What are your favourite healthy food swaps to cut calories?
catceol
Posts: 31 Member
Okay mine are:
spaghetti -> zero cals pasta (<40cals)
chocolate -> low cal hot choc (40cals)
General sweets that I would munch on ->2-3 marshmallows (<50cals)
Fajita wraps -> ice berg lettuce (<10cals)
I would love to know yours! If you have calories sure through them in!
spaghetti -> zero cals pasta (<40cals)
chocolate -> low cal hot choc (40cals)
General sweets that I would munch on ->2-3 marshmallows (<50cals)
Fajita wraps -> ice berg lettuce (<10cals)
I would love to know yours! If you have calories sure through them in!
0
Replies
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I don't swap foods. I only swap if it's not going to fit into my macros. E.g. if I wanted chocolate peanut butter on my pancakes but that doesn't work because of the carbs, I'll swap it for.. idk, margarine or something.
But my caloric goal is quite reasonable, which enables me to not worry that much about swapping for lower-calorie options.0 -
Spaghetti ---> Spaghetti squash
Pizza ---> English muffin pizzas0 -
salad dressing ---->hummus (until recently when I discovered bolthouse yogurt dressing)0
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Noodle->Shirataki (0 cal)
peanut butter->pb2(powdered peanut butter) (45cal for 2 tbsp)
Snack->seaweed (very low cal)
Protein->Egg(~70cal each)0 -
legowrangler wrote: »salad dressing ---->hummus (until recently when I discovered bolthouse yogurt dressing)
oh I
hummus... and salsa... I use salsa on EVERYTHING how... and hummus. Together they are divine.
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Popcorn at the movies
> ice cubes (I ask the concession stand for 2 cups of just ice) and crunch away0 -
kitkatkarr wrote: »Noodle->Shirataki (0 cal)
peanut butter->pb2(powdered peanut butter) (45cal for 2 tbsp)
Snack->seaweed (very low cal)
Protein->Egg(~70cal each)
Seaweed? How do you eat that... I always wanted to be able to eat it but, I find it super hard!
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hot chocolate --> special dark cocoa w/ splenda for a cup of yummy cocoa for less than 20 cals
mashed potatoes --> mashed steamed cauliflower w/ basil & garlic and lots of pepper. maybe with a butter substitute or nondairy milk if i'm feeling like it
also i'm a fiend for tortilla chips & salsa.. so i'll try to fill up on carrots chips, bellpepper slices and celery to dip in my salsa instead. mmm
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PB2 instead of peanut butter or Nutella, since I really only like it as a dip bananas or other fruit anyways. Greek yogurt ranch instead of regular ranch (I love the Litehouse OPA brand) to dip my veggies in or put on wraps. I switched to turkey burgers & turkey sausages & pretty much turkey everything because it tastes the same as the "real thing" to me, & sometimes the calorie difference is pretty significant. Sweetened vanilla almond milk instead of regular milk is so good in cereal & overnight oats, & I love that almond milk last so much longer than cow milk. Dryers Slow Churned Rocky Road is my favorite ice cream ever. I'm sure there are a million more.
All of my switches happened gradually after I started counting calories. I just really enjoy trying lower calorie versions of things & seeing if they taste good enough for me to want to eat. I don't believe in cutting things out or not eating things you like just because some people decide to label it as 'bad'. If you like something & can fit it into your goal, eat it yo!0 -
squishprincess wrote: »hot chocolate --> special dark cocoa w/ splenda for a cup of yummy cocoa for less than 20 cals
mashed potatoes --> mashed steamed cauliflower w/ basil & garlic and lots of pepper. maybe with a butter substitute or nondairy milk if i'm feeling like it
also i'm a fiend for tortilla chips & salsa.. so i'll try to fill up on carrots chips, bellpepper slices and celery to dip in my salsa instead. mmm
Love the cauliflower thing how long so you boil it for to get it lovely and soft?0 -
kitkatkarr wrote: »Noodle->Shirataki (0 cal)
peanut butter->pb2(powdered peanut butter) (45cal for 2 tbsp)
Snack->seaweed (very low cal)
Protein->Egg(~70cal each)
Seaweed? How do you eat that... I always wanted to be able to eat it but, I find it super hard!
you can eat seaweed diff ways depending which form you get it. some people make seaweed salads (yummy) or use dehydrated seaweed in soups or noodle dishes. i love it in miso or ramen
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pasta -> zucchini strings cut on a mandoline - yummy, nutritious, low cal0
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Laughing cow cheese wedges (lite) replaces cheese and mayo on things!0
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squishprincess wrote: »hot chocolate --> special dark cocoa w/ splenda for a cup of yummy cocoa for less than 20 cals
mashed potatoes --> mashed steamed cauliflower w/ basil & garlic and lots of pepper. maybe with a butter substitute or nondairy milk if i'm feeling like it
also i'm a fiend for tortilla chips & salsa.. so i'll try to fill up on carrots chips, bellpepper slices and celery to dip in my salsa instead. mmm
Love the cauliflower thing how long so you boil it for to get it lovely and soft?
tbh sometimes i forget about things when i'm cooking LOL but the good news is i keep things cooking on low. so i'd say about 20 mins on low to make it nice and soft or about 15mins on med/high. and then throw it in a food processor to make it all nice and moosh. or just use a mashing tool if you dont have a processor
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When baking, I always use apple sauce to substitute oil and butter! They taste exactly the same, but are definitely healthier.0
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Planning for thanksgiving has got me wanting some pumpkin pie, but I just don't have room in my calories for it today. Instead, I grabbed a can of pumpkin, put all the yummy pumpkin spices in it, sweetened it with splenda, and thinned it out with just a little bit of milk. So yummy, satisfied the craving, and was only 55 calories for 1/2 cup. Isn't there a quote out there about desperation being the father of invention... guess I need to look that up!
eta: I guess the quote is "necessity is the mother of invention" ~ attr. to Plato. Still applicable. I really needed a pumpkin treat!0 -
Cauliflower "crust for my pizza. Way fewer carbs and lower in cals.
Lettuce for wraps on my fresh rolls instead of the rice wraps.
Light and fit Greek 80 yogurt. So yummy and 90 less cals than the regular.0 -
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Salad dressing-->homemade salad dressing made with mustard, red wine vinegar or similar low calorie items
Sour cream (in various uses)-->fat free Greek yogurt
Vehicle for pasta sauce/toppings-->roasted winter squash (not really a substitute, but it serves the same purpose)
Any dessert-->small bit of high quality chocolate or TJ's mocha or chocolate yogurts
I still eat desserts, sour cream, and pasta too, though.0 -
I swap. But usually it's for lower sugar and SLOWER burning carbs.
But, I do the sour cream for yogurt one at times.
And, yes, I love the cauliflower pizza crust (but again, that's about being slower carb)0 -
It's quite tasty.
But fair warning, like "clean eating", the blasphemy of cauliflower pizza crust tends to make people kinda loopy here.
There's a million recipes.
http://www.eatingwell.com/recipes/mediterranean_cauliflower_pizza.html
hey, maybe that's what's for dinner tonight!
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Cauliflower crust - Grate a head of cauliflower on large hole side of a box grater or in processor.
Beat 1 egg and 2 egg whites in a bowl and then mix with cauliflower, mix in 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Spread batter on nonstick tin foil, bake at 425 until slightly brown at edges. Put on your favorite pizza toppings and bake again.
You can't really pick it up to eat it but it tastes really good.0 -
Cauliflower crust - Grate a head of cauliflower on large hole side of a box grater or in processor.
Beat 1 egg and 2 egg whites in a bowl and then mix with cauliflower, mix in 1/2 cup of mozzarella cheese. Spread batter on nonstick tin foil, bake at 425 until slightly brown at edges. Put on your favorite pizza toppings and bake again.
You can't really pick it up to eat it but it tastes really good.
If you cook it on a stone, flipping on both sides to brown it you pretty much can.0 -
Actually, another one I do, but it's not really a direct swap, is:
Root veggie or winter squash or even any additional veggie for "starch" portion of my dinner plate.
I frequently have potatoes/sweet potatoes or some pasta/quinoa/etc., but if you want to save some calories from time to time or for a particular meal this can be an easy way.
I love cauliflower, but the idea of messing around with it to make it into a pizza crust drives me batty. I dislike foods dressed up as other foods. But if people think it's tasty, go for it.
The only thing kind of like that that I do is buffalo chicken salad vs. buffalo chicken, and that only because a lunch place I like turned me onto it (they also do a buffalo chicken quinoa bowl and yes, of course the salad has kale, it's that kind of place).0 -
lemurcat12 wrote: »Actually, another one I do, but it's not really a direct swap, is:
Root veggie or winter squash or even any additional veggie for "starch" portion of my dinner plate.
I frequently have potatoes/sweet potatoes or some pasta/quinoa/etc., but if you want to save some calories from time to time or for a particular meal this can be an easy way.
Root vegetables.... now you're talking.
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I don't do a lot of swapping. Most of what I cut cannot be replaced and I don't want an imitation, so I skip it or have it once in a blue moon.
Special K cracker chips replaced Lay's potato chips, but not a daily thing.
Lettuce and Special K popcorn chips replaced the Mission tortilla chips with salsa.
Cheerios and Raisin Bran replaced Crunch Berries, Fruit Loops, Honeycomb, etc.
Fiber One bars replaced candy.
Scrambled Eggs replaced Egg McMuffins.
Veggie burgers replaced hamburgers.
Mueller's Whole Grain macaroni replaced white Bow Tie pasta.
I AM STILL LOOKING FOR GOOD BREAD! If anyone has a recommendation on good, (tasty) whole grain bread, please share. I keep trying them and they keep sucking asp.0 -
For bread if you live in the states or canada, silver hills " little big bread" sprouted grain bread 2 slices 110 cal , 5 grams fiber 7 gram protein.I don't do a lot of swapping. Most of what I cut cannot be replaced and I don't want an imitation, so I skip it or have it once in a blue moon.
Special K cracker chips replaced Lay's potato chips, but not a daily thing.
Lettuce and Special K popcorn chips replaced the Mission tortilla chips with salsa.
Cheerios and Raisin Bran replaced Crunch Berries, Fruit Loops, Honeycomb, etc.
Fiber One bars replaced candy.
Scrambled Eggs replaced Egg McMuffins.
Veggie burgers replaced hamburgers.
Mueller's Whole Grain macaroni replaced white Bow Tie pasta.
I AM STILL LOOKING FOR GOOD BREAD! If anyone has a recommendation on good, (tasty) whole grain bread, please share. I keep trying them and they keep sucking asp.
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Thanks, I'll look for it!
For bread if you live in the states or canada, silver hills " little big bread" sprouted grain bread 2 slices 110 cal , 5 grams fiber 7 gram protein.I don't do a lot of swapping. Most of what I cut cannot be replaced and I don't want an imitation, so I skip it or have it once in a blue moon.
Special K cracker chips replaced Lay's potato chips, but not a daily thing.
Lettuce and Special K popcorn chips replaced the Mission tortilla chips with salsa.
Cheerios and Raisin Bran replaced Crunch Berries, Fruit Loops, Honeycomb, etc.
Fiber One bars replaced candy.
Scrambled Eggs replaced Egg McMuffins.
Veggie burgers replaced hamburgers.
Mueller's Whole Grain macaroni replaced white Bow Tie pasta.
I AM STILL LOOKING FOR GOOD BREAD! If anyone has a recommendation on good, (tasty) whole grain bread, please share. I keep trying them and they keep sucking asp.
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fearlessleader104 wrote: »Popcorn at the movies
> ice cubes (I ask the concession stand for 2 cups of just ice) and crunch away
Wut? How bout a bag of 140 calorie chips? Ice?0 -
legowrangler wrote: »salad dressing ---->hummus (until recently when I discovered bolthouse yogurt dressing)
THIS DRESSING IS AMAZING! 45cal, fairly healthy, low sodium, and delicious!0
This discussion has been closed.
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