"Bad" food substittions

_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.