Try Swapping – Be a Healthier You With a Few Simple Changes

Those in modelling often lead busy lives and don’t always find time to think about healthy eating, but stopping, swapping and making a few changes here and there could be the answer.

Taking a handful of your favourite ingredients or dishes and replacing them with something healthier, but just as delicious, could be a way into eating more fruit, vegetables and other vital foods without changing your daily menu too much. In the current situation, these changes could really make a difference to your mood and energy levels

By swapping instead of cutting out, you could find you reduce your intake of foods that are high in saturated fat and sugar and benefit from something highly nutritious instead – almost without noticing.

So, here are a few suggestions from Models Direct:

Swap sugary breakfast cereal for a bowl of porridge in the morning

Parents of baby models or those involved in toddler modelling could try this for their little ones too. Porridge is great for adults as well, as oats are highly nutritious and can help lower cholesterol and improve blood sugar levels.

Porridge is quick and easy to make in the microwave and can be made tempting and interesting through healthy toppings such as fresh fruit and yoghurt.

Swap white bread and pasta for wholemeal

This isn’t a difficult change to make and you will quickly get used to the difference in texture and taste. Wholemeal replacements are much higher in fibre and are better sources of nutrients.

Those rushing off on fashion model jobs could try making their sandwiches with wholemeal bread and their pasta salads with brown pasta. Pack sandwiches with the likes of fresh tomatoes, avocado, hummus and chicken. Try pasta sauces that are based on tomato rather than cheese sauces.

Swap some of your sugary drinks

Many of us keep going through the day on a sea of sugary drinks but maybe we should try to swap one or two for healthier alternatives. Teen models, for example, and parents of those in child modelling, could start by swapping one full-sugar, fizzy drink for water instead. Decide this might be the first drink of the day or the one that accompanies lunch and stick to it.

Once you have successfully made that first swap, try another. Instead of reaching for a sugary drink at the end of the day, for example, return home to pour yourself a glass of fresh fruit juice topped up with a little fizzy water – and this will count as one of your five-a-day portions too. Adults can also try swapping one of their sugar-laden, full-fat, creamy coffee drinks for a cup made with half-fat or skimmed milk, and sweetened with stevia, perhaps. 

Swap crisps for popcorn

Crisps are an easy, go-to snack when we are rushing around – and are great for keeping children busy and quiet too. There are all sorts of healthy alternatives out there today, but they can be expensive and are not always as low in fat, salt or sugar as they look.

One superb swap is popcorn – and the best way to have it is homemade and popped in a hot air maker rather than oil in a pan. Popcorn is high in fibre and low in fat – just don’t add too much salt and avoid topping with melted butter or sugar.

Swap sugary desserts for Greek yoghurt or fruit pots

It is easy to get into the habit of having a dish or pot of something sweet after lunch or dinner and those working for modelling agencies will certainly be no exceptions. So, try swapping one of these desserts for something healthier yet just as tasty.

If you are out and about and looking for something to grab from a supermarket shelf, pick up a fresh fruit pot instead of a trifle or chocolate mousse tub. When at home, have a least one night a week where you try Greek yoghurt with fresh fruit puree instead of ice-cream or a slice of cheesecake or tart. Plain Greek yoghurt is creamy tasting, full of protein and lower in sugar than normal yoghurt and sweet desserts.