Food Swaps

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GrouchySprout
GrouchySprout Posts: 26 Member
in Food and Nutrition
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.

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  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    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
    Kanuenue Posts: 253 Member
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    I love spaghetti squash instead of wheat/grain noodles. Everything from Chinese to Italian these crunchy vegetable noodles have impressed.
  • Schtroumpfkin
    Schtroumpfkin Posts: 123 Member
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    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
    novarugger10 Posts: 62 Member
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    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
    Schtroumpfkin Posts: 123 Member
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    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
    teresamwhite Posts: 947 Member
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    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
    Acg67 Posts: 12,142 Member
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    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
    strongmindstrongbody Posts: 315 Member
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    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
    wlaura88 Posts: 69 Member
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    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
    Annxoj Posts: 15 Member
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    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: :heart:
  • GrouchySprout
    GrouchySprout Posts: 26 Member
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    Lots of great ideas. Thanks :happy:

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