Healthy Alternatives

Often when you are in the exploratory phase of a new way of eating, your body of energy searches for the flavors and textures it is used to.
As well as enjoying the discovery of new foods, it can be helpful to have a range of substitutes for the old high-fat, high-sugar familiars.

Here are a few suggestions:

Meat

Meat has no fiber and a high ratio of fat. The link between a diet high in meat, and bowel cancer and heart disease is well documented. Some alternatives are:

• tofu: try Natto Tofu
• tempeh
• soy beans
• gluten: try Miso Stew

Full cream milk

Milk, as with most dairy products, is high in fat. Many people find they have less congestion of the sinuses and chest when they avoid dairy products. Instead try:

• skim milk
• soy milk
• rice milk
• nut milk

White sugar

White sugar has no vitamin or mineral content, yet it needs vitamins and minerals to be processed by your body. Instead you can use small amounts of:

• honey
• molasses
• rice or barley malt
• apple, grape or pear juice concentrate

White flour

White flour lacks fibre, vitamins and minerals, and it usually has chemicals added to it for lightness and texture. Instead use:

• wholemeal flour (stoneground organic is the best)
• Try other types of flour, such as rice, barley, lentil or chick pea.

Gelatin

• If you have an objection to using any kind of animal products in your cooking, agar agar is a good alternative.

Coffee

Some other drinks are:

• instant cereal-based beverages
• dandelion root 'coffee' (helps the liver and kidneys instead of stressing it)
• chicory

Tea

Tea has less caffeine in it than coffee, but still, it is good to know some alternatives:

• Herb teas or herb waters
• Rooitea, or red bush tea is a herb tea that is similar to regular tea

Fats and oils

• On the rare occasions where you cannot escape the use of oil, use virgin cold-pressed olive oil. It has monounsaturated fatty acids in it which are less easily destroyed by heat than the polyunsaturated fatty acids in most oils.
• Usually you can 'fry' things in spoonful of water and tamari.

Butter and margarine

• avocado
• home-made dips: try Sweet Potato Spread or Baked Pumpkin Dip
• baked eggplant or pumpkin: simply bake whole in the oven then use as a sandwich spread

Salt

• miso
• tamari
• Using small amounts of unrefined sea salt is preferable to table salt, simply because it is still intact with minerals from the sea. Get the grey, moist sea salt if possible.
• Granulated kelp also makes a tasty salt substitute.
• If your palate is accustomed to highly-salted foods, then there is really no better solution than to re-accustom it to more subtle flavours. Highly seasoned or spiced foods deaden your sense of taste, as does smoking.
• It is worth noting here that a poor sense of taste is one of the deficiency signs of zinc. See your natural health practitioner for advice on zinc supplementation.

Send us your and recipes.