By Mark Greenwald

It can be really overwhelming to walk into a grocery store and choose healthier foods, especially if you've just recently decided to adopt a healthier diet. How do you get used to the taste of healthier food when your taste buds crave that chocolate bar or salty snack? You might picture yourself picking absently at a salad while you look longingly at your coworker's hamburger. It doesn't take long before you start to wonder if eating healthier will sentence you to a lifelong diet of 'rabbit food'.

First, Know Your Trouble Spots

The real truth is that salads and grains only amount to a fraction of healthy eating's 'big picture'. Being able to enter a grocery store and choose healthy alternatives is really a matter of dedication, knowledge and time management. But before you can confidently enter that grocery store with healthy food list in hand, it's important to know the basics. Food substitution is all about knowing where your 'trouble spots' are. The more you begin to understand and master your unhealthy cravings, the easier it will be to substitute healthy foods for unhealthy foods.

One Example: Potato Chips

Let's start with a common favorite: the potato chip. It's salty, crunchy, greasy and comforting. Its alternative has the exact same qualities, except for one -- the chips are fried in olive oil. Just by substituting the canola or vegetable oil in a regular chip with olive oil, you greatly reduce the load on your body. Hint: look for the "Solea" name the next time you're on the hunt for chips, or visit http://www.foodshouldtastegood.com for a slew of whole grain chip alternatives. A handful of nuts, especially almonds, can kill that craving for something crunchy too. But caution: nuts are high in calories, so try and limit yourself to one handful per day.

Sweets and Chocolate

Those with a sweet tooth might think there is nothing on earth that can replace that chocolate mousse or ice cream sundae. But if you can substitute candy with a root vegetable (like a carrot, parsnip or turnip), even once per week, you will be well on your way to crowding out your cravings. Chocolate bar lovers can now get the same chocolaty goodness out of protein bars. The NuGo bar is absolutely delicious, and comes in 6 flavors: http://www.nugonutrition.com/. Reaching for fresh fruit instead of candy is also a terrific way to keep cravings at bay. Hint: if you just can't give up chocolate, a small piece of dark chocolate with 65% or more cocoa content will give your body the antioxidants and flavinoids that milk chocolate simply cannot.

Grains

For grain lovers, sweetening your morning cereal with fruit or maple syrup instead of sugar is a wonderful way to start. Whole grains are much higher in fiber than their more processed counterparts. They will also give you more of a 'full' feeling, which may reduce your urge to reach for unhealthy foods. Hint: Look for 'whole grain' on the label, and try Quinoa, which contains a fair amount of protein in addition to fiber.

Soda Substitutions

Soda is best to avoid, especially if it's diet soda. Most of today's sodas contain not only empty calories, but artificial sweeteners. Hint: substituting soda with a naturally-flavored sparkling water, or even a fruit juice/sparkling water mix will provide that fizzy and sweetly satisfying taste.

Before You Know It, You're A Healthy Eater

Over time, you'll notice that many of the substitutes will actually begin to taste better than their counterparts. And you'll know you're on the right track when the unhealthy cravings stop and it just feels better and more natural to choose the healthy alternative.