible meat. Some of those alternative meats are super convincing these days! Just make sure you’re doing your research and happy with the products inside of it. Some people do not do well with soy so keep that in mind. The "fake meats" do not have the animal cholesterol like regular meats do so these are a great option for those looking to lower blood pressure and cholesterol. 

So get out there and apply this concept to not only tacos but whatever your favorites are! Have fun with it! Follow some recipe creators on social media. Make up your own concoction and share it with your friends and family! It should be fun and enjoyable instead of a dungeon of sadness. Share your favorites in the comments and see you in the kitchen!