Food Choices Made Easy
Making food choices that are tasty but still healthy can be a challenge! MPC wants to help make it easy for its members to learn how to make simple food swaps, how to understand which foods can be consumed regularly, in moderation, and on occasion, and how to improve beverage choices for lower calories that don’t skip on taste.
Eat This Instead of That
Swapping out one type of food for a healthier version of the same food (or ingredient) can make a BIG impact on how many calories you consume, as well as your health. Click on the web link(s) in this section to see many of the food substitutions you can make as you work toward improving your nutrition and health goals.
Take macaroni and cheese as an example.
A recipe with 2 cups whole milk, 2 tablespoons of butter, and 2 ¼ cups of full-fat cheese has about 540 calories in 1 cup.
For fewer calories and less fat:
- Use non-fat milk instead of whole milk.
- Use 1 tablespoon of butter instead of 2.
- Replace butter with soft margarine that has no trans fat.
- Use 8 ounces of light cream cheese instead of full-fat cheese.
- Add 2 cups fresh spinach.
- Incorporate 1 cup diced tomatoes (or any other vegetable you like).
Your redesigned mac and cheese has 315 calories in 1 cup. You can eat the same amount of mac and cheese with 225 fewer calories.
FOOD CHOICES MADE EASY (TIP SHEET)
Making healthy food swaps is a simple way to support your overall well-being. Download our tip sheet for easy ideas to start making healthier choices today!
Download The Tip Sheet
Additional Resources
“GO, SLOW, WHOA” for You and Your Kids!
GO FOODS
Think of the healthiest foods as “go” foods. These are foods like steamed or raw veggies and skim or low-fat milk that are good to eat almost anytime.
SLOW FOODS
Foods that are OK to eat sometimes are “slow” foods. Foods like hamburgers or pancakes aren’t off limits — but they shouldn’t be eaten every day. At most, you’ll want to eat these foods just a couple of times a week.
WHOA! SHOULD I EAT THAT?
Some foods should make you stop, think, and say, “Whoa! Should I eat that?” These foods are the least healthy. They are the most likely to cause weight problems, especially if a person eats them all the time. “Whoa!” foods are once-in-a-while foods, like French fries or ice cream.
GO, SLOW, WHOA (TIP SHEET)
Understanding which foods to enjoy often, occasionally, or sparingly is key to building healthy habits. Download our tip sheet today and start making healthier choices for you and your family!
Download The Tip Sheet
Additional Resources
Rethink Your Drink!
Sugary drinks are the leading source of added sugars in the American diet. People who often drink sugary drinks are more likely to experience health problems. These problems include weight gain, obesity, type 2 diabetes, heart disease, cavities, and gout, a type of arthritis.
The next time you go grocery shopping, read the nutrition labels on the items in your cart to see which ones have the most added sugars. You may be surprised to see the amount of added sugars in some drinks.
| Same satisfying carbonation but a 136 calorie difference!
Sugary drinks include regular sodas, fruit drinks, sports drinks, energy drinks, and sweetened waters. The flavored coffees we grab on the way to work and sweet drinks we order when eating out are also sugary drinks. Adding sugar and flavored creamer to coffee and tea at home counts too.
