Transform your favourite dishes into healthy meals

With the COVID-19 pandemic in our midst, coupled with high rates of lifestyle diseases like high blood pressure and type 2 diabetes, it's more important than ever to create good habits that will improve your health and wellbeing not only today, but for years to come. This includes what you eat and how you prepare your food every day.

Here's how to make every day a Healthy Chewsday this year, by transforming your favourite recipes into healthy dishes, and making small yet significant changes when choosing ingredients.

Have a healthy braai by choosing ostrich steak or skinless chicken sosaties. Eat your colours with a healthy bean salad, a fresh tomato salad and wholewheat rolls or mealies. Plus, for dessert, you can braai bananas in their skins with a block of dark chocolate. Hmm...

• Watch our cooking demo: How to prepare a tasty Mexican-style three bean salad

Who doesn't love banana bread? It's been all we've seen on social media recently. Try make yours a little healthier by using wheat bran or nutty wheat flour instead of white flour, or add oat bran. Top it off with a reduced fat cream cheese icing, fruit, nuts and even edible flowers if you're feeling creative.

• Watch our cooking demo: Chef Eli's delicious banana loaf recipe

Transform macaroni and cheese into a healthy meal by using whole-wheat macaroni, green veggie sauce and chicken strips - and add roasted vegetables on the side. Need some inspiration?

• Watch our cooking demo: Sarah Graham's 5-minute green pasta dish

There's nothing quite as satisfying as spaghetti bolognaise at home. Make yours a healthy dish by using whole-wheat spaghetti or even baby marrow pasta, or zucchetti. Use ostrich or chicken mince for a leaner dish and add veggies like grated celery, carrots, baby marrow, onion, tomato and garlic for a hearty yet healthy sauce.

• Watch our cooking demo: Tomato-basil pasta with parmesan and peas

Now, you can make a healthy pizza at home. Simply add nutty wheat flour to the base or make a cauliflower base. For toppings, you have a whole rainbow of veggies to choose from. Roasted veggies or butternut with sesame seeds and a little feta make an incredible pizza topping.

• Watch the cooking demo: Veggie cheese homemade pizza

No list of favourite food is complete without ... fish and chips! Keep this meal healthy by grilling or baking the fish - no batter - and make oven-baked sweet potato wedges or sweet potato mash. Serve it with a side salad or veggies such as peas and baby carrots.

• Watch the cooking demo: Savoury baked fish with tomato basil sauce

Try these healthy substitutes

Give your pantry a healthy makeover with these tried-and-tested substitutes for sugar, salt, white flour and more. Check out this useful table for all the ways you can cook healthier meals at home. Save it on your computer, print it out, or stick it on your fridge or recipe board for daily inspiration.

Ideas for quick switches

Looking for a quick switch for your favourite ingredients?

• Instead of green juice, have a green smoothie. Check out this FREE recipe from Sarah Graham.
• Plain yoghurt served with a cup of fruit like blueberries or apple makes a great alternative to flavoured yoghurt.
• Smoothies made with plain milk and fresh fruit (think frozen banana!) is much healthier than flavoured milk.
• Make your own stock - it's healthier and lower in salt. Homemade stock can be reduced and frozen in ice trays or Ziploc bags and added to soups and stews.

Get rewarded for making healthier choices

To help you stay healthy in 2022, we're still giving you up to 75% back on HealthyFood when you shop at Pick n Pay or Woolworths. Just another way we're making it easier than every, to make every day a #HealthyChewsday. If you haven't already activated your HealthyFood benefit, activate now to start enjoying your benefits.

For a range of recipes, expert cooking demos, healthy meal plans, nutrition advice and more, check out the Vitality Home-Cooking Channel.