Health Chatter: Small Food Swaps Make a Big Difference

Making healthier food choices doesn’t have to mean a complete overhaul of your diet. Even small swaps can add up over time and help reduce your risk of high blood pressure, heart disease, and type 2 diabetes. The key is to cut back on saturated fats, added sugars, and salt—without losing the joy of eating.

Start with food labels

Food labels can be a great tool to help you make informed choices. With a bit of know-how, you can spot foods that only look like healthier options. For example, a product marked “low fat” might have added sugar to make up for the taste.

Look out for traffic light nutrition labels on packaging. These colour-coded labels make it easier to see how much fat, sugar, and salt are in your food:

• Red = HIGH - eat less often or in smaller amounts

• Amber = MEDIUM - okay in moderation

• Green = a healthier choice you can eat regularly

Even if traffic light labels aren’t present, checking the nutrition table can help guide your decisions.

For more information about traffic light nutrition labels visit the British Nutritional Foundation here.

Simple swaps, better habits

These small changes can make a big difference:

• Use vegetable-based oils like olive or sunflower oil, but measure them out—try a teaspoon or use a brush to lightly coat your pan

• Cook by grilling, steaming or baking instead of frying or roasting

• Cut down on added salt, sugar, and fat—use herbs, spices, and citrus juice for flavour

• Swap processed ready meals for home-cooked versions using fresh or frozen ingredients

• Reduce gradually: if you normally have two sugars in your tea, try one, then none. If you salt your food at the table, stop—and try cooking without salt, too

Check that you're eating the recommended portion size. The portion size on the packet may be less than you would normally eat.

Easy food swaps

Try replacing some of your usual choices with these healthier alternatives:

Swap	For
Red meat	Skinless chicken or turkey, fish, eggs, beans, lentils, or Quorn
Full-fat milk & cheese	Semi-skimmed, skimmed or 1% milk; goat’s cheese
Cream & ice cream	Single cream, frozen yoghurt, or tzatziki
White bread, rice & pasta	Wholegrain versions
Pastry & sausage rolls	Flans with one crust, or sausage in a wholemeal roll
Cakes & biscuits	Scones, rice cakes, or wholegrain cereal
Chocolate & sweets	Dried fruit and nuts, or no added sugar alternatives
Sugary drinks	Water, sparkling water, or sugar-free squash
Crisps & salted nuts	Unsalted popcorn, nuts, or veg sticks with dip

Small changes can help you build a healthier lifestyle over time—without feeling restricted or missing out.

Try swapping white bread for wholegrain varieties

Our sources and for more information: https://www.nhs.uk/ https://www.bhf.org.uk/ https://www.diabetes.org.uk/ https://www.nutrition.org.uk/

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