PHOTO: ISTOCK
Eating healthy can feel hard—expensive, and a bit limiting flavor-wise—but it's a lot easier when you're equipped with a good list of ingredients. We’ve rounded up a bunch of alternatives to try when you’re sick of eating the same things all the time.
Care for carrots? Put parsnips on your list.
They’re actually tastier, and perfect when you’re roasting veggies. Carrots are so delicious, but can actually make you hungrier because they have high glycemic levels (meaning they’re full of sugar). A single parsnip, however, has seven grams of fiber (a carrot has about two grams), so they’ll keep you fuller for longer.
Savor stone fruits? Have a fling with figs.
Don’t even get me started on how good dried figs are with brie cheese. They make for the perfect fancy party platter. Plus, you get all the delicious sweetness of a plum without dripping juice all over yourself. Figs contain a wealth of beneficial nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin B1, vitamin B2, calcium, iron, phosphorus, manganese, sodium, potassium and chlorine.
Love lettuce? Chop up some Chinese vegetables.
Bok choy, choy sum, Chinese broccoli: so good when they’re stir-fried, and they fill you up so much more than boring old lettuce because of their high levels of dietary fiber. Chinese vegetables are also very high in vitamin C and contribute plenty of iron to your diet, and bok choy contains barely any fat, with just nine calories to a cup.
Praise potatoes? Snack on sunchokes.
What is a sunchoke, you ask? It’s a Jerusalem artichoke, also known as an earth apple, and you can roast it just like a potato. They’re also energy-rich, and filled with vitamins.
Turned on by tuna? Spice it up with salmon instead.
Canned tuna is the grocery store’s greatest gift to busy women. But not nearly as many people get around canned salmon, which is just as easy and even more delicious. We all know about the health benefits of salmon (vitamins, protein, good fats), but if you don’t have time to cook, the canned version is a perfect alternative.
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