Your Favorite Swaps

What are some swaps that you guys have made in your nutritional regimes recently, either to cut/raise calories or to add/manage certain nutrients? I recently stumbled on Walden Farms zero calorie syrups, along with Hershey’s zero sugar chocolate sauce, and they’ve been game-changers. Suddenly, I don’t need to use calorically dense additions to flavor things like oats or greek yogurt! They allow me to add more things like fruit or granola for the same total caloric intake. Also, Egg Life egg white wraps are glorious little protein vessels for veggies and meat. I’ll eat four in a meal with different toppings and end up totally full without passing 400 calories.

Answer

Date syrup, maple syrup, or coconut sugar instead of refined sugar.

Applesauce, pumpkin purée, mashed banana, or nut butter instead of oil in baking

Veggie broth or water instead of oil for sautéing

Oil free air fries instead of traditional fries

Answer

I might get downvoted for this but Walden Farms isn’t a healthy alternative to such syrups like Agave, raw honey, maple syrup, etc. You are just simply analyzing the calorie content and not focused on nutrition itself.

If you read the back labeling of Walden Farms products or any super low calorie pantry item, it’s mostly made up of lab created chemicals to create a product at such low calorie content. That isn’t great to your health long term if you plan on using that product frequently.

In my personal opinion, you are focusing now on calorie content than nutrition itself, which I have been seem a trend in society lately by swapping natural or whole foods to “low fat”, “low calorie” items that are filled with chemicals, toxics, etc. Don’t get it twisted and consume the real thing, it’ll fill you up much more even if it sacrifices volume. I had am eating disorder bc of this so much of what I used to eat was low calorie items that ultimately affected many health problems myself like inflammation, digestion, energy, etc.

Answer

Eating frozen berries / frozen fruit instead of ice cream or candies. Sometimes I’ll pour some plant milk and a little maple syrup or shredded coconut on them. Usually let it thaw for a few minutes but it’s fun to suck on a frozen berry if you can’t wait for them to thaw. Downside is that they’re expensive but 3lbs of Wymans frozen berries for 14$ is worth it to me. Ice cream is pretty damn expensive anyways

Answer

Cottage Cheese = any cheesy, cheesecakey treat. Blending it can improve the texture, if I really need a cheese cake I can just get some cottage cheese and graham crackers and jam and I’m good!

In general any veg works in place of rice in any dish! Broccoli is the best.

Answer

Palmini (palm of heart) in place of rice and noodles

Hemp hearts in place of granola

I used to eat nonfat yogurt and cottage cheese and now focus on the full fat kind. I am more satisfied, probably eat less of it overall and it keeps me fuller longer. And it tastes WAY better.