For many people, eating healthier is a huge challenge because they don’t know how to make healthier meals. What’s more, they don’t know how to make healthy meals taste good. When we’re stuck with a plate of bland food, it’s only natural to want to throw in the towel. The good news is you don’t have to give up flavor to eat more healthfully. Here are some healthy ingredients to try instead of your unhealthier standbys.

Vegetable noodles instead of pasta

Get a vegetable spiralizer and you’ll wonder how you ever lived without one. This handy tool converts just about any vegetable into noodles. You can make zucchini noodles (zoodles), sweet potato noodles (swoodles), and many more. They cook faster too, plus if you have picky kids that refuse to eat vegetables, you’ll be able to trick them with a plate of these!

Ground flaxseeds instead of bread crumbs

Breading your meats sure makes them tasty, but you’re adding more sodium and empty calories. Crush up flaxseeds and blend them with different herbs to get a crunchy bread-crumb-esque texture that’s truly divine!

Unsweetened applesauce instead of sugar

Unsweetened applesauce adds the sweetness you want to baked treats without all the harm. Because it is watery though, you should reduce any other liquids in your recipe by 1/4 cup to keep it from become a sog-fest.

Cacao nibs instead of chocolate chips

If you make your own cookie dough, you can use a purer form of chocolate known as the cacao nib. They have no additives and no added sugar, but what they do have are more antioxidant which fight off free radicals and keep you healthy.

Garlic powder instead of salt

It’s often hard to cut out sodium, but when you use garlic powder, you won’t miss that salty taste. Make sure you’re using garlic powder and not garlic salt though. Garlic has many healthful benefits and adds plenty of flavor to keep your taste buds from being bored.

Kale chips instead of potato chips

Love to snack on chips? Ditch the potato chips and bake up the superfood kale in your oven for a crispy and addictive treat without any of the guilt!

Greek yogurt instead of sour cream

Making a creamy dip for a party or just love adding a dollop of sour cream to baked potatoes and tacos? Replace it with Greek yogurt and no one will be the wiser. You’ll get more lean protein out of the deal too so it’s a win-win!

These 7 swaps make healthy cooking easier and tastier too. Try them out the next time you’re in the kitchen!