One of the biggest challenges when it comes to dieting is having to let go of our favorite foods for healthier food choices. Pasta, a bowl of mac and cheese, and even those stacks of pancakes you wolf down for breakfast may sound delicious, they are packed with carbohydrates and calories that can do you more harm than good. Fortunately, you don’t have to feel sad that you’re going to let go of your favorite meals because there are healthier alternatives that will prove tastier too. Here are some food swaps that you might want to try out.

Leafy greens for taco shells 

We can all agree that eating tacos is a comfort to most of us especially when we’re hanging out with friends over beer and stories but, if you are going to go the healthy route, a better option would be to use leafy greens over taco shells. Get some iceberg lettuce, fill it with strips of turkey meat, your taco fixings, and homemade salsa and you’ll never go back to taco shells anymore.

Zucchini sticks 

What about french fries? Surely, you can’t swap anything for these golden snacks rich in grease and salt. Well, surprisingly, zucchini sticks are the perfect swap for your french fries and if you are going to look at the amount of calories that these two contain, you’ll find that your love of french fries can put up to 58 grams of carbs. Zucchini sticks, on the other hand, will only give you 29 grams of carb. 

Cauliflower mac and cheese 

When we say mac and cheese, we all think of elbow macaroni smothered with cheese sauce. But again, we are looking for whole food swaps that can deliver a smaller amount of carbs into your system. Enter cauliflower in place of your favorite pasta. All that you have to do is to boil cauliflower, make your favorite cheese sauce, combine the two, then bake. The end result will be as delicious as your mac and cheese but only healthier. 

Peanuts for snacks 

Most snacks that we eat are on the salty and greasy side. Take for example, potato chips which can deliver up to 16 grams of carbs. Now, if you want to eat right, you should also consider what snacks to eat. Fortunately, you can swap peanuts for your potato chips and get to reduce the amount of carbs in the process. Eating an ounce of peanuts will only give you 6 grams of carbs plus a healthy dose of proteins and good fats. 

Almond flour pancakes 

For breakfast, skip the usual wheat-based flour and use almond flour instead. It has lower carbs compared to the usual pancake batter without compromising the taste. You can blend or whisk, either way, it will still yield the same results. Add fruits if you like for added color, taste, and nutritional benefits. 

Who said that going on a low-carb diet is going to be difficult when you have these food swaps to think of? You might be surprised on how these food options turn out.