Tuesday, March 27, 2012

Don’t dig your grave with your own knife and fork

I know I promised but I have been asked by several people about healthier choices at mealtimes. In addition to dropping grains, I also have dropped legumes- they contain some of the same inflammatory toxins that grain do. That means no beans, peanuts and peas. I also dropped processed vegetable oils because I feel they are a leading cause of heart disease.  I have also reduced processed food of all types and reduced my dairy intake in general. Below are a few nutritious substitutions for common craving.

General Rule of Thumb at Dinner: Replace your starch/carbohydrate with a large salad

Bottled Salad Dressing = Olive Oil and Vinegar/Lemon Juice

Spaghetti = Roasted Spaghetti Squash

Egg Noodles = Zucchini shaved with a vegetable peeler and steamed

Peanut Butter = Almond Butter

Rice = Steamed and Grated Cauliflower

Hash browns = Grated and Fried Jicama

Mashed Potatoes = Mashed Cauliflower or Sweet Potato or Parsnips

Ice Cream = Fresh Berries topped with Heavy Cream

Brown Rice = Quinoa (it's not actually a grain but a protein rich seed)

French Fries = Roasted Sweet Potato Fries

Milk = Go for quality over quantity; full fat milk but just drink it sparingly

Cheese = Same rule as milk; go for hard, aged cheese with a strong flavor and go easy with it.

Breakfast Cereal =  Go for some scrambled eggs or omelet instead.

Tortillas = Use large lettuce leaves for wrapping

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