Much of my “dieting” success has come from allowing myself to eat whatever I want, with moderation of course. Whether it’s fresh fruit or an ooey gooey brownie, if I want it, I allow myself to eat it. In saying that though, you probably think that I throw all caution to the wind and just eat junk all the time. And sure, there are some moments in my life where I do eat more sweets than maybe I "should." There are a lot of choices I make on a daily basis that have helped keep me in check though, and I want to share how easy it is to substitute one food for its healthier counterpart without noticing any difference in taste. I have been making healthy substitutions in my cooking and baking for such a long time that it’s really just habit now. Let me show you how easy it is!
Coconut Oil
I’m sure, by now, especially if you hang around Pinterest or food blogs at all, you’ve heard about all the benefits of coconut oil. If not, let me just give you a quick run-down. Coconut oil contains absolutely no trans fats. It aids in heart health, weight loss, digestion, and immunity! It takes off some work-load to the liver, reduces kidney stones, helps to control blood sugar, improves the body’s ability to absorb minerals making our bones stronger, and it is believed that coconut oil plays a part in reducing the susceptibility of HIV and cancer patients.
With all this being said, why wouldn’t you incorporate coconut oil into your diet? Maybe it’s just one of those things that seems too “health nut” to you? You don’t want to be all hippie about it all. Well, let me just tell you, it’s not all that hard. Sure, a container of coconut oil is maybe $7-10, but it lasts for months. I use it in place of butter, vegetable oil, or extra virgin olive oil when I’m sauteing up my veggies, browning my tofu, etc etc. I’ve even heard you can use coconut oil in place of the butter you use in your rice krispie treats! I haven’t tried it out. And just an FYI, when you buy coconut oil, it is a solid when it’s cooler and oil-like when it’s warmer. If your recipe calls for vegetable oil, just melt down your solid coconut oil in a small saucepan to use.
Whole Wheat Pasta & Rice
This one’s an easy substitution. Instead of buying regular refined-flour pasta and white rice, just buy the whole wheat and brown counterparts instead. Whole wheat pasta used to not be all that great. It kinda got a bad rap for it’s taste and overall texture. But I think there have been some improvements in this category. Sure, the cook-time is a little bit longer, but it’s worth the extra few minutes to lower the risk of diabetes, cancer, and obesity. If you’re anything like me, you love pasta, and it’s probably not something you want to deprive yourself of, so make the switch to whole wheat. But also remember the key – moderation! Make sure you’re realistic and aware of your portion sizes, but eat enough of what you like to not feel deprived.
Milk
The options are pretty much endless here. There’s cow’s milk, almond milk (my personal favorite), rice milk, soy milk, coconut milk, etc etc. Maybe you’re a die-hard 2% milk kinda gal. I completely understand being tied to the flavor of your milk and having a hard time switching to something different. Have you tried the 1%? Is it too watery-tasting? What if you started by filling your glass with half 1% and half 2%. Continue to increase the lower-fat variety over time until you’re drinking a full glass of it. You can try the same thing with soy or almond milk. I haven’t drank cow’s milk in years, and it’s just a personal choice I have made. I’m not vegan, but after some research, I just realized that cow’s milk is not for me. I’m not going to preach my animal-rights theories and beliefs here, but if you’re curious, there is a lot of info out there. Regardless of all the animal stuff, there’s just the plain simple fact that milk contains fat, and the lower the fat content you’re putting in your body the better!
Sweeteners
Now I know there is a lot of hype and controversy about artificial sweeteners not being good for you. Some may freak out about the aspartame not being safe and causing cancer (what doesn’t cause cancer these days?). The FDA has actually stated that aspartame is one of the most widely tested and studied foods and it is clearly safe for human consumption.
With artificial sweeteners (Splenda, Truvia, etc), they are much sweeter than sugar actually is, so you don’t need quite as much as you would normally use. Any time I can, I use a sugar-free option. SF coffee creamer, Splenda in my coffee, SF jello, Splenda instead of sugar in my baked goods, diet coke on the rare occasion. This is an easy way to cut the un-needed sugar from your daily intake. When my recipes call for sugar, much of the time, I’m actually using Splenda.
Fat Free / Low Fat
This is another controversial topic. People argue that if they’re cutting out fat, they must be adding in other additives to make it taste good. I don’t agree with that. I simply think they are cutting the fat. When you are buying yogurt, cheese, cottage cheese, cream cheese, sour cream, etc always choose the low fat or fat free version. I’ve never noticed a difference in taste. The only thing I have noticed is that LF/FF cheese and cream cheese doesn’t melt as well, but they eventually do, and it’s not enough of a problem for me to stop using it.
Welp, I hope you guys can find this useful. These are the few basic substitutions I make on a day to day basis in order to stay as healthy as I can while not feeling deprived. It’s not like I’m on a diet. This has just become a way of life for me. It’s just second nature that when I go to buy pasta, it’s going to be whole wheat. Or I try to grab a frozen yogurt rather than ice cream. This is an easy way to stay on track and keeping yourself in check while not feeling deprived. The goal is to make things taste good to satisfy our cravings and desires while not packing on the pounds in the process. Through a few simple substitutions, exercise, and moderation it can be done!
What things do you guys substitute in order to maintain the ability to eat certain foods?
i LOVE pnut butter! i never thought id switch to any alternative of it BUT finally tried PB2 n its awesome! i agree whole heartedly with the whole grain breads n pastas n brown rice (carb junkie). Dry Beans can be used with any and everything even in place of meats at times! i am not diabetic but ive adopted alot of that food choice n whole foods n it allows me to get healthier n even have MORE foods, who knew it could b this easy lol
I've heard of (and been curious) about PB2. Where do you get it? Can you only order it online? what exactly is it?
That's awesome that you've realized just how easy it is to substitute healthier foods that include whole grains! It gets to the point where it's not even like dieting anymore. It's just a way of life. I know people say that "it just becomes a lifestyle", but it hasn't been until the last year or so that I've actually understood what they mean. Eating healthy without dieting.
It's an amazing and freeing feeling (after years of dieting and battling eating disorder!)
I find that dried beans spike my blood sugar so I can't go there. I totally have to serve the preservation of my pancreas. But I still crave tacos and hot dogs, springrolls...I just wrap them with lettuce instead. I miss scalloped potatoes, but I can make roasted cauliflower and cover it in melted cheese. (I'm good with dairy products.) And when I want chocolate, I can have dark French chocolate and raw coconut. Yum! Mounds bars pale in comparison!
i thought u could only get pb2 online but have found that 2 local health food (veggie corner) stores sell it for $6 a jar! it tastes like roasted peanuts n u can mix it as thick or thin a u like or need! its defatted real peanuts in powder form n u mix w water, u have to try it!
i thought u could only get pb2 online but have found that 2 local health food (veggie corner) stores sell it for $6 a jar! it tastes like roasted peanuts n u can mix it as thick or thin a u like or need! its defatted real peanuts in powder form n u mix w water, u have to try it!
oh my goodness, that sounds to die for! I'm going to check a couple health food stores in the city asap! Thanks for the info. I'm definitely intrigued now. are the ingredients just peanuts? or is there something added?
I find that dried beans spike my blood sugar so I can't go there. I totally have to serve the preservation of my pancreas. But I still crave tacos and hot dogs, springrolls...I just wrap them with lettuce instead. I miss scalloped potatoes, but I can make roasted cauliflower and cover it in melted cheese. (I'm good with dairy products.) And when I want chocolate, I can have dark French chocolate and raw coconut. Yum! Mounds bars pale in comparison!
You've got the right idea! keeping the flavors around that you crave and love and just modifying them to be a bit healthier. All while hopefully not feeling like you're actually dieting.
Keep it up! Your coconut/chocolate sounds a lot like me. My fav is almond joy, so i take one small square of 80% chocolate, place a raw almond on top, and a couple pieces of shredded coconut. HEAVEN!
My fav is almond joy, so i take one small square of 80% chocolate, place a raw almond on top, and a couple pieces of shredded coconut. HEAVEN!
That does sound like heaven! Will have to pick up more almonds at the market today!
I am really sensitive to carbs, so where I can sub something else with veggies, I do. The romaine lettuce wrapped hot dogs are really yummy. I still use mayo and mustard, I get the really good organic Applegate Farms beef hot dogs, and I'll load some kim chee or saurkraut on top.
I miss pasta, so I'll make veggetable noodles with zucchini and pour a homemade alfredo sauce over them. Grilled eggplant slices and sauteed mushrooms layered with meat sauce and cheese instead of lasagna. I can make crepes with eggs and a combination of almond and coconut flour and use that as a burrito wrapping. Toasted nuts instead of croutons for crunch on my salad.
I love all types of greens, so for an occasional Eggs Benedict I'll cook up Niman Ranch Sunday bacon then layer on some braised kale, spinach or chard to make a nest for poached eggs and Hollandaise sauce on top.
A lot of times, for me bread is just a vehicle for what I usually eat with it. So the peanut butter on the celery is good enough for me. And I like to just cook some cheese slices in a non-stick pan until it gets crispy and some of the fat separates out, or I'll make fat lettuce, roast beef and cheddar roll-ups. I'll even make some sort of savory vegetable casserole to serve with my Thanksgiving turkey instead of stuffing. I put all the stuffing veggies in, add some bulk sausage and all the traditional stuffing herbs like sage, etc. I might add butternut squash. It's good!
But when I can't sub something else, and it's a one-time thing...I'm having my pecan pie with ice cream at Thanksgiving!
I used to always use Splenda, too, but now I am devoted to Stevia/Truvia. It's supposed to be the "best" artificial sugar for your blood sugar and body (according to today's studies).
I will have to try out coconut oil. I'm never on the food board on Pinterest so I hadn't heard anything about it!
Easy Healthy Food Substitutions
