Food shocks and finding their just as tasty lower alternative

cheshirecatastrophe

mariawalls438 wrote: »

Mashed Potatoes >>> Mashed Sweet Potatoes or if has to be potato then I cut out the butter, milk and sourcream and just potato with pepper.

Have you tried mashed turnips? Boil them extra long (45-50 min), with a little salt and lemon juice to cut the bitterness. The calorie difference leaves more than enough room for butter and milk like normal.

Kalikel

Almost my entire diet got swapped, lol. When I started reading labels and sticking to goals, my eyes popped open wide a lot, lol.

Kalikel

cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »

mariawalls438 wrote: »

Mashed Potatoes >>> Mashed Sweet Potatoes or if has to be potato then I cut out the butter, milk and sourcream and just potato with pepper.

Have you tried mashed turnips? Boil them extra long (45-50 min), with a little salt and lemon juice to cut the bitterness. The calorie difference leaves more than enough room for butter and milk like normal.

Rachael Ray said turnips were the cool thing for 2015. ...or maybe it was radishes. I'm not sure. One of them are supposedly "in" for food.

Dnarules

cheshirecatastrophe wrote: »

mariawalls438 wrote: »

Mashed Potatoes >>> Mashed Sweet Potatoes or if has to be potato then I cut out the butter, milk and sourcream and just potato with pepper.

Have you tried mashed turnips? Boil them extra long (45-50 min), with a little salt and lemon juice to cut the bitterness. The calorie difference leaves more than enough room for butter and milk like normal.

Shudder....My husband will mash turnips with butter, salt, and a little milk. Still tastes like dirt to me. I think it may be an acquired thing. He has never used lemon; maybe that is the secret. But I will pass .

Vailara

Watermelon was a shocker for me! I'd somehow thought that because it was healthy, and was a fruit, and had "water" in the name, that it would be virtually calorie-free. I found that I'd eaten 800 calories at a sitting! Now I'm better with portion control.

Leading on from that, one switch has been largely replacing fruit with vegetables. As a rule, vegetables are lower in calories and just as nutritious as fruit. And (I think), they're less likely to lead to mindless snacking. If I do want a snack "fruit", I'll eat a tomato (which is difficult to do without squirting or dribbling, but then fruit sometimes has that problem too).

Recently, I've been swapping potatoes for sweet potatoes. Again, the sweet version is lower calorie, but tastes quite substantial.

VintageFit

Minced/ground beef, or even half'n'half pork and beef... it used to be the only meat I bought because it was cheap enough for a student. Then I realised why it's so cheap - it's nothing but fat (here in Germany, you can't get something like 90/10 unless you go to a butcher where it's expensive)

so now I've found that supermarkets sell ground turkey as well, gonna try that to see if it's better.

amusedmonkey

Vailara wrote: »

Watermelon was a shocker for me! I'd somehow thought that because it was healthy, and was a fruit, and had "water" in the name, that it would be virtually calorie-free. I found that I'd eaten 800 calories at a sitting! Now I'm better with portion control.

Interesting. My experience with watermelon was exactly the opposite. I thought because it was sweet it had more calories. How did you manage to eat 6 pounds of watermelon in a setting anyway?

italysharon

I think one of my biggest food swaps as to make cauliflower-based alfredo (again, it really does taste JUST like the real thing, same texture and everything) - fewer than 50c in a half-cup serving. [/quote]



Can you post this? I would love the recipe too! Thanks!

Acg67

Sad thread is sad

snowflake930

Vailara wrote: »

Watermelon was a shocker for me! I'd somehow thought that because it was healthy, and was a fruit, and had "water" in the name, that it would be virtually calorie-free. I found that I'd eaten 800 calories at a sitting! Now I'm better with portion control.

^^How much watermelon did you eat? According to the data base here there are only 46 calories in 1cup of watermelon balls. I eat it all the time.

Need2Exerc1se

I switched regular pasta for Fiber Gourmet pasta. 1/2 the calories, ultra high fiber and it's not gritty and gray like whole wheat.

I also eat quite a bit of spaghetti squash. It's so delicious and low calories, plus it's easy to grow and can be stored for months.

I switched regular bread for lower calorie bread or low carb wraps.

I drink much less beer. Wine is a better bargain calorie-wise for me.

JoRocka

mariawalls438 wrote: »

I'm a food enthusiast so I try to swap a lot of my good ole recipes.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce >>> 97% Lean & Turkey Meat Sauce w/ more fresh veggies
White Bread >>> Whole Wheat Bread
Eggs >>> Mostly Egg White instead of full less cholesterol
Sugar >>> Honey or No Sugar at all (we don't use alternatives sugar)
Salt >>> Mrs. Dash, Paprika, More Black Pepper
Ribeye Steak >>> Top Sirloin Steak
White Rice >>> Quinoa/Brown Rice/Cauliflower Rice
Vitamin D Milk >>> 1% Milk
Sour Cream >>> Greek No Fat Yogurt + some Mustard
Peanut Butter >>> PB2 (80% Less Fat)
Pancakes >>> Banana Oat Pancake
Pasta >>> whole wheat pasta
Mashed Potatoes >>> Mashed Sweet Potatoes or if has to be potato then I cut out the butter, milk and sourcream and just potato with pepper.
Whole Milk Cheese >>> 2% Cheese (I will not buy anything FAT FREE) in real moderation cutting it down to 70-95% off.

Few others I can't think I'll probably remember more of it later.

We eat a lot of FISH, Seafood too more than Pork. I still stick with my chicken.

Just saying- trading off white carbs- for whole wheat ones don't save you anything.

not for nothing- but most of these aren't saving you enough calories to make the trade off unless you really love the alternative.

Watermelon was a shocker for me! I'd somehow thought that because it was healthy, and was a fruit, and had "water" in the name, that it would be virtually calorie-free. I found that I'd eaten 800 calories at a sitting! Now I'm better with portion control.
/quote]

I had to admit- I had this one too- I eat A LOT of watermelon- like easily 1/4 of a large one on my own. It adds up.

AngryViking1970

Need2Exerc1se wrote: »

I switched regular pasta for Fiber Gourmet pasta. 1/2 the calories, ultra high fiber and it's not gritty and gray like whole wheat.

This is good to hear. I like the Fiber Gourmet crackers but was on the fence about the pasta. I'm definitely going to try it now!

successgal1

Never ever thought I'd eat kale. I only like spinach in a nice cheese dip, I assumed kale had that same dead, wilted leaf flavor, but it doesn't. At least for me it has almost no flavor and will simply taste like whatever you put in/on it. Its also very filling. I saute onions and garlic in a bit of virgin coconut oil (the one that actually tastes like coconut), then add the kale. Delicious! Almost a little sweet with the right onions (carmelized). I use as a bed for beans instead of rice.

peter56765

successgal1 wrote: »

Never ever thought I'd eat kale. I only like spinach in a nice cheese dip, I assumed kale had that same dead, wilted leaf flavor, but it doesn't. At least for me it has almost no flavor and will simply taste like whatever you put in/on it. Its also very filling. I saute onions and garlic in a bit of virgin coconut oil (the one that actually tastes like coconut), then add the kale. Delicious! Almost a little sweet with the right onions (carmelized). I use as a bed for beans instead of rice.

Kale is good in soups as a low cal substitute for rice, barley or other starchy foods.

Francl27

mariawalls438 wrote: »

I'm a food enthusiast so I try to swap a lot of my good ole recipes.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce >>> 97% Lean & Turkey Meat Sauce w/ more fresh veggies
White Bread >>> Whole Wheat Bread
Eggs >>> Mostly Egg White instead of full less cholesterol
Sugar >>> Honey or No Sugar at all (we don't use alternatives sugar)
Salt >>> Mrs. Dash, Paprika, More Black Pepper
Ribeye Steak >>> Top Sirloin Steak
White Rice >>> Quinoa/Brown Rice/Cauliflower Rice
Vitamin D Milk >>> 1% Milk
Sour Cream >>> Greek No Fat Yogurt + some Mustard
Peanut Butter >>> PB2 (80% Less Fat)
Pancakes >>> Banana Oat Pancake
Pasta >>> whole wheat pasta
Mashed Potatoes >>> Mashed Sweet Potatoes or if has to be potato then I cut out the butter, milk and sourcream and just potato with pepper.
Whole Milk Cheese >>> 2% Cheese (I will not buy anything FAT FREE) in real moderation cutting it down to 70-95% off.

Few others I can't think I'll probably remember more of it later.

We eat a lot of FISH, Seafood too more than Pork. I still stick with my chicken.

Ok I have to comment on this... Fat isn't the enemy. You'll be more satisfied and fuller if you keep at least SOME full fat items. I use 1% milk (rarely anyway) but stopped using 2% cheese (except American cheese slices once in a while) and nonfat yogurt. Also nut butter is way more satisfying than PB2 (which I still use occasionally, but it's really not as filling).

99% ground turkey for example is pretty nasty and 93% is much more satisfying... totally worth the extra 30? calories per serving.

Also, cholesterol in eggs has no impact on your cholesterol, and whole eggs have way more nutrients than the whites only. It doesn't mean I don't have some egg whites, but replacing all the eggs by egg whites is really unnecessary.

And what's wrong with potatoes????

I agree with trading 'white' bread and pasta for whole wheat for the extra fiber though, but I don't think it makes a huge difference so if people don't like the whole wheat stuff, it's not a huge deal... calories are pretty much the same.

DonT58

Whole foods for processed foods
Lettuce/raw veggies for white bread, tortillas & crackers
Salsa for salad dressing
Garlic, olives, tumeric & ginger for cheese
Various combinations of whole grains or cereals, fresh fruit, nonfat greek yogurt, cinnaman, very dark chocolate, & cocoa for sugary desserts

I've become very anal about what I eat - many restaurants are impossible (the food is just not worthy of consumption). Went to Chili's the other night after a movie and nothing on that menu was worth eating - I drank tea and enjoyed my friends company while they ate. Near starving I went home and had a bowl of garbanzo beans, black beans with chicken breast meat, fresh chopped garlic and a habanaro sauce with a side of blackberries. To kill for - worth the wait.

JoRocka

Francl27 wrote: »

mariawalls438 wrote: »

I'm a food enthusiast so I try to swap a lot of my good ole recipes.

Spaghetti Meat Sauce >>> 97% Lean & Turkey Meat Sauce w/ more fresh veggies
White Bread >>> Whole Wheat Bread
Eggs >>> Mostly Egg White instead of full less cholesterol
Sugar >>> Honey or No Sugar at all (we don't use alternatives sugar)
Salt >>> Mrs. Dash, Paprika, More Black Pepper
Ribeye Steak >>> Top Sirloin Steak
White Rice >>> Quinoa/Brown Rice/Cauliflower Rice
Vitamin D Milk >>> 1% Milk
Sour Cream >>> Greek No Fat Yogurt + some Mustard
Peanut Butter >>> PB2 (80% Less Fat)
Pancakes >>> Banana Oat Pancake
Pasta >>> whole wheat pasta
Mashed Potatoes >>> Mashed Sweet Potatoes or if has to be potato then I cut out the butter, milk and sourcream and just potato with pepper.
Whole Milk Cheese >>> 2% Cheese (I will not buy anything FAT FREE) in real moderation cutting it down to 70-95% off.

Few others I can't think I'll probably remember more of it later.

We eat a lot of FISH, Seafood too more than Pork. I still stick with my chicken.

Ok I have to comment on this... Fat isn't the enemy. You'll be more satisfied and fuller if you keep at least SOME full fat items. I use 1% milk (rarely anyway) but stopped using 2% cheese (except American cheese slices once in a while) and nonfat yogurt. Also nut butter is way more satisfying than PB2 (which I still use occasionally, but it's really not as filling).

99% ground turkey for example is pretty nasty and 93% is much more satisfying... totally worth the extra 30? calories per serving.

Also, cholesterol in eggs has no impact on your cholesterol, and whole eggs have way more nutrients than the whites only. It doesn't mean I don't have some egg whites, but replacing all the eggs by egg whites is really unnecessary.

And what's wrong with potatoes????

I agree with trading 'white' bread and pasta for whole wheat for the extra fiber though, but I don't think it makes a huge difference so if people don't like the whole wheat stuff, it's not a huge deal... calories are pretty much the same.

*nods*

Naley2322

I always ate whole wheat but one big switch was making homemade low calorie whole wheat breads, pastas, and pizza crust myself and I just freeze them so I will have them when I need to use!

additionally instead of frozen vegetarian burgers I make my own lower calorie veggie burgers and freeze them

another is homemade protein bars! They are a lot larger than quest, luna, and cliff bars and have fewer calories!

oh and almond milk for milk...

JustinAnimal

I have a reverse realization. I used to do NF milk and LF cheese slices and neufchatel isntead of cream cheese and crap like that... when you look at the differences in calories (AND the differences in taste), it's way more worth it to eat / drink the real thing. Now it's only whole milk and full fat cheese for me. Although, I still do nonfat yogurt and 2% cottage cheese.