Healthier Alternatives?

slburt2 · November 2021

What have you found to be good alternatives to your norm (ie cauliflower rice vs white rice)? We definitely need to figure out a healthier way to eat our favorites if we can!

MsCzar · November 2021

Like a lot of people, I sub plain or Greek yogurt for sour cream.. But my all-time favourite swap is using my Yonanas frozen dessert maker to grind frozen fruit into perfect soft serve "ice cream." Sooo gooood!

earlnabby · November 2021

When I make stews and want to reduce the carbs a bit I substitute turnips for the potatoes.

callsitlikeiseeit · November 2021

while for some ingredients and things there are lower calorie substitutions I dont mind (the yogurt for mayo in dressings is one, lower calorie salad dressings in general, etc) but I simply eat LESS.

I've lost a LOT of weight. More than what I weigh now, more than what most PEOPLE (of a healthy weight) weigh... and I think that if I had tried to do it by totally eliminating foods or food groups... I don't think I'd have ever lasted long. Heck, I know I wouldn't have. Simply because 'diets' never worked for me, for that exact reason.

and cauliflower, like kale, is gross. LOL

In all seriousness, many people like it and do fine doing that, I just know ME, and know it wouldnt work for ME. frozen mashed up fruit is good. but its not ice cream, after all LOL and i dont even have a particular 'thing' for ice cream, so when i want ice cream... I want ice cream LMAO

There are plenty of times where I make a conscious decision with certain meat products (in particular) though and choose say, a turkey kielbasa for our supper over the regular kielbasa. or make a meatloaf with part ground beef and part ground turkey or chicken. things like that. things that the rest of the family wont notice, but help lower the calories for me. My husband, who needs to eat MORE (needs to gain), gets larger servings, more dressing on his salad, more carbs, etc. So, theres plenty of ways to balance out for a family meal where different caloric needs are at play, without making two meals- and we see that a fair amount on here (i dont play that game, you eat what I make or you make your own)

Many people will reduce, find a lower calorie option, or eliminate their coffee creamer. I just recently (after all these years) found a lower calorie one that is tolerable to me. As long as the store keeps carrying it (and in my area you never know how long that will last), I will keep using it. If they stop, I'll go back to my old one. But that is a choice I have always made and a calorie 'splurge' I've always been willing to make.

Many find lower calorie options for snacks and 'munchies'- from popcorn and sugar free jello to fruits. I do fruit (pretty often) and pudding cups on occasion. not jello. yuck. lol

Mama530 · November 2021

I follow the same strategy as @callsitlikeiseeit, I’ll make slightly better choices. I’ve started ordering off the lighter fare menu when we go out, I choose water first, I use Greek yogurt in place of mayo, I enjoy fresh lemon on my salads & in water. I’ll keep Hershey kisses in the freezer, in case I want something sweet (25 calories each).

The best advice I was ever given and it has served me well: add healthy to your life, don’t take away what you love.

So, I’ll start with salad and as mentioned, water. There are usually more vegetables on my plate. I’ll make a big non-lettuce salad and keep in in the fridge for quick meals and sides. I’ll cut up veggies and wash up some fruits so, they’re easy to choose first. And, boil some eggs & keep string cheese available for quick protein eats

chris89topher · November 2021

In place of pasta noodles, I like to use hearts of palm noodles. My brand of choice is Palmini (the linguine shaped ones). I love them. Very pasta-y for very little calories.

AnnPT77 · November 2021

I'm mostly using red lentil pasta instead of the whole wheat pasta I used to eat: Similar texture, neutral flavor, about the same number of calories, but about twice as much protein. I suspect it's still maybe not something lots of omnivores would swap, but it helps me as a vegetarian.

goal06082021 · November 2021

I don't generally seek to replace all my favorite carbs with cauliflower or anything like that, I just either eat less of my faves or plan ahead to fit those faves into my budget.

That said, I make a couple of things regularly that feature sausage of some kind, which as we all know can be a hell of a calorie bomb. I decided I would try swapping the pork/beef sausage out for turkey- and chicken-based alternatives, just once to see if it was any good. If it wasn't, I'd go back to the pork/beef and just plan to pack in more veggies to bulk out the necessarily-smaller portion. I make a sausage-and-bean stew that tastes great with tomato-basil flavored chicken sausage; turkey kielbasa goes just as well with my roasted veggies and barley as beef; and the chicken breakfast sausage links I dice up and put in my burritos work just as well as the good old Jimmy Deans do, for a significant calorie savings.

I think the key, as it so often is in weight loss and life in general, was my mindset. I didn't say "I can't eat pork sausage anymore because it's too many calories, I *have* to eat this chicken sausage instead." My approach was "I could choose to make this swap and save X calories, let's try it and see how it goes." It was a choice I made, not something I "had" to do because I was "on a diet"/"trying to lose weight," and I gave myself permission to choose differently next time if it didn't turn out to be worth it. Any change I make on this journey has to be both sustainable and permanent. If I treat any part of this process as a temporary thing I'm doing until my body looks how I want it to, at which point I can stop and go back to whatever I did before, I'm going to end up back where I started. I, personally, don't really want to do all this over again. I want to get right and stay there.

Walkywalkerson · November 2021

I'm not a fan of lower calorie versions of things - but I do use light mayo and Greek yoghurt instead of sour cream.
I don't drink any drinks with calories choosing water as my main drink.
Black coffee and herbal tea.
I use almond milk instead of dairy milk too.
Mostly I eat what I want and fit it in my calories.
If I want pizza I eat it, count it and move on - I'd rather do that than have some depressing low cal version.

yweight2020 · November 2021

Sometimes I eat whole grain rice instead of white rice, other than that there aren't many substitutes I care for or like. So for the most part I have my favorites in moderation just not to often, I have to enjoy my food in order to eat and to keep at calorie reduction to lose the rest of these pounds and even moving into maintenance. If I don't enjoy my food I will relapse into crazy eating patterns to regain all the weight.

russellholtslander1 · November 2021

I think this kind of depends on your definition of " healthier ".

Probably the best substitute though is water, in place of anything else.

I eat Carnivore, so the foods I eat don't really substitute other foods that were harmful to me.. since the foods which were harmful were carbs. I would probably consider the substitutes to be harmful to me as well.

I don't think eggs instead of cereal is really a substitute. More of a replacement.

These substitutes are interesting though, and obviously healthier is better. I think they will help others get ideas.

cwolfman13 · November 2021

I eat rice...I eat noodles and pasta...I eat potatoes...I eat bread. I don't find these things to be inherently unhealthy. In fact, these like potatoes pack a ton of nutrients. I also eat cauliflower and a crap load of other vegetables. I tend to look at "healthy" in the context of the whole of my diet, not necessarily individual pieces.

I also have a relatively large calorie target, even to lose weight, so I don't find it necessary to cut out higher calorie things like pasta or rice. I also cycle and mountain bike quite a bit, so carbs are much more my friend than not.

Prettyeyes0214 · November 2021

We grow vegetables year round in our greenhouses so I am always looking for ways to substitute.We love spaghetti sauce over green beans instead of pasta,zucchini noodles for zoodles,lasagna roll ups,sliced and topped with pizza sauce,cheese and diced pepperoni.Chili and sloppy joes over baked sweet potatoes.Banana slices with nut butter and diced strawberries.We make rice and noodles out of cauliflower,carrots,sweet potatoes,broccoli.Stuff zucchinis with taco meat and fixings,or make a shredded cabbage taco bowl.We also make our own chips out of sweet potatoes,kale,beets and potatoes.It seems like it is time consuming but it really is easy and fun and you can do it in bulk and freeze it for later use.you can even make your own cheese crisps.There are so many free recipes online.

mirianyusm · December 2021

I like to cook and bake but I don't substitute anything except sometimes I use Sucanat (a less processed sugar) instead of sugar. I weight everything and I eat smaller portions. The only thing I usually substitute is Greek yoghurt for sour cream. I also use almond or coconut milk in smoothies but I use whole milk for everything else: i.e. for coffee, to make bechamel sauce, to add to mashed potatoes, etc. If I didn't do this it would not be sustainable for me. I don't usually make fried food but seldomly I do. Instead of fries I usually do oven fries with potatos, sweet potatos, beets, parsnips. Now, when I eat out, that's when I think of healthier choices because restaurant and processed foods are more caloric than home made foods. I lost 50 pounds so far and counting. Good luck to you.

kshama2001 · December 2021

I use less full fat dairy, salad dressing, and mayo and more fat-free cottage cheese.

I eat more non-starchy veggies and less starches. For example, instead of "cauliflower rice," I'd have over 100 g regular steamed cauliflower and 75 g rice. I weigh my low calorie veggies to help me eat more of them.

I find the Harvard Healthy Eating Plate visualization helpful:

(I do eat plenty of boiled/baked potatoes, but agree with them about limiting French fries.)

Ob30470z · March 2022

Know this post is a little old now, but UK people (don't know whether available elsewhere), lo dough is amazing, Hippeas are great when I REALLY want some crisps lol, Lizza low carb pasta, and then despite all my life HATING cauliflower, I have realised I love cauliflower mash (when made properly) and I use this instead of mash potatoes, but on the top of pies also

)

Bridgie3 · March 2022

I couldn't find full fat sugar free fruit yoghurt. so I make my own with frozen blueberries, plain sugar free greek yogurt, and a 1/2 tsp of fake sugar. so good. It's my pudding and I look forward to it every day.

nooshi713 · March 2022

I often use monk fruit instead of sugar in my tea and coffee. I eat the protein pasta and higher protein tortillas. When baking, I often substitute applesauce for some of the oil and save a lot of calories. I am also a fan of using Greek yogurt in place of sour cream.

yirara · March 2022

I often substitute skyr for lots of other dairy things in cooking, even milk (yeah, the taste is different, but often fits). If it fits the dish I sometimes substitute skyr and a bit of desiccated coconut for coconut milk. The calorie effect is surprisingly profound as I need a lot less of my substitute to get a similar taste. If i eat a stew or soup with bread then I do check beforehand what kind of bread, as some are very high in calorie, like chiabatta compared to baguette. Other than that: nothing really.

Xellercin · March 2022

I don't do substitutes, I prefer to find recipes that are designed to be made with healthy, nutrient dense ingredients instead of trying to make an imitation of something.

If I want a meat lovers pizza on flour crust, I'll just have a meat lovers pizza, but I won't have it often. If I want to eat cauliflower, I'm going to make a delicious roasted harissa cauliflower and chickpea dish served over kale and brown rice that's been drizzled with lemon tahini sauce.

I personally prefer to keep my old favourites exactly as they are, and no find new favourites in the vast culinary world that exists out there.

Skyler103 · March 2022

One of my favorite subs is a low carb tortilla I've found. La Banderita is the brand. I save so many calories with my soft tacos that I get to have extra guacamole!

PAV8888 · March 2022

I substitute everything and anything to my heart's content and with zero regard to the propriety and appropriateness of the substitution according to anyone else! NOTHING is sacred!

That said, if it is WORTH it to me, for a combination of whatever attributes I define as WORTH it to me AT THE TIME -- satiety, taste, indulgence, high calories in small package, low calories in large package -- WHATEVER is floating my boat at the time... it WINS! Else, it BINS!

So I just had 280g of riced cauliflower, broccoli and carrots mixed with 101g of rice, instead of having the complete 250g pouch of ready to eat basmati rice.

Gained nutritious and delicious veggies, food volume and pretty colors, maintained or improved on taste, achieved sufficient sauce absorption... and, very importantly, saved just about 175Cal with zero negative impact (possibly some positive impact due to volume) on satiety.

And then I turned around and spent 418 Cal on Chocolate Eclairs!

Other than ending with a day that was a bit too high on saturated fats... I'm good with my trades!!!

perryc05 · March 2022

Rice portions had always been a problem for me and was behind a lot of my weight gains over the years. I like to cut rice down with cauliflower, grated carrot, or peas and green beans. This way I'm consuming less rice and more veg. I also eat less white rice overall and pay a bit extra for black forbidden rice which is amazing and whole grain: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Black_rice

Wild rice is awesome too but very pricey and you can't eat a lot of it due to its texture and density.

therealme_lissa · March 2022

A few things I’ve swapped out & haven’t missed the original are:

Protein pasta in place of regular
Carb counter flour tortillas in place of regular
45 calorie bread instead of the 80 cal. I normally ate
Sparkling mineral water (Topo Chico) in place of soda

Healthier Alternatives?

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