This document provides examples of simple ingredient swaps that can be made to popular breakfast, snack, lunch, dinner, and snack foods to make them healthier. It compares the calorie, fat, carb, protein, sodium and ingredient content of standard menu items from restaurants like Panera, Wendy's, Olive Garden against healthier homemade alternatives. The key message is that small tweaks like using whole grains, limiting oil, choosing unsweetened options and fresh ingredients can significantly reduce calories and improve nutrition without much extra effort. The overall goal is to choose nutrient dense whole foods over processed, energy dense options for better health.

1. What are you
really eating?
Simple, healthy ingredient
swaps to eat better at every
meal!

2. What we do to create healthier versions of
your favorite foods (you can do this at
home too!)
 Use vegetable stock or non-fat Greek yogurt to replace
a majority of oil in salad dressings.
 Limit the amount of oil in cooking although some oil is
nutritionally beneficial.
 Whole grains in place of enriched/refined grains.
 Use natural sweeteners such as natural cane sugar,
maple syrup, agave nectar and stevia.
 In baking, substitute all natural, unsweetened
applesauce or mashed bananas for oil.
 Use a larger ratio of egg whites to yolks. Yolks contain
many nutrients. Whites contribute to protein content.
 Use organic or all natural produce, poultry and meat
products to avoid added hormones, antibiotics and
chemicals.

3. Can you guess the calories?
You might be surprised how much simple recipe
tweaks can save your calorie budget!

4. Breakfast
 Panera Bacon, Egg
and Cheese
Breakfast Ciabatta
 Vitality House
Breakfast Sandwich

5. Breakfast
Panera Breakfast
Sandwich
 Cal: 510 Fat: 25 g
Cal from Fat: 220
Carbs: 43 g Prot: 29 g
Sodium: 1170 mg
 White bread (refined
grains), full fat cheese,
cured pork bacon
Vitality House
Breakfast Sandwich
 Cal: 333 Fat: 14 g Cal
from Fat: 120 Carbs: 28
g Prot: 21 g Sodium:
890 mg
 Whole grain english
muffin, low fat cheese,
4:1eggs, turkey bacon,
calories to spare to
include fresh fruit

6. Snack
 Multigrain Tostitos with
Salsa (10 chips; ¼ cup
salsa)
 Carrot and Celery Sticks
with Hummus (10 veggie
sticks; ¼ cup hummus)

7. Snack
Multigrain Tostitos
with Salsa
 Cal: 208 Fat: 9 g Cal
from Fat: 81 Carbs: 30
g Prot: 3 g Sodium: 590
mg
 Fried, high in sodium, low
in protein, processed,
most likely won’t satiate
hunger
Carrots, Celery and
Hummus
 Cal: 127 Fat: 6 g Cal
from Fat: 54 Carbs: 14
g Prot: 6 g Sodium: 293
mg
 More nutrients in fresh,
raw veggies, low in
sodium, higher in protein,
good source of
unsaturated fat

8. Lunch
 Wendy’s BLT Cobb
(with Classic Ranch)
 Vitality House
Chicken Cobb (with
Lite Blue Cheese)

9. Lunch
Wendy’s BLT Cobb
 Cal: 660 Fat: 46 g Cal
from Fat: 440 Carbs: 14
g Prot: 48 g Sodium:
1840
 Full fat cheese, pork
bacon, processed
chicken, heavy salad
dressing made with oil
and full fat buttermilk
VH Chicken Cobb
 Cal: 330 Fat: 18 g Cal
from Fat: 160 Carbs: 11
g Prot: 34 g Sodium:
770
 Low fat cheese, turkey
bacon, natural, grilled
chicken breast, light
dressing made with low
fat Greek dressing,
FRESH INGREDIENTS

10. Snack
 Smoothie King: 20
oz. Light and Fluffy
 Non-Fat Plain Greek
Yogurt (8 oz.) and
Bluberries (4 oz.)

11. Snack
Light and Fluffy
Smoothie
 Cal: 395 Fat: 0 g Cal
from Fat: 0 Carbs: 99 g
Prot: 1 g Sugar: 89 g
 Frozen fruit, orange
juice, honey and
turbinado all contribute
to HIGH SUGAR
content, low in protein
Non-Fat Greek Yogurt
and Blueberries
 Cal: 174 Fat: 0 g Cal
from Fat: 0 Carbs: 20 g
Prot: 25 g Sugar: 16 g
 More balanced, fresh
ingredients, good source
of protein and
antioxidants, for a sweeter
twist add a little stevia!

12. Dinner
 Olive Garden Eggplant
Parmigiana
 Vitality House Eggplant
Parmesan

13. Dinner
Olive Garden
Eggplant Parmigiana
 Cal: 850 Fat: 35 g Cal
from Fat: 315 Carbs: 98
g Prot: 36 g Sodium:
1900
 Fried, White pasta
(refined grains), full fat
cheeses, excess
cheese, loaded with
sodium
Vitality House
Eggplant Parmesan
 Cal: 410 Fat: 9 g Cal
from Fat: 80 Carbs: 65
g Prot: 23 g Sodium:
547
 Baked, Whole Grain
Pasta, low fat cheeses,
light on cheeses, *gluten
free, FRESH
INGREDIENTS

14. What is common about each of
these swaps?
 These foods contain
more calories and
fewer nutrients per
given volume.
 Some energy dense
foods are ok
(avocados, nut butters,
and dairy) but in
MODERATION
 These foods contain
the most nutrients
and the least amount
of calories per
volume.
 Eat nutrient dense
foods at EVERY
meal
Nutrient Dense
Energy Dense vs.

15. Things to Remember:
 Time is valuable but so is your health.
 No time? Not an excuse.
 General Rule of Thumb: Eat more NUTRIENT
DENSE foods and less ENERGY DENSE foods.
 General Rule of Thumb: Avoid PROCESSED
foods and enjoy more FRESH, NATURAL
ingredients.
 Aim for a balance of protein, carbohydrates and
good fat at each meal.
 It can be easy to eat healthy with some simple
ingredient swaps!