What are some healthier substitutions?

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mablesyrup
mablesyrup Posts: 286 Member
in Food and Nutrition
i need some food education. ive realized pastas/potatoes/breads/mayo/rice are a "staple/base in most of the meals we prepare and eat in our house.

What are some healthier choices to substitute?

For example I was going to make Falafals tonight- but made a bad decision to have a BLT for lunch- and with 777 calories for dinner- i don't think i can do a falafal.. so I have decided to make grilled chicken and veggies.. but was thinking some rice would go well?

But I am very uneducated when it comes to foods! (I mean i know frozen and fresh veggies/fruit are way better than canned etc...) but as far as pastas/carbs etc go- i'm clueless!

Can anyone help?

p.s. a big problem is that my family (husband, myself and our 3 children) are currently living with my grandparents and my grandma smothers EVERYTHING in butter or mayo or sour cream and fried , eats homemade pie for breakfast, has to have a desert or something sweet after every meal etc... so since i make most of the dinners for everyone- i'm trying to incorporate healthy choices. (Ex.. my grandma will make cookies and because she makes them with oatmeal instead of flour she says "Have a cookie- these are healthy for you" instead of realizing that they are healthier than the flour ones- but still not a good healthy choice. But along with my other post about taking baby steps (taking the stairs to start).. im looking at taking baby steps in food also. Instead of gutting the kitchen one day... instead i'd like to change something up once a week. (ie- learn healthy alternatives for X) and each week start incorporating them into my lifestyle, if that makes sense!

Replies

  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    sweet potato instead of potato. spaghetti squash instead of pasta. whole wheat anything over white flour.

    Or decrease the portions of the carbs and add more veggies to your plate.
  • stormieweather
    stormieweather Posts: 2,549 Member
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    Ok, lets see....

    We don't have pasta very often, but when we do it's whole wheat or Dreamfields (low carb). Maybe 1-2 times a month and I measure the servings on the scale.

    We just dont' "do" potatoes anymore, although I did grill some baby red potatoes with olive oil and dill for Labor Day. But only enough for each of us to have 3 or so of them.

    Bread is a rarity anymore as well. We buy 7 grain low carb or whole wheat low carb and limit it to one slice now and then - a couple times a week?

    For mayo we use Kraft Fat Free. But without potatoes or bread, there isn't much need for Mayo. It lasts a looooooong time.

    Rice is brown rice, with some wild rice thrown in. I use seasonings to jazz it up, but even so, we rarely eat it. We have enough trouble staying at or under our carbs without a big fat side dish of them, lol.

    We use fat free sour cream, and I love "I can't believe it's not butter" spray for my toast or veggies (no fat, no carb, no cal). For cooking, we use either extra virgin olive oil or Pam olive oil spray. My husband cooks his chicken in broth instead of fat, cuts way down on calories. I still use olive oil or pam for mine though. I just don't buy desserts except for Skinny Cow ice cream, and only enough for 1 each for the week (so we don't go wild and eat 2-3 a night). Occasionally, I'll make a low fat cheesecake, although it's still 190 calories a slice...so delicious though!

    We mostly eat chicken, nuts, salads (we love big salads), lean beef, and tons of fresh veggies and fruit. I do have a variety of dairy and veggie cheese, full fat/low fat/fat free, depending on our desires/needs for the day. We drink green tea instead of soda now, and plenty of water.

    Added: My husband is on low cholesterol diet also, so no eggs for him. But he eats Eggstirs instead (it's egg whites and has 0 cholesterol).
  • jess8549
    jess8549 Posts: 13
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    Personally I absolutely love whole wheat pastas; I think they taste better than the regular stuff and they're higher in fiber so they keep you full longer. Since I've started cooking, I transitioned wholly to whole wheat pasta and everyone else thinks it's just as good if not better. Also, brown rice has more nutritional value and fiber than white rice (just make sure to fully cook it so it won't be crunchy -- our rice cooker leaves it crunchy so I do it on the stove). When baking, I use 1/3 Whole wheat flour to 2/3 white flour and when having eggs I do 3/4 AllWhite to 1/4 actual eggs with yolks. Ground turkey can almost always replace ground beef and if you use lots of spices like I do, you won't notice a difference in taste, just either A) stir constantly or B) add a bit of Extra Virgin Olive Oil and stir a lot so it won't burn as it doesn't have as much fat for it to cook it. Just make sure to check the fat percentage because at Walmart, where I get it, there's 97% fat free ground turkey and 80/20 turkey. The 80/20 has more calories and fat than the 93-94% lean ground beef we use regularly. I like to make breakfast burritos in large batches and then have them in the fridge/freezer for quick breakfasts. I use: 1lb ground turkey, 1/2 large container (quart?) All White, 6 eggs, 5-6 bell beppers finely chopped, 3c shredded cheese, and 1qt homemade salsa. If you use a cheese like Colby Jack you'll need more cheese to get the same flavor as if you add some Cheddar, which has a stronger cheese flavor.
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    I forgo the starchy carbs and just cook 2 veggies.

    So I have protein like chicken or steak.............then make a salad with full fat dressing and steamed broccoli with butter and cheese.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    Any rice that takes an hour to cook is good! I especially like Basmati rice, it smells like popcorn while it is cooking. Any rice that takes less than that is processed and worse for you. Wild rice (not the quick cooking stuff) is really good too!

    Have you tried Ezekial breads? They are very yummy!

    Mayo isn't bad either if you buy the stuff made with canola oil. You can also substitute plain yogurt for mayo in recipes.

    I stay away from anything that has free in the title. If its been removed, its been processed. Processed stuff metabolizes differently in our bodies, the wholer (is that a word:laugh: ) the food the better. Whole foods that are closest to thier natural state take longer to digest, keep us feeling full longer, and have more nutrients. Our body likes them more.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    I forgo the starchy carbs and just cook 2 veggies.

    So I have protein like chicken or steak.............then make a salad with full fat dressing and steamed broccoli with butter and cheese.

    Thanks. I was just set on a falafil for dinner. Now I want broccoli and cheese:laugh: I think I'll go for the broccoli and cheese! Yummo!
  • argburr
    argburr Posts: 25
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    Use brown or wild rice instead of while rice. It is a lot higher in fiber and nutrients/vitamins. They take some getting used to but much better in the long run! Gook Luck!!
  • July24Lioness
    July24Lioness Posts: 2,399 Member
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    Any rice that takes an hour to cook is good! I especially like Basmati rice, it smells like popcorn while it is cooking. Any rice that takes less than that is processed and worse for you. Wild rice (not the quick cooking stuff) is really good too!

    Have you tried Ezekial breads? They are very yummy!

    Mayo isn't bad either if you buy the stuff made with canola oil. You can also substitute plain yogurt for mayo in recipes.

    I stay away from anything that has free in the title. If its been removed, its been processed. Processed stuff metabolizes differently in our bodies, the wholer (is that a word:laugh: ) the food the better. Whole foods that are closest to thier natural state take longer to digest, keep us feeling full longer, and have more nutrients. Our body likes them more.


    Psssssttt.... Canola oil is not good for us. I make my own mayo with just eggs and Grape seed Oil or a bit of olive oil. Depends on what I am making the mayo for.
  • leavinglasvegas
    leavinglasvegas Posts: 1,495
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    Psssssttt.... Canola oil is not good for us. I make my own mayo with just eggs and Grape seed Oil or a bit of olive oil. Depends on what I am making the mayo for.

    I actually meant olive oil. I'm hungry and reading a cookbook as I'm on here. :laugh:
    But I haven't heard that canola was bad. I'll look into that thanks for the tip. Whats wrong with it? I don't think I've ever used it, I'm an olive oil girl.
  • paddlemom
    paddlemom Posts: 682 Member
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    oops Double post!!
  • paddlemom
    paddlemom Posts: 682 Member
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    Oh wow TRIPLE posted!!! how the heck did I do that????
  • paddlemom
    paddlemom Posts: 682 Member
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    I think these are all great ideas, but it can be overwhelming and a big change all at once, especially in a resistent household. And the debate is always ongoing good carbs vs bad carbs vs no carbs....good fats vs bad fats....

    Keep reading and educating yourself.

    In the meantime, working from your comment about baby steps, I would start by working on 3 things... 1. Portion control - start measuring. Learn what a serving size is. If that is still too overwhelming, work toward even just dividing up your plate so that it is 1/4 starch/ 1/4 protein and 1/2 veggies. This is a great step, when you are living in a resistant household, cause it doesn't require anyone else to make adjustments, it's just about how you are portioning your plate :wink:

    2. Watch your fats!
    Try a little lemon juice or balsamic vinegar on your veggies; Rather than butter or margerine on your bread, try some hearier whole grain breads that have nice flavour on their own, or look at the calorie/fat count of some other spreads - jam, light cream cheese, hummus, peanut butter - but remember that half the calories doesn't mean spread it on twice as thick!!! Use a little salt - sometimes when you want butter, what you really want is a little bit of salty flavour. Salt is ok in moderation too! Don't salt while cooking but sprinkle (a little!!! )on top of your potato or veggies.

    3. Look for whole foods. Try making the switch to whole grain bread, pasta, or cereals (as most have suggested). Again, if you have trouble getting buy in from the family, start with some of the mainstream products like brown Minute Rice vs white (ps...contrary to popular believe instant rice really has't been processed any more than regular rice...it has just been cooked in an industrial rice cooker then dehydrated again - same white rice either way, same brown rice...) or 100% whole wheat sliced bread. They really do keep you satisfied for longer. Pick one new food a week and look up how to prepare it. Experimenting is really the greatest way to get your family used to the idea of change.

    Good for you for looking to find a healthier way to eat...I hear you about wanting to ease into it. As you go along, all the great ideas from folks on this site will seem less intimidating!!!!

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