"Bad" food substittions

natstar26

Though id see what food substitutes that are healthier and actually taste good, I haven't found many yet. I think spaghetti squash is nasty lol so don't suggest that haha

sheepysaccount

What exactly do you consider "bad" food?

natstar26

What exactly do you consider "bad" food?

Not what I acutally consider bad foods but just getting a feel for what people think. oh pasta is bad bread is bad blah blah I eat that stuff I was just interested to see what people think. Pretty much healthy alternatives to sugar packed treats ect ect ect ect....

Mgypsygirl

I got this idea from doctor Oz and I thought it was really tasty. I sauté broccoli slaw with onions and garlic and substitute for pasta, just be sure to sauté until really tender or the crunch will ruin the pasta like texture. It is really good and you can eat quite a bit. Good luck!

marvybells

Well the only foods i recognize as "bad" are the ones that will cause me to go into anaphylactic shock. Unless you have a medical condition there is no reason to replace or cut out certain foods from your diet.

If you enjoy eating bread, pasta, and "sugar packed treats" then do so. Moderation is the key.

Mgypsygirl

My "bad food" is 2 oz of dark chocolate dipped into low salt low sugar peanut butter, about a teaspoon of peanut butter. I consider this a substitute for reces pieces.

natstar26

Well the only foods i recognize as "bad" are the ones that will cause me to go into anaphylactic shock. Unless you have a medical condition there is no reason to replace or cut out certain foods from your diet.

If you enjoy eating bread, pasta, and "sugar packed treats" then do so. Moderation is the key.

yep I watch everything I eat or I gain id gain weight like crazy haha just love too see what other people eat...

natstar26

My "bad food" is 2 oz of dark chocolate dipped into low salt low sugar peanut butter, about a teaspoon of peanut butter. I consider this a substitute for reces pieces.

that's what im talking about lol yum!

marvybells

Well the only foods i recognize as "bad" are the ones that will cause me to go into anaphylactic shock. Unless you have a medical condition there is no reason to replace or cut out certain foods from your diet.

If you enjoy eating bread, pasta, and "sugar packed treats" then do so. Moderation is the key.

yep I watch everything I eat or I gain id gain weight like crazy haha just love too see what other people eat...

it is the amount of calories you consume that will cause you to gain weight, not the types of foods that you are consuming.

I am counting calories and i make sure i stay at or under my daily goal. I eat all sorts of delicious foods such as the ones you named previously and have been maintaining my weight for months (not currently looking to lose weight, just trying to maintain where i am). If i really want some pasta or bread or a treat like ice cream or brownies one day, then i find a way to fit it into my calorie goal for the day. Yes, there are times that i will make substitutions for some things, and I don't see anything wrong with that...

but i think it is important to understand that there are no "bad" foods when it comes to weight loss. It all comes down to counting calories.

justanotherloser007

Egg, tuna or chicken salad (for sandwiches) I use no yolk boiled eggs, no skin chicken, and only 1 tbsp of light mayo. To give it a kick I add wickles sub and hoagie relish. The calories are low, and it is yummy!

You know how chicken breast can be really dry? I like to add Cajun Power's Mamaw's gravy. Only takes a tbsp, depending on how much chicken - not a lot of calories to fix the dry breast problem. Yummy!

I also love this yogurt tziki (sp) and I eat it with carrots instead of chips - so I get the crunch and dip, without 100 calories per oz with pita chips or whatever calorie regular potato chips are. Favorite treat

Also, for absolutely no reason whatsoever that I can think of, sometimes I cut down on soda and drink peppermint tea. So addictive! I know this list doesn't seem like it, but I like sweet things too - I just can't think of any at the moment. Most of the time when I want something sweet I just grab blackberries, or apples, or mangos so that I get vitamins with the yummies.

So, anyone figured out the low calorie diet with the alcohol? Or even calorie count with the alcohol? I hate to teetotal, but it isn't like I ever see calories on the labels! P.S. I hate beer *plech* :drinker:

segovm

it is the amount of calories you consume that will cause you to gain weight, not the types of foods that you are consuming.

I am counting calories and i make sure i stay at or under my daily goal. I eat all sorts of delicious foods such as the ones you named previously and have been maintaining my weight for months (not currently looking to lose weight, just trying to maintain where i am). If i really want some pasta or bread or a treat like ice cream or brownies one day, then i find a way to fit it into my calorie goal for the day. Yes, there are times that i will make substitutions for some things, and I don't see anything wrong with that...

but i think it is important to understand that there are no "bad" foods when it comes to weight loss. It all comes down to counting calories.

A lethal dose of Hemlock contains approximately 28 calories...

I would call those "bad" calories.

Disagree?

marvybells

it is the amount of calories you consume that will cause you to gain weight, not the types of foods that you are consuming.

I am counting calories and i make sure i stay at or under my daily goal. I eat all sorts of delicious foods such as the ones you named previously and have been maintaining my weight for months (not currently looking to lose weight, just trying to maintain where i am). If i really want some pasta or bread or a treat like ice cream or brownies one day, then i find a way to fit it into my calorie goal for the day. Yes, there are times that i will make substitutions for some things, and I don't see anything wrong with that...

but i think it is important to understand that there are no "bad" foods when it comes to weight loss. It all comes down to counting calories.

A lethal dose of Hemlock contains approximately 28 calories...

I would call those "bad" calories.

Disagree?

um, i don't consider poisonous plants to be food.

2BeHappy2

Though id see what food substitutes that are healthier and actually taste good, I haven't found many yet. I think spaghetti squash is nasty lol so don't suggest that haha

Oh really....I haven't tried it (yet) but was seriously thinking about buying some this weekend to try it out (in other forums people rave about it)!

JazmineYoli

Substituting mayonnaise with Greek yogurt. Yuck. I can do sour cream for Greek yogurt maybe, but it's still a stretch and isn't that great.

* I don't think the OP means 'bad foods' as in labeling certain foods as bad. I think it's meant as just bad tasting substitutions. Like cauliflower pizza or cauliflower rice (which I didn't think were all that bad tasting.)

marvybells

Substituting mayonnaise with Greek yogurt. Yuck. I can do sour cream for Greek yogurt maybe, but it's still a stretch and isn't that great.

* I don't think the OP means 'bad foods' as in labeling certain foods as bad. I think it's meant as just bad tasting substitutions. Like cauliflower pizza or cauliflower rice (which I didn't think were all that bad tasting.)

well perhaps i misunderstood but her post is asking for food substitutions that "are healthier and actually taste good". Then she mentions the spaghetti squash & says not to recommend that because she already tried it & doesn't like it.

and when asked what constitutes a "bad" food she said foods such as pasta, bread or sugary treats. that is why i took this to be her labeling the foods that are to be replaced as the "bad" foods.


but i'm with you on the greek yogurt thing.It is maybe passable as sour cream, but mayonnaise? never!

Tisiwa

Real Butter is Better than a sub and its better for you.

justanotherloser007

For cake: substitute 2 bite cupcakes.

For real butter: substitute real butter "spray" to help with portion control. I use Smart balance to make sure I get some omegas.

For cheese: I substitute fat free shredded cheddar cheese. I can tolerate this well, and when I put on a sandwich or other things it has half the calories AND I end up using less.

Watch labels, they can sometimes be really deceptive. Ex: My hubby is diabetic and bought low sugar oatmeal, only to come home and compare it to my weight control oatmeal and mine had less sugar.

Sometimes even labels lie. Ex: Ideal says NO CALORIES. This is completely untrue! This drives me crazy since it is for baking. Sure it is less calories than sugar, but it isn't no calorie. Here is the breakdown: Ideal has 202 calories per cup versus over 770 calories per cup. Yes, I still use it in my tea, but now I use 1/4 cup per gallon instead of 1 cup per gallon.

I try to keep my substitutions as close to the original as I can since I plan to be watching my weight the rest of my life.

Athijade

I don't substitute. I have the real things just in smaller portions. Then again, I don't label foods as "good" and "bad". That is an unhealthy mind set in my opinion.

GiveMeCoffee

Bad food substitute would be pretending cauliflower is anything but cauliflower... other than that there are no bad foods.

TexasGal1

So, anyone figured out the low calorie diet with the alcohol? Or even calorie count with the alcohol? I hate to teetotal, but it isn't like I ever see calories on the labels! P.S. I hate beer *plech* :drinker:

That nifty little scanner on the MFP app does wonders on finding out those pesky cal counts on beer, wine, vodka, whiskey, etc.

Cheers! :drinker:

Serah87

Bad food substitute would be pretending cauliflower is anything but cauliflower... other than that there are no bad foods.

:flowerforyou:

_HeartsOnFire_

Bad food substitute would be pretending cauliflower is anything but cauliflower... other than that there are no bad foods.

This x 1,000,000,000,000,000,000,000

natstar26

ok lots of confusion on here let me establish "bad foods" I mean as in treat foods. I don't cut breads and pastas or coffees ect probably not the "right" word to use. This was just to see how to make healthier VERSIONS of yummy foods lol sorry if their was confusment lol I Have a healthy relationship with food and I know about moderation blah blah, I just wanted some healthier versions of pizza, cookies ect ect ect lol Think next time il have to really explain detailed what I mean lol

justanotherloser007

healthier versions of pizza

For pizza I would recommend going thru the frozen pizza aisle at your local grocery store. It is pretty easy to find a reasonable calorie pizza.

But, if you are like me, you will end up going to the Sam's deli for the real thing. You get a reasonable portion that you can fit into your calories without eating more than you really want to. When I order pizza for delivery I end up having to eat the whole pizza(s) before they go bad. So extra calories just because I don't want to waste it. Also, I find if I have the real thing - I don't end up going to a pizza buffet = *weak knees & lack of control*

justanotherloser007

That nifty little scanner on the MFP app does wonders on finding out those pesky cal counts on beer, wine, vodka, whiskey, etc.

Cheers! :drinker:

:flowerforyou: Thank you soo much! Have I told you lately that you are beautiful and I love you? YOU ARE AWESOME! Teetotalin for 2 years no more!

EvanKeel

ok lots of confusion on here let me establish "bad foods" I mean as in treat foods. I don't cut breads and pastas or coffees ect probably not the "right" word to use. This was just to see how to make healthier VERSIONS of yummy foods lol sorry if their was confusment lol I Have a healthy relationship with food and I know about moderation blah blah, I just wanted some healthier versions of pizza, cookies ect ect ect lol Think next time il have to really explain detailed what I mean lol

Well, you kind of unknowingly stepped into a hot topic there. "Food Quality" is a highly debated topic. Thus, qualifiers like "good" and "bad" will get lots of attention quickly.

For what it's worth, I think there's merit to your question. Sometimes I want the deep-dish pizza because it's delicious and trying to eat that in moderation completely defeats the purpose for me. If I'm going to have deep dish pizza, I'm going to gorge on it. And when I have that desire, I have to ask myself if I'm willing to make the subsequent sacrifices in calories over the next several days to make up for it.

Sometimes the answer is that I don't feel like making the math fit. In that case, finding a substitution that's merely good enough, if not ideal for my craving, is the preferable solution.

I will also say that I have yet to find a suitable substitution for deep-dish pizza gorging. You really have to commit to it and its consequences.

NahrasWay

Substitution foods are RARELY going to taste like the real deal. Spaghetti squash doesn't taste like spaghetti no matter what you put on it so if you are expecting it to taste like spaghetti noodles because you are 'replacing' noodles with it you're probably going to be disappointed. Cauliflower 'rice' doesn't taste like rice at all and you can't go in thinking it will.

I do substitute some things because .. well because I want to and it helps me stick to MY PERSONAL PLAN.

I've substituted Cauliflower 'rice' in stir fry and fried rice dishes. I've also made rolls (think sushi but without the fish) and replaced the rice in them but still put a lot of stuff that i like inside (cucumber, some leftover meat, carrot, mushroom, avocado etc) I still use normal rice to eat with fish though because there's just something about salmon and rice that is delicious.
I love hash for breakfast and instead of potatoes you can use other root vegetables, I personally like the flavor of carrot and zucchini hash.
Sometimes I will use half a banana and an egg to make 'pancakes'. Again this does NOT TASTE like pancakes but it comes out pancake shaped and you can add syrup and all the fixings you want.
That crunchy, salty, and sometimes flavored feel of chips can be replaced with other vegetables like zucchini and carrots. Kale chips are also very popular and easy to make if you are into kale.
If I really want a chicken sandwich I'll use butterflied chicken breast as the 'bread' and then put things in the middle such as last time I did this I did bacon, tomato, and pineapples.
It's not really a substitute but in order to stretch out hamburger meat I will add grated zucchini and carrot so instead of just one burger I can usually get two out of the same amount of meat.

That's all I can think of right now. Those are just some of the things I've done so far and I feel satisfied after I eat. Everyone is different though!

gaelicstorm26

I don't really do substitutions as you have presented it. I have changed from white rice to brown rice, and I eat wheat bread over white. I eat real butter (except on grilled cheese---I HATE real butter on grilled cheese). I eat 2% or full fat cheese. Today I was fairly light on calories for the day so tonight I'm having some slices of pepperoni and some fresh mozzerella as my evening snack. I eat dark chocolate with sea salt and caramel. I just eat A LOT less of these things than I used to. Instead of having the whole bar of Lindt Excellence, I have 2 squares.

I have to hold myself accountable by using a food scale and logging precise measurements. I'm also diabetic so I have to be careful about meal planning, but it works out. I've eaten a TON of food today and still won't meet my calorie goal. I'm about 200 under but I'm stuffed. The thing is, if you're lowering your carbs, you should increase your fat. Your body really needs the fuel. My diabetes dictates that I do a low(er) carb diet/high fat/moderate protein.