With Halloween this month and the Thanksgiving holiday not far behind, the focus of these two wonderful events is food! It’s never too late to make a commitment for a healthier you by choosing healthier substitutes. With diabetes on the rise amongst school age children and the astounding statistics regarding heart disease, education and awareness are vital to reducing health risks and living a longer, healthier life.

To assist you with the good food bad food choices, a list of substitutes is provided.

• Fruit – contains natural sugar and is a good substitute for candy and high calorie sweets, use fresh fruit or canned/frozen packed in juice or light syrup
• Colored raw vegetables such as broccoli or cauliflower – good substitute for potato chips
• Milk and yogurt – choose fat free, no sugar added
• Whole grain bread, bagels, rolls or fiber-enriched white bread– instead of white bread, croissants, butter rolls, pastries, doughnuts, biscuits
• Olive or canola oil – instead of corn or vegetable oil
• Fresh fish – instead of canned tuna
• Loin or round meats- instead of chuck
• Mustard, vinegar, or salsa – instead of mayonnaise
• Brown rice – instead of white rice
• Beans or peas – instead of canned beans that contain animal products
• Broth based (water or low-fat milk) soups – instead of cream soups
• Baked packaged snacks – instead of fried packaged snacks
• Always fat-free candies, cookies, ice cream