Food Swaps

GrouchySprout

Have you got any foods you use in a different way now you're watching what you eat?

Recently I found a recipe for a risotto using grated cauliflower for rice and have started using the 'rice' for other meals.

bcattoes

I use olive oil instead of butter for most cooking. Brown rice or quinoa instead of white rice. Whole grain breads instead of white. More pasta sauce and less pasta. Cocoa roast almonds instead of candy when I want a chocolate fix. Dark leafy greens instead of head lettuce for sandwiches. More home cooking and less pre-prepared food.

Kanuenue

I love spaghetti squash instead of wheat/grain noodles. Everything from Chinese to Italian these crunchy vegetable noodles have impressed.

Schtroumpfkin

I love spaghetti squash instead of wheat/grain noodles. Everything from Chinese to Italian these crunchy vegetable noodles have impressed.

I totally agree - I swap in courgette (zucchini?) for pasta. Grate it in and then let it steam in its own juices in a shallow pan (takes no time and it is better still with a bit of bite). With your favourite sauce on top (mine is lean mince bolognaise), you really don't miss the pasta (which considering white pasta is probably my greatest temptation day to day, is really saying something).

novarugger10

Switched to olive or coconut oil for cooking with. Have only tried spaghetti noodles once so far but they were delicious. I've also made pancakes made from coconut flour instead of the usual grain based recipes. Their delicious and better for you!

Schtroumpfkin

I use olive oil instead of butter for most cooking.

This is something I did too at first. However, olive oil is highly calorific and should probably only be used in salads, raw because it has a low smoke point over heat and when it gets too hot, the beneficial compounds start to degrade and may even become harmful. Apparently, better for frying/roasting etc is rapeseed oil (which I think is called canola oil). It has a higher smoke point.

I'm no expert and you can tell me to shove off (in fact, you are perfectly entitled to do so!), but maybe something to consider.

teresamwhite

I manage the kitchen at a military hospital, so there are quite a few food swaps that I "took home" with me...

Applesauce instead of fats in baking
Whole wheat or whole grain versions of pasta, flour, rice
Sweet potatoes instead of white
FF evaporated milk instead of cream
Olive oils instead of butter or other fats in cooking
Flavored olive oils as a base for sauces
Arrowroot instead of cornstarch or flour to thicken sauces
Soy flour instead of eggs in baking
Veggie proteins for half of my ground meats in cooking
Ground flaxseed or wheat germ to boost fiber content
Greek yogurt instead of sour cream or mayo
More deeply colored fruits and veggies
More nutrient dense foods

Acg67

Have you got any foods you use in a different way now you're watching what you eat?

Recently I found a recipe for a risotto using grated cauliflower for rice and have started using the 'rice' for other meals.

Cauliflower is a superfood and can sub for nearly any ingredient out there

strongmindstrongbody

I don't do too many food swaps, but I can attest to replacing oil with applesauce in baking. I do this for cornbread and it cuts a whopping 900 calories out of the recipe. Way worth the slightly drier cornbread. (I put butter on it anyway for moistness.)

wlaura88

Greek yogurt instead of sour cream
Bananas instead of flour
Thin strips of zucchini instead of lasagna noodles
Pizza made with cauliflower crust or FlatOuts
Lettuce wraps instead of tortillas
Spaghetti squash, shirataki noodles, or spiraled zucchini instead of spaghetti
Homemade baked mozzarella sticks with panko or flax seed instead of fried mozzarella sticks
Salmon burgers instead of hamburgers
Almond milk instead of regular milk
Coconut or almond flour instead of grain flour

Annxoj

Being new to this I am still finding new ways to subsitute foods this thread is the perfect place to help me out !!
I will share what I have subsituted so far
White bread for whole grain
Tortilla wraps for whole grain or whole wheat wraps
Ground beef for Lean ground turkey
Butter for Olive oil or just a Non stick pan with a little or no Pam
Cauliflower for almost everything
White rice for brown rice (on the rare occasion that I do eat it) If not cauliflower it is
Junk food for rice cakes, baby carrots, grapes, apples, and all other snackable fruits and veggies!
Bread crumbs for rolled oats
Fruit canned in heavy syrup for Fruit canned in its own juices or in water, or fresh fruit.

Hmmm ::Thinkingggg:: That is all that is coming to my mind at the moment lol! If anything else pops up I sure will post
:smooched:

GrouchySprout

Lots of great ideas. Thanks :happy: