Removing/replacing foods in your diet

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shining_light
shining_light Posts: 384 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
I'm strange. I'll say that right off the top. I cannot eat grain products other than rice in moderation. If I eat them, I CRAVE them until I binge on them. So, I'm scrapping them altogether. Rice I'll have occasionally, but other than that, all grains are being replaced with fruits and vegetables.

I'm curious to know what people's opinions are on substitutions. Like I say, I truly cannot eat grain products aside from rice(and popcorn, I suppose, because you can eat SOOO much air popped popcorn for reasonable calories), partly because I binge and partly because of the massive intestinal distress I typically find myself in. I gained so much weight from not being able to control myself that I figured I'll just go cold turkey. It's paying off so far...

So, my spaghetti and meatballs is now cauliflower/spaghetti sauce and meatballs, peanut butter on apple slices, etc. This has had a big bonus on my calorie intake as well as giving me more nutrients. I'm curious to know of creative substitutions that others have found to do the same sort of thing, especially if you have a grain problem like I seem to. I'm surprised, first of all, how easy it is to create a massive calorie deficit while still feeling like I'm eating a ton, and secondly how I really don't feel deprived.

Thoughts? Meal ideas? Other things that you replace with a lower-calorie, higher-nutrient alternative?

Replies

  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
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    find dish you like to eat

    google XXXX substitute

    prepare food.

    that's how I did it when I was specifically avoiding certain foods.

    i can't tell you what to substitute if I'm not sure what you are trying to sub out- my favorite dishes you may hate. I eat a crap load of steak/chicken and veggies. I found that I really just let go of the notion that my stir fry HAD to have rice.

    I don't make it any more- i eat stir fry veggies and chicken without it. I don't even really miss it. When we go out- and my BF gets rice- I'll steal a few bites- but I have found i don't miss it when i don't make it. Pasta? I don't like white sauces- I really only like meat sauce- so I make ground beef or turkey with sauce- but there is a LOT of meat- so it's more like meat with some sauce rather than sauce with some meat in it- and I just skip the pasta- works for me. it's easy and I don't miss it.

    that being said- i would highly suggest you work on fixing your relationship with food. I don't eat it because I would rather eat MORE of other things (more veggies and more steak) rather than the same amount of calories but psychically less with rice. I don't support fully cutting out food for a lot of reasons- I cut them out as challenges and go through my challenge and then see how it fits back in my life- if it fits at all. but I dont' support cutting out entirely for 'forever'

    I'd work on the binge behavior as well as finding good substitutes.
  • shining_light
    shining_light Posts: 384 Member
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    It's been indicated to me that people often crave foods to which they are allergic. This is my theory, based on how my body deals with their consumption.

    The problem with just googling substitutes is that I'm only seeking them for myself. Mostly looking for bread/pasta substitutes. I'm cooking for a family of three, so I feed them bread/pasta/rice/cereal because they like and tolerate it. I don't tolerate it well, obviously. There's the obvious ones like zucchini and spaghetti squash, and it turns out that cauliflower is really good too.

    Mostly looking just for fruit/vegetable carbs that make good substitutes for noodles. Take alfredo sauces, for example. Maybe cauliflower, but other than that, I can't think of a good pasta substitute there that wouldn't feel like there was really something missing.
  • melaniecheeks
    melaniecheeks Posts: 6,349 Member
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    You could try shiritaki noodles, sometimes called miracle or zero noodles.

    You can cut thin strips of courgette and use those with a pasta sauce.
  • silmarilliane
    silmarilliane Posts: 133 Member
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    i pretty much live by substitution. i started off before mfp by cutting out 'carbs' in the evening. by which i mean the part most would call carbs - pasta, rice, potatoes etc. So we just have meat/quorn and vegetables for dinner and have done the last few years. if i go out for a meal i'll have pasta etc. but at home we just don't have it, and don't notice a different other than actually being hungry in the morning for breakfast.

    if you feel you need some carby thing with your dinner you could go for potatoes or some other types of squash or sweet potato.
  • Stage14
    Stage14 Posts: 1,046 Member
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    It's been indicated to me that people often crave foods to which they are allergic. This is my theory, based on how my body deals with their consumption.

    The problem with just googling substitutes is that I'm only seeking them for myself. Mostly looking for bread/pasta substitutes. I'm cooking for a family of three, so I feed them bread/pasta/rice/cereal because they like and tolerate it. I don't tolerate it well, obviously. There's the obvious ones like zucchini and spaghetti squash, and it turns out that cauliflower is really good too.

    Mostly looking just for fruit/vegetable carbs that make good substitutes for noodles. Take alfredo sauces, for example. Maybe cauliflower, but other than that, I can't think of a good pasta substitute there that wouldn't feel like there was really something missing.

    1. I don't really buy the idea that being allergic makes you binge on something or crave it. Sure, when it's something like bread or pasta, I can see missing it when you don't get it, but binging is not usually (to my knowledge) a sign of a food allergy.

    2. I don't understand why the fact that you're prepping separate food for yourself affects googling for suggestions.
  • RenshiG
    RenshiG Posts: 71 Member
    Options
    find dish you like to eat

    google XXXX substitute

    prepare food.

    that's how I did it when I was specifically avoiding certain foods.

    i can't tell you what to substitute if I'm not sure what you are trying to sub out- my favorite dishes you may hate. I eat a crap load of steak/chicken and veggies. I found that I really just let go of the notion that my stir fry HAD to have rice.

    I don't make it any more- i eat stir fry veggies and chicken without it. I don't even really miss it. When we go out- and my BF gets rice- I'll steal a few bites- but I have found i don't miss it when i don't make it. Pasta? I don't like white sauces- I really only like meat sauce- so I make ground beef or turkey with sauce- but there is a LOT of meat- so it's more like meat with some sauce rather than sauce with some meat in it- and I just skip the pasta- works for me. it's easy and I don't miss it.

    that being said- i would highly suggest you work on fixing your relationship with food. I don't eat it because I would rather eat MORE of other things (more veggies and more steak) rather than the same amount of calories but psychically less with rice. I don't support fully cutting out food for a lot of reasons- I cut them out as challenges and go through my challenge and then see how it fits back in my life- if it fits at all. but I dont' support cutting out entirely for 'forever'

    I'd work on the binge behavior as well as finding good substitutes.

    I find this to be very well written.

    If allergies is something you suspect you might want to get tested to make sure. It might help you pin point other issues and ensure that you make the best choices for yourself. Allergies are not healthy to mess with. Even if you don't go into anaphylaxis they can create damage over time. So you really want to know and take deliberate action, not guess in the dark.

    I use several of the tricks mentioned above myself. I always get shocked about how "little" pasta there is in a portion and how hungry I remain after eating it. If we eat pasta at home I try to chose the Barillia Protein Rich one and really dress it up with lots of veggies and meats. I unfortunately reallllly like white and pink sauces <sigh> so I slap a bunch of peas, chicken.. and if my son is not around (who is highly allergic to sea food... spell; hospital/shock/EPI) some tuna.

    Most of my diet is based on lean meats, veggies, fruits, nuts. I sort of just slid out of my bread and other carb cravings.

    Have you tried Quinoa btw? That is one kind I discovered fairly recently and love it. It has a low glycemic index, gluten free (if that is an issue regarding allergies), protein rich, and it tastes yummi... oh and is easy to prep. Very versatile. Might want to check that out if you haven't yet.

    Best of luck!! :-)

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