As you may have read in my ‘transitioning to whole foods’ posts, it was a slow and steady transition from standard western diet to one filled with nutrient-dense whole foods.
Did you know that sometimes our food cravings are a direct result of our gut bacteria situation?
As we start to eat better quality foods, the balance shifts from one of dysbiosis to symbiosis and we switch from craving bottomless bowls of white pasta to plates of crispy salmon with veggies. Small changes help to kick-start the re-establishment of good bacteria and thus more nourishing food cravings. Plus by starting small and getting sneaky with yourself, it’s barely an effort.
I started educating myself about nutrition when I was in grade 6 and as my knowledge base grew, I organically evolved my food choices (mind you it took for freakin-ever because there is A LOT OF INFORMATION OUT THERE, all conflicting that which preceded it, so I spent years sifting through podcasts, blogs, books and magazines, and finally, undertaking a university degree, before finding a individualised philosophy that served me well).
It’s been so long since I’ve graded food based solely on taste with no regard for how that food is affecting me once it’s inside. Sometimes I forget what’s it’s like to just start out, back to the days where I still believed wheat to be a healthy wholegrain, where giving up dairy sounded like just about the worst thing ever (!!!) and organic sounded like a “buzz word” and nothing more.
This post is here to provide some encouragement for those of you that have no idea where to start. For once upon a time, I’ll admit I was in your shoes, and if I had gone cold turkey I probably would’ve thrown the towel in and reverted back to the comfort foods that weren’t doing me any real favours. These are some of the easiest changes to make, as they really don’t taste all that different to the more mainstream versions, but the difference they can make to how you feel is incredible.
My ALL TIME favourite nutrient-dense food swaps that don’t make you feel deprived at all …
1. Swap wheat bread for organic, sourdough spelt/rye/oat bread … wheat in most western countries, including Australia, is sprayed with a pesticide called round-up. The active ingredient; glyphosate, inhibits the pathway which produces the amino acids that go on to create our neurotransmitters. It also does a lot of other nasty things like depleting our body stores of minerals such as manganese and zinc. Organic non-wheat sourdough breads are chemical-free, have been prepared in a way that make them kinder to our digestive tracts and (above all else) taste so much more satisfying. This way you can still have your avo smash with eggs for breakkie or those cheeky peanut butter sandwiches, without compromising health for taste or taste for health.
2. Swap regular peanut butter for 100% natural peanut paste … generic brands of peanut butter contain hydrogenated vegetable oils (the kind linked to so many chronic diseases it makes your head spin), added sugar, refined salt (which is stripped of the trace minerals essential for life) and often contain a few other additives here and there for preservation. Luckily there are plenty of brands out there now that make peanut butter that is 100% peanuts and nothing else. Organic is even better, as these peanuts won’t have any chemicals sprayed on them. You can add some pure sea salt and honey (or rice malt syrup, maple syrup etc.) once you get home if you still want that sweet and salty thing going on (but I find the plain peanut flavour grows on you rather quickly). Whether you have taste-buds or health-buds, there’s no denying that peanut paste spread on apple wedges or thickly smeared on a slice of sourdough (see swap no.1) is something pretty special. Peanuts aren’t you’re thing??? Try almond, cashew, macadamia, hazelnut, sunflower seed etc. butter (if it’s a nut or a seed, you’ll find a butter-fied version on a shelf near you or you can make your own with raw or roasted nuts/seeds, a food processor, maybe some coconut or macadamia oil to facilitate blending, and a good youtube tutorial video)
3. Swap wheat pasta to a funky alternative … I kid you not, this would have to be the easiest swap, you have no idea how many perfectly delicious pasta alternatives there are out there. Here are some of my tried and tested faves (if you’ve never heard of them … I suggest a quick google search) …
Black Bean Noodles – made from 100% dried and ground black bean flour and water, that’s it. These have a very neutral flavour and a groovy black colour. The perfect noodle bed for a rich Bolognese or tasty stir-fry
Buckwheat Pasta – I love the earthy nuttiness of buckwheat. It has the same texture as wheat pasta and is delish paired with your fave pasta sauce or even just with the “teenagers special” (butter and lots of melted cheese)
Konjac Noodles – these slippery noodles are a little out there, but I really like them. They are high in fibre and come from a Japanese root vegetable. They are on the more processed side but are a great alternative for those that like to steer clear of grains and want something to soak up a yummy sauce and twirl around their fork in place of traditional pasta
Zoodles or Caroodles – all you need is a spiralizer tool (available at homeware stores) and you can turn zucchinis and carrots into spaghetti. These are especially delicious in “noodle soup” recipes
The list goes on though; mung bean pasta, kelp noodles, amaranth, quinoa, rice, brown rice, chickpea, spelt … (find an alternative that works for you, there’s certainly no shortage of choice)
4. Swap crunchy cereals to grain-free granolas … I was a special K and Greek yoghurt girl for sure, so I get how important an adequate whole foods alternative is. Virtually all supermarkets now have options made from nuts, seeds and gluten-free wholegrain such as buckwheat. You can also make your own; the granola on the I Quit Sugar website is a pretty popular recipe and can be tweaked to suit your taste-buds. Just we wary of added sugars, but don’t freak out about a bit of maple or honey here or there … these cereals are richer so you eat less overall anyway. If it’s just the crunch you’re after, try a nut/seed/dried fruit trail mix with your yoghurt and see if that hits the spot. If all else fails, I have seen flakes that look like special K but are made from just coconut meat, coconut water and coconut oil (again, google and you’ll probably find it)
5. Swap Non-Organic Skim Dairy to Organic Full Fat Dairy … Organic full fat dairy is where it’s at y’all. Not only is it free from chemicals, come from happy, pasture-fed cows (and no bobby-calves were slaughtered in the production), it also contains all the fat-soluble vitamins and essential fatty acids that we are supposed to get when we consume dairy. Conventional skim dairy often comes from farms where the animals are treated like shit and contain pesticides (and sometimes antibiotics too – even hormones !!!), plus it’s lost a lot of what made it good in the first place. Also if you love yoghurt, buy the natural ones (just milk and cultures) and then sweeten at home with some dates, rice malt syrup, stevia, honey etc. When buying cheese the ingredients should just be milk, salt and enzymes (no preservatives).
6. (Not a swap) but add extra veggies to everything … my friend Nicole and I were talking about this the other day. She puts every veggie imaginable into the meals she cooks for her boyfriend as its the only way she can get him to eat well. I like her style and it’s something that mamma T and I have been doing for ages now. Add carrots, cauliflower and green beans to butter chicken. Try some pumpkin, green peas and zucchini in Bolognese. Try grated carrot in your (organic) cheese and (wheat-free, sourdough) toasties … odd but amazing. Eat leftover roasted sweet potato with anything (so good!). Add a handful of baby spinach to smoothies (you’ll barely notice it … works particularly well with banana smoothies). Be as creative as you like, just get around the veggie patch!
7. Rather than a packaged snack, try pairing your nut butter of choice (see no.2) with fresh fruits … many people that are super switched on about nutrition/digestion will probably bark at this idea. “Technically” fresh fruit is best eaten alone and on an empty stomach, as it digests quicker than most other foods. This is true, but here’s the thing. The first time I tried Medjool dates with cashew butter, I swore I’d never pine for other desserts again. Banana and macadamia butter … who needs ice-cream? Apple and Hazelnut butter … screw apple pie (well actually never screw apple pie … but you get the gist). Blueberries with pecan butter … I died and went to foodgasm heaven that evening. My point … fruit and nut butter is such an awesome breakfast on time-poor mornings, delicious and satisfying snack on the fly, and stands up to even the most indulgent of desserts. If it’s the difference between having something quick and nourishing or having something that makes you feel a bit “blah” afterwards, then the fruit and nut butter combo really is the lesser of two evils … DISCLAIMER: avoid if it SERIOUSLY doesn’t agree with you #painfulgas
8. Learn to love dark chocolate … I’m a dessert girl and always have been, and learning to love dark chocolate was probably one of the best things I ever did for my health, at least in the beginning. I went from traditional sugar-laden options to just a glass of organic milk (dusted with ground cinnamon) and 6 small (green and blacks organics brand) or two large (Lint excellence range) squares of 85% dark chocolate. Eventually loving earth (the 70% chilli chocolate) and pana chocolate (80%) came on the market so I switched to those. It re-set my taste-buds so I was satisfied with less sweetness and gave me a nice dose of relaxing magnesium before bed. I’ve out-grown even my need for chocolate (most of the time … I am still a woman), but I still use raw cacao every day in my smoothies and it helps me down those greens. It only took a week to adjust to the bitter taste of dark chocolate so I encourage you to stick with it, even if it’s a bit overpowering at first
9. Swap usual meals for tasty leftovers … even the most junk-food addicted usually have at least a few favourite meals that contain wholesome ingredients; so why not just cook up a huge batch and eat it for breakfast and lunch the next day? Even back when I still normally ate cereal for breakfast, if there was leftover chicken soup, I’d choose that instead. Sure I went through my cheese toasties phase (doesn’t everyone???) but I loved leftover meatballs with veggies or salad sticks just as much. I remember at primary school mum packing me little containers of leftover roast chicken with snow peas, lettuce and carrot sticks and it was seriously one of my favourite options. This is a great way to crowd-out, you don’t miss sandwiches, cereal and pasta when you’re chowing down on chicken and mango salads (who doesn’t love that summer classic???) or mum’s comforting Irish Stew.
10. If you have a quirky idea for a meal or snack that you think is a bit unconventional but is made from all whole foods just go for it … again not a swap but here’s the thing … this was seriously what got me to where I am today. For example after my dark chocolate phase and before my fruit with nut butter phase, my dessert consisted of (wait for it) … a heaped spoonful of natural peanut butter and a massive chunk of ice-berg lettuce. I’d nibble on the sweet and crunchy lettuce and then slowly have little “bites” of the peanut butter, taking my time to enjoy the creamy/nuttiness. Then when I weaned myself from cereal and yoghurt (before I discovered the nut/seed options) I opted for plain oats cooked in water with warmed organic baby puree of apple, pear and cinnamon (I was 15 years old guys!!!) but it worked and was a delicious warming breakfast. Eventually it came to things like alfalfa sprouts tossed with diced Medjool dates as a snack and even the good times of chicken, chive and avocado smash stuffed inside nori sheets of(the seaweed wrapping of sushi fame). Not your average serving suggestions but they worked and were perfectly nutritious. It’s not always about bread alternatives or sugar replacements, but about finding something that you love that didn’t contain these ingredients in the first place