There are some simple food swaps that you can make that are easy and quick! The ones that I have chosen will deliver more variety into your diet as well as help if you are looking to manage your weight into the new year. These swaps will help with nutrient intake and do not involve any exotic or hard to get ingredients.
Let’s start swapping!
The Food Swaps
SWAP: White Rice | FOR: Cauliflower Rice
Cauliflower rice can be swapped into any recipe calling for white rice, and it’s super simple to whip up. Simply toss a few florets of cauliflower into a food processor, blitz, and then sautee your “rice” in some butter for 5-8 mins. You can season with a bit of garlic and parsley if you wish!
Cauliflower rice is a good low-calorie option (around 25 calories per 100 compared to about 140 for cooked white rice) that also packs a nutritional punch. By making this change you are actually helping the body to detox as the humble cauliflower is rich in glucosinolates which help to activate the detox process.
These sulphur rich compounds are good for immunity too. And one cup will deliver a good dose of vitamin C and K – with almost zero grams of fat, sodium or sugar.
SWAP: Regular Fries | FOR: Sweet Potato Fries
The humble fry has had a comeback with sweet potato fries that pack a flavour punch! A regular medium sized potato comes in at around 170 calories whereas the same sized sweet potato is around 100. The sweet potato has fewer calories and more fibre too – to help with digestive function and to lower cholesterol.
Sweet Potatoes have tonnes more vitamin A whilst white potatoes have hardly any, in fact, they are one of the richest sources of beta-carotene which converts to vitamin A in the body. Anything that is brightly coloured also helps boost immunity and the sweet potato is no exception.
To make the most out of your sweet potato fries make sure that you fry them lightly in cold pressed olive oil – you might like to also try sweet potato toast as an alternative to regular toast.
SWAP: Refined Sugar | FOR: Honey or Maple Syrup
Refined sugar is pretty much an empty calorie nutritionally speaking whereas honey and maple syrup have the sweetness together with strong nutritional profiles. Honey is has been used for its medicinal antibacterial properties for generations and contains iron, calcium, potassium and magnesium.
Maple syrup is antioxidant rich and has a lower GI than regular sugar ( 54 vs 65 – honey comes in around 50 ) as well as having some digestive system benefits. Both honey and maple syrup are less refined than cane sugar.
SWAP: Spaghetti Pasta | FOR: Courgetti (Zucchini Pasta)
Making courgetti is super simple — all you need to do is peel a washed zucchini lengthways with a julienne slicer until you have a bowl of veggie pasta! This swap provides you with more nutrient density and it’s also much lower in calories.
Courgettes are a good source of vitamin C which is great for immunity and also for skin texture and heath, they are also good sources of lutein and zeaxanthin – these are two phytonutrients from the carotenoid family which are beneficial for good eyesight. By making this swap you are getting one of your five a day and you are getting more fibre as well.
About Rick Hay
Rick Hay is a nutritional physiologist, as well as an anti-ageing and fitness nutritionist and has many year’s clinical experience in nutrition, naturopathy, botanical medicine and iridology. He specialises in anti-aging food and fitness, beauty from within, natural sports medicine, obesity treatment, and weight management. He is the author of ‘Your Essential Anti-Ageing Food and Fitness Plan’, an easy to follow 12-week transformation guide. With many years of working one-to-one with patients Rick is gifted with providing nutritional based treatment options for many of today’s most common health and fitness concerns in a practical and accessible way.
