3 Steps to Success Challenge:
Week 1 - Swap it

If you need inspiration for your weekly task, we've put together a list of ideas to choose from!

This week is 'Swap it' week – all about making some healthy swaps with your food, drink or even lifestyle choices. We're tasking you to make 3 swaps – try to focus on foods or behaviours that you do a lot, so making a switch will have a significant impact. If you'd like to take on more than 3 swaps, then go for it, this is your challenge! But a word of caution – try not to overwhelm yourself by trying to do too much too fast, 3 swaps is enough to make a difference.

Check out our swap ideas below to see if anything jumps out at you to try!

For a printable PDF version of these ideas, click here.

Week 1 – Swap it

Food swaps

• White refined versions of bread, rice, and pasta FOR wholemeal or 50/50 versions
• Regular ketchup (and other sauces) FOR reduced-salt and -sugar version
• Salt in cooking FOR Lo Salt (or other low-sodium alternative)
• Sugar FOR Silver Spoon Half Spoon (or other low-calorie sugar)
• Salt in meals FOR extra herbs and spices
• Ready meals FOR your own version, cooked from scratch (for recipes ideas, go to 'My Meals' in the Nutracheck app)
• Weekend takeaway FOR a fakeaway home cooked version (for recipes ideas, go to 'My Meals' in the Nutracheck app)
• Chips on the side FOR a salad or vegetable side dish
• Higher saturated fat meats (beef, pork, lamb, processed meats) FOR lower fat meats (turkey, chicken, chicken sausages, veggie sausages)
• Full-fat dairy (yogurt, milks, cheeses, butter or spreads) FOR low-fat dairy (0% fat yogurt, low-fat spread, reduced-fat cheese, semi-skimmed or skimmed milk)
• Regular crisps FOR popcorn, lentil crisps, baked crisps or popchips
• Full-size chocolate bars FOR smaller sizes from multipacks or mini versions e.g. fun-size Milky Way (71 kcals vs large 200 kcals )
• Replace meat in your meals FOR plant-based options such as Quorn, pulses or tofu
• Flavoured yogurts FOR plain versions (add fresh fruit or sprinkle with cinnamon instead)
• Shop bought jars of cooking sauce FOR homemade versions (check out our recipe ideas Sam's super 6 sauces)
• Sugary breakfast cereals (e.g. some granolas, frosted flakes, Cheerios) FOR a protein-based option such as scrambled eggs/an omelette or high-fibre porridge with added fruit, seeds and nut butter
• Full-fat spread on sandwiches FOR low-fat spread, low-fat cream cheese or no spread

Drink swaps

• Alcoholic drinks FOR alcohol-free varieties
• A pint of larger/beer FOR a single measure of spirit and low calorie mixer
• Full sugar drinks FOR low-cal, zero sugar fizzy drinks
• Fruit juices FOR low-sugar squash or flavoured water
• Sugar-filled milky hot drinks (e.g. flavoured lattes or hot chocolates) FOR tea with milk or herbal options
• Full-fat dairy milks or plant-based milks FOR low-fat versions
• Full-sugar fizzy drinks FOR sparkling water a little sugar-free cordial
• Sugar in hot drinks FOR half the amount or low-calorie sweetener or gradually reducing total sugar used
• Regular tea/coffee FOR herbal teas

Behaviour swaps

• Eating out FOR eating in
• Frying or roasting as cooking methods FOR steaming, boiling, air-frying or baking to save on oil
• Eating in front of the TV FOR eating at a table with no distractions
• 30 mins screen time FOR a walk or some mindfulness time
• Scanning social media on your phone before bed FOR reading a book or writing in a journal
• An alarm with a snooze option FOR an alarm with no snooze option to help you start the day more promptly (put it on the other side of the room so you have to get up to turn it off too!)
• Your after work exercise session or gym visit FOR a session before breakfast or at lunchtime (less chance you'll talk yourself out of it throughout the day!)