1. If one of your favorite meals includes ground beef, opt for ground turkey instead. With the right seasoning, it can be just as savory as any beef with half the calories.
2. While rice is a staple in Latin cuisine, choosing quinoa instead is not only much, much healthier, but it’s still as Latino as it gets. Fun fact: quinoa is native to the Andes region of Peru and Bolivia.
3. A lesser known substitution is replacing sour cream with Greek yogurt! You won’t even notice the difference in your tacos, but you sure will in your waistline. Mix with lemon and hot sauce for added flavor.
4. To increase your nutrient intake exponentially, substitute iceberg lettuce for romaine lettuce. I mean, it’s lettuce anyway—why not have 17x more vitamin A and 4x the vitamin K?
5. A pretty well known replacement is opting for a corn tortilla instead of a flour tortilla—and for good reason! Flour tortillas have more calories, more fat, more carbs, and less fiber than their corn counterparts!
6. If health is important to you, ALWAYS go black beans or pinto beans over the typical restaurant refried beans prepared with animal fat. Beans in general are great for you—but it’s all about preparation.
7. Sugar is in everything these days, so whenever possible, substitute sugar for cinnamon. This works on tons of delicious desserts and beverages.
8. Instead of the usual white potato to make your next potato dish, replace it with sweet potato. Lower carbs, lower calories, and tons more vitamins… not to mention they really lively up a dish!
9. For baking, a great substitute for butter is actually apple sauce! Sounds odd but people have been doing this for decades. Best part: it’s also a sugar substitute. Two birds, one stone.
10. Last but not least, AVOCADOS! Avocados are an amazing replacement food. Great for you and just as satisfying as anything else. Replace your mayo, butter, cheese, jams, ketchup, etc.
