Some tips on how to enjoy your favorite foods without the guilt!

Lately, I've been doing some tweaking of my favorite foods that are not exactly figure or health friendly. The goal is to make them into some healthy eats I can enjoy guilt-free!

I've been learning that the more you deprive yourself of the things you love the more you crave them; then one day, finally, after enough depravation that you just cant take it anymore you go crazy and eat 10 pounds of...oh say burritos and chips and salsa (just throwing it out there).  The solution I came up with is to instead of deprive yourself of those foods that hold a place in your heart, alter them to be friendly to your heart.  There are so many ways to enjoy the foods you love, the trick is to disect (not the best word to use when talking about food) what that dish or item is made of.  Then you can take each ingredient and think about how it will make you feel after eating it and what nutritional benefits it holds.  If you know you are going to feel like a fat tub of lard that cant peel yourself off the couch after eating that item then think of a healthier alternative to substitute in.

An example would be a burrito--you can substitute a flour tortilla for a whole wheat or brown rice tortilla, use brown rice to make your mexican rice, use black beans instead of refried, use lots of veggies like peppers and onions (kind of fajita like), use lean meats, seafood, or soy meats instead of carnitas or other fatty meats, use salsa to give it some flavor and hold off on the sour cream and cheese.  A good sub for sour cream can be cottage cheese if you really need something.  Another food could be pasta--use spaghetti squash instead of pasta (if that just does not get the trick done then try whole wheat or brown rice pasta), try making your own quick sauce with a can of tomatoes and some herbs and veggies.  Or you can make a fresh tomato basil sauce with fresh tomatoes, basil, garlic, and olive oil.  Try using agave syrup or honey as a sweetener.  When I bake (which is on a rare occasion-love cooking, not a huge fan of baking) I try to substitute each unhealthy ingredient for a healthier option...whole wheat flour, applesauce instead of oil, honey instead of sugar, whole oats to add texture.  I have a friend who uses my favorite acai drink in her pies and jams as a sweetener instead of sugar.  If you are fan of a good juicy burger then check out my blog on tofu and try the recipe for tofu burgers (you'll be very pleasantly surprised).  Love pizza?  Check out my video on how to make a quick, healthy, whole wheat pizza.

The main things to pay attention to are white carbs, white sugars, unhealthy fats, and preservatives.  If you can spot those evils then you will know what to substitute.  Try thinking outside the box on what you could actually use as healthy subs...you will be surprised at the things you come up with!  And as always please share any healthy subs you have in your arsenal.

Enjoy!