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Looking to improve your diet without giving up the foods you love? Making small, smart swaps is a simple and sustainable way to boost your nutrition. Rather than eliminating entire food groups, try replacing less nutritious ingredients with healthier alternatives that still satisfy. These seven easy food swaps can help you cut down on carbs, sugar, and saturated fats, while adding more fibre, protein, and flavour to your meals.

Swap white flour for almond flour

Why? Almond flour has significantly less carbohydrate and more protein and fibre than white flour.

Plain white flour per 100g contains 73.2g of carbohydrate compared to almond flour which contains 5.1g of carbohydrate. Per 100g, almond flour also contains double the protein and quadruple the fibre compared to white flour.

Tip: Use almond flour in baking and crumbing meat such as nuggets and schnitzel.

Swap pasta for spiralised vegetables

Why? Using spiralised zucchini, carrots, beetroot, or cucumber significantly lowers the carbohydrate intake of a meal, and increases vegetable serves.

Dry pasta per 100g contains 65.1g carbs compared to zucchini ‘zoodles’ which contain 1.7g/100g.

Swap sausages for kofta

Why? Compared to sausages, koftas are lower in saturated fat and higher in protein. Use lean beef, pork, chicken or turkey mince instead of lamb mince to make the koftas. Sausages, per 100g, contain 14.5g protein and 8.7g saturated fat, compared to a kofta made with chicken mince which contains 19.2g protein and 1.8g saturated fat.

Swap Baji mix or roasted nuts for spicy, dry roasted nuts

Why? Baji mix and roasted nuts are delicious and moreish but contain a lot of fat and therefore calories.

Tip: Make your own spicy nut mix by heating two teaspoons of olive oil in a pan and some spices such as ground cumin, coriander, chilli and salt spicy or Moroccan spice mix. Stir until fragrant. Add one cup of raw nuts and stir until well coated in the spice mix and starting to turn a brown colour. Remove from the heat as soon as you start to smell the nuts roasting. Careful not to burn them!

Swap lasagna sheets for eggplant and zucchini slices

Why? Using eggplant and/or zucchini slices instead of lasagna sheets significantly lowers the carbohydrate intake of a meal and increases vegetable serves.

Tip:

Swap toasted muesli for natural, untoasted muesli

Why? Untoasted, natural muesli contains less fat than toasted. Better yet, make your own muesli at home with some whole oats and your favourite nuts and seeds. Try one of our recipes below.

Pecan Maple Granola with Greek Yoghurt & Blueberries

Lower Carb Granola

By Accredited Practising Dietitian, Rebecca McPhee