You want me to eat what?

Are you looking for easy ways to lighten up your meals during the hot summer months? I’m always looking for ways to incorporate more veggies and healthy food alternatives into my diet and summer is a great time to focus on wellness initiatives and incorporate food swaps into your diet.

When I work with clients we often discover that they have food sensitivities and have to modify their diet, which can often be difficult when you are accustomed to eating a certain way and you fear you will miss those “comfort” foods. But, by making just a few small changes to your eating habits you can make a big difference to your diet.

Small changes can add up to make a big overall difference to your diet.

Here are a number of food swaps you can start today. Read more (link to blog post).

Here are a few easy swaps you can start today:

• Spaghetti night is one of the quickest, easiest and biggest family favorites in most homes, but pasta noodles can be heavy, full of carbs and for those with a gluten sensitivity, they can be difficult on the digestive system. Instead swap traditional pasta noodles with spaghetti squash or spiralizer zucchini or squash.
• Swap white rice for cauliflower rice here is one of my favorite recipes.
• For a crispy chip craving substitute fat filled potato chips with purple potato chips. (You can also use sweet potatoes.)
• Have an afternoon sweet tooth? Instead of grabbing a processed cookie try my sugar free breakfast cookies — yes you can even eat them for breakfast, but they are so good you will want them for dessert!
• Enjoy soda or wine with your dinner? Try kombucha instead.
• Have a chocolate craving that just won’t go away? These raw cacao bliss balls are a great fix.
• Love your cereal in the morning swap it for muesli or nordic oats.

These are just a few of the many swaps that you can incorporate into your everyday life, but the best part is they can all be eaten during my 10 day detox! My detox is now open for registration. If you want to learn more about these and more food you can eat while detoxing join me for a special detox preview cooking class on July 11th.

And remember, when introducing a food swap, give yourself time to get used to it, advises Robin Anderson, a registered dietitian with Revive Wellness, a coalition of health practition­ers in Edmonton. “The higher in salt, fat and sugar a food is, the more addictive it is,” she says, “so when you eat something different, your taste buds need time to adjust.”

As with most things, the saying ‘everything in moderation’ certainly applies to sunning ourselves. There are so many hidden dangers in our environment that it’s almost impossible to avoid them all. Do your best, make educated choices and then move on and go play in the sun!

Yours in health,
Linda