Looking for healthier grocery options to fill your trolley with? Dietitian and nutritionist Susie Burrell shares her 7 simple swaps to boost nutrition.

Good nutrition does not have to be about only eating vegetables, lean protein and low-carb foods. Rather, eating to support optimal nutrient intake is about consistent dietary patterns over time, with loads of fresh and minimally processed foods.

Sometimes, it can be as simple as swapping some of your daily foods of choice for better options nutritionally, so that you are basically eating the same thing, but maximising your nutrient intake.

White rice for black rice

While white rice is generally what is served, brown and black rice are better options nutritionally, offering significantly more nutrients, including dietary fibre, zinc, magnesium and Vitamin E.

The key thing with any kind of rice is to remove it from the quick-cook packaging and cook it in a pan or baking dish to reduce your exposure to the microplastics that can leech into the rice when it is cooked in plastic packaging.

Sourdough bread for rye or grain bread

We have been told for a number of years now that sourdough is a healthier alternative to regular white bread, but what is not explained as clearly is that it is not a better option nutritionally when you compare it to rye or wholegrain bread.

Whilst sourdough may have a lower glycaemic index than regular white bread, it does not offer the benefits that dense wholegrain bread does, with higher amounts of a number of key nutrients including dietary fibre, zinc and Vitamin E.

If sourdough is your preference, you should still seek out rye or wholegrain varieties of sourdough.

Rice snacks for corn snacks

There is nothing overly healthy about processed rice snacks.

Not only are they an extremely dense source of processed carbohydrate, with an extremely high glycaemic index, but rice snacks also contain relatively high amounts of the heavy metal arsenic.

A much better option is to seek out corn-based snacks and crackers, as corn is a wholegrain option, and is less of a concern from a heavy metals perspective.

Protein bars for nut bars

You could be forgiven for assuming that protein-based snacks are a healthy snack, but ultimately most protein-based snack bars are ultra-processed and use a myriad of highly refined ingredients to create the sweet, chocolate-covered bars typically marketed for their protein content.

Nut-based snack bars, on the other hand, still offer some natural protein, with far fewer additives and processed ingredients as well as all of the positive nutritional attributes nuts and seeds offer naturally.

White pasta for legume pasta

Most pantries will have a bag of pasta rolling around, and while there is nothing wrong with regular pasta, which has a relatively low GI, so it keeps blood glucose levels controlled after eating, the growing range of legume-based pastas are nutritionally superior again.

With exceptionally high amounts of protein and dietary fibre, you will also likely find you need a lot less of this type of pasta to feel full and satisfied.

Tuna for salmon

An exceptionally popular salad and sandwich filling, canned tuna is relatively cheap and versatile.

High in protein and low in fat, it is wrongly assumed that canned tuna also offers the heart-healthy omega-3s.

While there is some omega-3 in tuna, a simple swap to canned salmon once or twice a week will ensure you get the nutrients runs also offers, along with your entire daily recommended intake of omega-3s in a single serve.

Fruit juice for vegetable juice

Fruit juice is often thought of as an exceptionally healthy choice, and while it can be made from whole fruit, it is also a concentrated source of sugars and energy.

Swapping to a mixed vegetable juice, which you can find at supermarkets or blend yourself, is not only lower in sugars, but offers a concentrated source of nutrients including beta carotene and antioxidants found in brightly coloured vegetables, including kale, spinach, carrot and beetroot.