Make these 4 simple substitutions now for your health and wallet

Did you make a new year’s resolution for 2022? If you did, have you stuck with it so far – or have you already given up on it? When we make new year’s resolutions, we usually do so because we’re trying to make major changes in our lives. Keeping a resolution is supposed to be difficult. That’s why we delay trying to make those changes until a new year begins – we’re hoping that seeing a new number on the calendar will somehow inspire us to accomplish something that previously eluded us.

Do you know what the most common new year’s resolutions are? The most common resolution is to live healthier, and the second most common is to become happier. When you think about those resolutions, it shouldn’t be surprising at all that most people fail to keep them. A statement like “I want to live a healthier lifestyle” is so general and broad that it’s impossible to know how to even get started.

If you want to change your life in a meaningful way – whether it’s to live in a healthier way, to put extra money in your pocket or both – the worst way to go about it is by making nebulous goals that you can’t really define. What you really need are small, actionable milestones – things that are small on their own but add up to something large. In this article, we’re going to give you some ideas to help you do exactly that. Make these simple substitutions now, and it won’t be long at all before you notice that you feel markedly better and have more money in your pocket.

Substitute Filtered Water for Bottled Water

If you’re a fan of bottled water, you’re definitely not alone. People love bottled water for the convenience, and they love it for the flavour as well. These days, companies are enhancing bottled water in a variety of different ways, from adjusting the pH to adding electrolytes to mimic the refreshing taste of mineral water. It’s very likely that bottled water tastes better than what you get from the tap.

Bottled water, however, comes with a serious drawback: It creates an enormous amount of waste. Maybe you recycle your used bottles, but the statistics suggest that you don’t. Most used water bottles aren’t recycled, and they ultimately end up in landfills. Bottled water is also extremely expensive – especially when you consider the fact that most of it is just filtered municipal water. The filter, in other words, is the only difference between bottled water and what you get from the tap.

If you don’t think that filtered water compares favourably to bottled water in the taste department, the problem is that you’re using the wrong filter. You’re not going to get the “bottled water” taste with a pitcher-style filter from your local big box store. The companies that produce bottled water generally use reverse osmosis filters, so that’s what you should do as well. If you prefer high-pH water, you’ll also need to run the water through an ionizer that increases alkalinity. At that point, you’ll have something that tastes just as good as the bottled stuff. After a few months, you’ll have saved so much money that your filter will have paid for itself.

Substitute Disposable Vapes for Cigarettes

It shouldn’t surprise you to learn that quitting smoking is another extremely common new year’s resolution. Smoking, after all, is just about the worst thing you can possibly do for your health. There’s probably no other legal product in the entire world that kills the majority of its users. Smoking also costs a fortune, with a single pack now costing as much as £13.60. Quitting smoking isn’t just the best thing that you could possibly do for your health; it’s also a simple way to save an enormous amount of money.

Of course, the problem with smoking is that most people can’t just stop doing it once they’re addicted. In fact, there’s a good chance that you’ve already spent a substantial amount of money on nicotine replacement products that haven’t worked for you. The solution, however, is simpler than you might imagine. Instead of quitting, just substitute one habit with another habit that’s cheaper and less risky. Disposable vapes from companies like VapeJuice.com are just as simple, convenient and satisfying as cigarettes – but they cost a fraction of what you’re paying for tobacco.

Substitute Veggie Protein for Meat

If you’re a health-conscious person, you’re probably well aware of the fact that meat isn’t a particularly healthy food. It’s also terribly inefficient from an environmental standpoint. We use an enormous amount of field space around the world to grow animal feed, and the animals return only a small portion of that food energy when we slaughter them. Eliminating meat consumption would improve your cardiovascular health – and if enough people stopped eating meat, it would help to slow global warming.

If you’re a lifelong meat eater, though, you’re probably thinking that eliminating your meat consumption doesn’t sound like a lot of fun. What are you going to eat for dinner – carrots and broccoli? The good news, though, is that the veggie protein section at your local supermarket is now full of tasty options that didn’t exist a few years ago. Replacements for beef, chicken and seafood taste more realistic than ever, and they’re also infinitely healthier to consume. Start by replacing meat with veggie protein just a few times a week, and then you can start to think about whether reducing your meat consumption even further is the right choice for you.

Substitute Whole Grains for White Carbohydrates

When it comes to guilty food pleasures, white carbohydrates such as bread, pasta and rice probably top the list for many people – and although they might be very tasty, they’re definitely not the best options for health. White rice contains no fibre whatsoever. White bread and pasta aren’t much better. When you eat a meal in which white carbohydrates make up the bulk of the calories, you’re flooding your body with starch that’s very easy to convert into sugar. The food causes your blood-glucose levels to spike, which will make you feel drowsy after the meal and can even contribute to diabetes over the long term.

You might think that you don’t enjoy whole-grain carbohydrates, but that’s really only because your palate is accustomed to the white bread, pasta and rice that you’ve eaten your whole life. Pick just one of those foods and start eating the whole-grained version. Commit to yourself that you’re going to continue eating that food for the next several weeks. During that time, you’ll probably find that you eventually come to prefer the richer flavour of the whole-grain food. At that point, you can expand your consumption of whole grains further. You’ll find that you feel much better after meals. You may also lose a few pounds because eating whole grains helps to contribute to a feeling of fullness, which may help you avoid overeating.