Looking to make some simple healthier changes for yourself and your family? These small day to day shifts can add up, making a big difference over time. Even if you already do so much of this the better way, we hope everyone will find at least one switch-up that will last a lifetime!
NOT SO GOOD | BETTER |
White sugar or high fructose corn syrup | Honey, maple syrup, monk fruit, stevia |
Table salt | Celtic or Himalayan salt, that contains traces of a variety of trace minerals |
Pre-ground pepper | Freshly ground in cooking or onto the food at table |
Ginger powder, or well-travelled ginger from store | Whole ginger root, or fresh ginger frozen in season (late summer) |
GMO soy, peanut or canola oil | Extra virgin olive oil, avocado oil, coconut oil |
Fizzy pop | Fizzy water straight, or with a squeeze of lemon / lime, or 10 - 20% fruit juice |
Fruit juices (high in sugar) | Add 50% fizzy water or cold herbal tea |
Ready-sweetened fruit yoghurt | Unsweetened yoghourt and add your own fresh or frozen fruit |
High sugar jams with little fruit, may contain flavourings and colourings | Low sugar fruit spreads, kept in the fridge as they don’t last as long |
Hot chocolate, which contains white sugar | Hot milk with cocoa and honey |
Hot chocolate with dairy | Molasses or honey in warm oat or nut milk |
Nut butters that are homogenised or contain added sugar | Nut butters whose oils separate out - keep in fridge, turning with each use |
Chocolate | Cocoa mixed into nut butter |
Quick-cook or microwaved oats | Steel cut or rolled oats, soaked overnight to cook faster in the morning |
Toast with butter and jam | Toast with nut or seed butter, topped with a thin layer of fruit spread |
Peanut butter and jelly sandwiches | Try a variety of nut butters and fruit spreads |
Popcorn with butter | Popcorn with hemp, avocado or flax oil |
Potato chips | Kale chips or crispy seaweed |
Fries and ketchup | Organic potatoes or sweet potatoes air-fried or oven-fried in olive oil, served with salsa, pesto or antipasto |
Canned tomatoes | Tomatoes frozen in season |
Fried eggs | Poached eggs, in water with a dash of apple cider vinegar |
Salad dressings sold in stores | |
Prepared snacks from stores | Home-made snacks: carrot sticks and nut butter to dip, dried fruit and nut bars, dates stuffed with a nut or cocoa nibs |
Ice cream | |
Baked goods made with regular wheat flour | Baked goods made with nut flours or ancient grains such as spelt and red fife wheat flours |
Crisps (crumbles) made with wheat flour and white sugar for dessert | Top fruit with 50% oats, 50% ancient grains and brown sugar using less than recipe calls for |
Muffins or other baked treats | Add veggies for nourishment and fibre: grated zucchini (courgette), carrot, mashed pumpkin |
A few more tips:
When using a recipe that contains sugar you can almost always reduce the sugar by 10%, and often by 50% or more, without affecting the texture of the end product.
When reducing sugar content of a recipe or drink, do it gradually: it is worth a little patience to readjust your taste buds in the long run.
Honey as a sweetener in baking tends to burn more easily, so it takes a bit of getting used to, but it’s worth it.
Home-made meals almost always have less sugar, salt and bad fats than take-out or pre-prepared meals.
In winter, fruits and vegetables that were flash-frozen right after harvest have more nutrients and are cheaper than “fresh” produce that was picked days or weeks ago.
It’s just as easy to make a big batch as a small one, and freeze some for a future busy day!
Comments