5 Healthy Food Swaps to Make Today!

As I've shared here and there, earlier this year my husband was diagnosed with stomach cancer (we share more of his story here).  I've been learning so much about wellness and nutrition, and well, I really don't want to keep it all in. I want to share it with YOU! It's so important to bring awareness on the importance of nutrition. For many years I thought just because I was skinny I was healthy and I was SO wrong.

From now on, in addition to your daily dose of fashion and beauty, I'm really excited to add recipes and health & fitness tips to the mix of Viva Fashion. To start off, I wanted to share some simple food swaps we've made at our house and some that you can too. So here are 5 easy food swaps you can start making now:

Cow's Milk for Almond Milk: Almond milk is not only easier to digest than cow's milk, but it's also high in calcium and beneficial fats. If you're allergic to almond milk you can also try rice milk or coconut milk. Overall, I've been trying to limit dairy in general. Sometimes my son will have raw cow's milk (which is not pasteurized--but that's for another blog post).

Coffee for Tea: I know this might be a tough one for many people, but it's so beneficial. Tea reduces stress and is filled with antioxidants. Unlike coffee, which can actually increase stress. It's also said to help prevent many diseases. I like to drink my tea with almond milk  (which ends up looking like a cafe con leche).

White Refined Sugar for Coconut Sugar: White refined sugar has NO nutritional value, not to mention the health risks.  Instead, I removed refined sugars completely from my diet and use coconut sugar or date sugar. Coconut sugar and date sugar are packed with antioxidants and has a low glycemic index. In regards to salt, I also like to swap out table salt for Celtic or Himalayan salt, which has over 80 essential minerals needed for our body.

Mayo for Hummus: Instead of piling on the mayo, try swapping it out for hummus or even avocados. Both are super healthy for you and will still give you that nice texture you get from adding mayo. You can use it in salads, sandwiches or on toast.

Homemade Dressings: Have you ever turned around the bottle of your favorite store bought dressing? It's filled with ingredients I can't even pronounce. Instead, try making your own homemade dressing. It's super easy and tastes just as great. Here's a link to help you get some ideas.

What are some of your favorite food swaps? 




image by Trinette + Chirs Photographers