Healthy food swaps
37-minute read
Key facts
- Healthy food swaps are simple changes you can make to your diet to replace less healthy food with more nutritious food.
- Healthy food swaps can help you to meet your health goals and improve your health over time.
- Follow the Australian Dietary Guidelines to help plan your food shopping.
- Eat a wide variety of food to get a range of nutritional benefits.
- Limit foods that are low in nutrients, to help you stay on track.
What are the benefits of healthy food swaps?
Making small changes to the foods you eat can lead to big health improvements over time. Healthy food swaps are simple changes you make to your diet to replace less healthy foods with healthier and more nutritious ones.
A healthy diet can help lower your chance of developing some chronic conditions, such as:
Choose food swaps based on your health needs. For example, food swaps may help you:
- lose weight
- lower your blood pressure or cholesterol
- eat more healthily every day
NEED TO LOSE WEIGHT? — Use the BMI Calculator to find out if your weight and waist size are in a healthy range.
How do I start making healthy food swaps?
A good way to start is by planning your food shopping. By not taking home unhealthy foods, you are less likely to be tempted to eat them.
Include a wide variety of nutritious foods that suit your health goals. Try shopping for food from the 5 food groups and limit foods that are low in nutrients. Follow the Australian Dietary Guidelines as best you can.
Try to eat mostly from these 5 food groups:
- grain (cereals)
- vegetables and legumes or beans
- lean meats and poultry, fish, eggs, tofu, nuts and seeds
- milk, yoghurt, cheese or alternatives
- fruit
Aim to eat something from each group every day.
Dietitians suggest that whole foods, not just individual nutrients, should be the focus of a healthy diet. How healthy a food is also depends on how it's made or processed.
When buying food, look at different brands and read the nutrition information on the product labels. Look for the amount of salt (sodium), sugar and kilojoules on the labels of canned and packaged foods.
Swapping one brand for another can make a big difference over time. You can also try to make your own healthier version at home.
What are some healthy food swap ideas?
Here are some food swap ideas to help you make healthier food choices:
| Swaps | What’s the benefit? |
|---|---|
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Soft drink or cola Fizzy water with a mint leaf and cucumber or a glass of water with ice cubes made from fruit |
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Fruit juice One piece of fruit |
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Muesli with added sugar or dried fruit Plain porridge oats with berries or banana |
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White bread Wholegrain or multigrain bread |
|
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Fruit-flavoured yoghurts Plain or Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit |
|
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Coffee shop muffin Hard-boiled egg or a handful of unsalted or dry roasted nuts |
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Potato crisps Raw vegetable sticks (for example, carrots, celery or capsicum) and hummus, avocado or natural yoghurt dip |
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Store-bought salad dressings Homemade salad dressing made with extra virgin olive oil and lemon or balsamic vinegar |
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Supermarket pasta sauce Homemade pasta sauce with fresh tomatoes, onion, garlic, herbs and fresh vegetables |
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Ice cream Frozen mango or half a banana frozen on a stick and dipped in dark chocolate |
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A list of healthy food swaps to meet your health goals.
Resources and support
- If you are looking for a dietitian, the healthdirect Service Finder can help you find doctors, pharmacies, hospitals and other health services.
- Explore recipe tools and tips on the Australian Government's Eat For Health website.
- Visit Dietitians Australia for evidence-based advice about healthy eating.
- Learn about eating for a healthy heart at the Heart Foundation.
- Diabetes Australia has information on how to eat well if you live with diabetes.
You can also call the healthdirect helpline on 1800 022 222 (known as NURSE-ON-CALL in Victoria). A registered nurse is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week.
Languages other than English
- NSW Government has healthy lifestyle and healthy eating resources in many community languages.
Information for Aboriginal and/or Torres Strait Islander peoples
- Get healthy for the mob with tips, recipes and stories from NSW Government.
- Download a guide to healthy eating poster from National Health and Medical Research Council.