Everyday Substitutes

sscad

Hi everyone, my name is Sarah, I'm new to this group. I did some calculations, and approximately 50% of my diet comes from whole foods, and although the second half of my diet is processed, it remains to be pretty healthy (yogurt, for instance). But I strive to eat much better. I wanted to start this topic for quick substitutes for everyday eating. I'll start with something that accompanies my salads everyday: salad dressing.

I found this recipe online that seems delicious! You just puree everything in a blender or food processor.
1/3 cup chopped nuts, such as walnuts, cashews, almonds or pecans
1/2 cup chopped fresh fruit, such as plums, peaches, blueberries or strawberries
1/4 cup unsweetened fruit juice, such as pomegranate or orange
1 tablespoon lemon or lime juice (or vinegar)

Some other every items for me are peanut butter and hummus, which I'm going to start making my own of.

What about breads and crackers? I feel like a lot of whole grain crackers still have stuff added to them. Any suggestions on certain brands that don't? Does that even exist? I've always been confused about grains within the whole foods context...:ohwell:

poisonjayde

Hello- i can suggest a few things for you

Bread- multigrain and only two slices a day

Peanut butter- good if a light brand however you can also try tahini- similar taste and will take some getting used to however better for you

Butter- swap butter for avocado or cottage cheese

Salad dressing- plain vinegar or balsamic vinegar or even a splash of coconut oil

DaniK710

Hodgson Mill is free of GMO's and has a multi-grain. Never had it however, I am on a gluten free diet

I just use natural nut butter, made only with nuts. The idea of making my own is great but I choose my battles. I eat it just about daily and know better than to think I could keep up with doing it homemade. I have 7 kids, work, just not realistic for me. Let us know how it goes if you try it though!

I would personally avoid the light or reduced fat, though. There's a lot of junk added to nut butter to reduce the fat that our body has no idea what to do with.

Thanks for the recipe!

reptilegrrl

Some processed foods are also whole foods. For example, yogurt is in my opinion a whole food. So is butter. (And why on earth would we want to not eat it? It is a whole food, so she doesn't need a substitute for it.)

WRT bread, read the ingredient labels. Or make your own. I don't eat a lot of bread so I don't make my own at this point, but I used to and it was very simple. You can make whole-grain breads at home.

I grind my own peanut butter at the grocery store (Sprouts) and it is the tastiest peanut butter I've ever had. It is nuts only. I keep it in the fridge so it won't separate.

As a sub for crackers, you could toast thin slices of whole-grain baguette. I also like natural tortilla chips, they are delicious.

I just recently started eating meat. I bought a few packs of natural, minimally-processed lunchmeat to have for fast snacks, but this weekend I plan to roast some beef, slice it thin, and freeze it in half-pounds so I can that it as needed. I might do the same with an uncured ham. I like being able to just reach into the fridge when I need a snack.