Thursday, 20 May 2010

  • Healthy Substitutions for Empty Calories


    We all know too well that a lot of the foods we love to munch on do our bodies no good.  Some of our favorite foods are almost completely void of nutrition; they don't contribute anything to our diet, and they barely (while often highly caloric) fill our stomachs.

    We know the foods I'm talking about.  It's that greasy, fried or carbolicious stuff that we love more because of various addictive qualities than actual palatability.  French fries, chips, pasta, quesadillas, pizza....and everything in between.

    I think we just want something flavorful in our mouths.  We are not seeking to satisfy our hunger, but more to stimulate our taste buds.  Ironically, though, many of these foods do not have unique tastes, and they are actually quite easy to mimic with healthier foods. 

    Here are a few ideas:

    1.  INSTEAD OF EATING FRENCH FRIES - make your own out of sweet potatoes!  Just douse slices of sweet potato in olive oil, spread them out over aluminum on a sheet tin, and put the sheet tin in the oven or stove.  Keep an eye on them, flipping them periodically.  Let them cook as long as you think they should - this just depends on whether or not you are a soft or a crispy person!

    2. INSTEAD OF EATING CHIPS - Make your own out of kale!  Kale is a leafy green vegetable sold at almost every grocery store, and making chips out of it is easy.  Tear off kale leaves, and from there they are made exactly the same way as the sweet potato fries (above), although note:  I would advise keeping the oven or stove at a slightly to moderately lower setting, and cook them for a much shorter period of time (kale is much thinner, and will cook thoroughly very fast).  Check up on the chips often while they're cooking! 

    *You can add the salt to the olive oil prior to soaking the kale in it (works best if you heat it up slightly) or you can add the salt directly to the cooking kale.  You can always add it after the chips are out of the oven as well. (That part takes trial and error).

    3. INSTEAD OF EATING PIZZA - Make your own!  Just grab a 100-calorie English muffin (best if whole grain), split it in half, and spread some pasta sauce around on the two halves (best if tomato with extra garlic flavoring).  Sprinkle some shredded mozarella over the two halves, and pop in the microwave for between 60-90 seconds.  Sprinkle some basil over the top.  (Tip: Use feta or goat cheese instead of mozarella for some extra flavor!).

    4. INSTEAD OF EATING SPAGHETTI - Make spaghetti squash! There are plenty of delicious recipes online (not just for spaghetti, but lasagna too!).


    Does anyone else have healthy substitution ideas? I'd love to add more to the list!

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  • fiona
    • From: fiona
    • Name: Fiona
    • About Me: I love food, but I'm a much bigger fan of eating it than I am of preparing it! I love traveling to new places and trying new things - which can either be wonderful or disastrous in the food arena. I am a New Yorker situated in Virginia for school, although I try hard not to stay in one place for too long!
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