There is no magic formula for weight loss. Not the first time you have heard that, I know. However, it does take a little knowledge + effort. In a world full of weight loss gimmicks, magic diet pills, intense diet + exercise regimens, it becomes extremely difficult to decipher what really works and what doesn’t. I am here for you! Understanding your food + incorporating a few food swaps for weight loss works! I am living proof.
No need for starvation, deprivation, or strict rules. Your food should still taste good! These easy swaps help you still get a variety of yummy foods while still getting to enjoy the foods you love. These healthy alternatives that I am presenting to you today are exactly what we do in the MVF kitchen. They are easy + sustainable + allow for lots of nutritious foods that are filling and satisfying. This way of eating helps keep our weight under control and can help you too!
Tara’s Tuesday Tips:
My Favorite Food Swaps For Weight Loss
Nutritional Yeast In Place of Cheese
A Vegan, Gluten Free, Sugar Free, Fat Free food product that has a cheesy, savory, nutty flavor. Nutritional Yeast is extremely versatile and can be used in your everyday cooking from snacks to soups to pastas and even tofu. It makes things taste like cheese! Trust me! Still not sure? Check this out: Nutritional Yeast 101.
Cauliflower Rice Instead of White Rice
One cup of boiled cauliflower is 28 calories. One cup of white rice is 216 calories. In addition, cauliflower has lots more fiber + vitamins. The one pushback I hear is that it tastes bad. No it doesn’t. You just aren’t cooking it correctly. You absolutely need to give it the flavor of your dish plus an extra flavor boost. Add extra garlic or onion or spice and it is awesome! Try one of the MVF favorites Mexican Cauliflower Rice!
Fresh Fruit Over Fruit Flavored
The whole fruit gives us fiber + vitamins + nutrients we NEED. I went into lots of detail on this in my post: How To Eat To Prevent Diabetes (a must read!). Fruit flavored things such as juice, jelly, ice pops, flavored drinks and waters are extremely calorie dense and devout of any nutritional value. Eat the whole fruit! You will feel fuller + reap the benefits all of the antioxidants.
Zoodles Over Noodles
An absolute must for keeping your weight in check is to find a healthier alternative to over-processed grains + carbohydrates that are absent of any nutritional value. Noodles can easily fall into that category. Yes, they are delicious + look really cute on Instagram but it is time to make them a once in a while food not a regular staple. Not sure how to cook zoodles? Check this out: How to Make Perfect Zucchini Noodles.
Swap Out White Bread for Sprouted Bread
I avoid refined grains at all costs. Except the occasional homemade wood-fired pizza crust, my day to day intake of grains are strictly unrefined. Meaning no white flours for me. Sprouted bread is my bread choice. It is made from whole grains that have just sprouted making the nutrients in the grain more readily available. This bread choice allows for a lower carb + gluten count and a much higher antioxidant + fiber count. Count me in. Make it into a sandwich with my all time FAVORITE sandwich recipe right here.
Choose Nuts Instead of Nut Butter
One word here = fiber. The fiber in our foods slows down digestion. When comparing the fat absorption from 1 tbsp of peanuts to 1 tbsp of peanut butter, you will absorb about half of the fat in the peanuts than you would the peanut butter. You are taking in the same number of calories but because of the structure of the peanut, it is more difficult for your body to break it down and some of the fat gets trapped in the unchewed fragments. Sounds good to me!
Nice Cream In Place of Ice Cream
Another one of my favorites. Bananas + fruit + a hint of unrefined sugar if you like. No heavy cream, no milk, no refined sugar. YUM! Not sure how to make Nice Cream? Check out my recipe here.
Use Salt When Cooking Onions Instead of Oil
This is one of my favorite swaps, saves lots of calories, and it really really works. When you are cooking diced onions as a first step in a recipe, put the onions in your non-stick pan, sprinkle with salt and put the lid on while they cook on medium-low heat. If they stick add a little water but you DO NOT need oil! Try it! I use this technique in my recipe for Vegetarian Chili and Spinach Mushroom Quinoa.
Homemade Salad Dressing Over Store-Bought
I am like a broken record with this one. Reading salad dressing labels is exhausting. Too many ingredients, too much sugar, way too much fat and oils and random things you just don’t need. You don’t need oil to make a salad taste good. That is all there is too it! Still not sure? Check out my Guide to Oil-Free Salad Dressings.
Swap Dairy Milk for Oat Milk
Oat milk is my favorite dairy-free option because it is very high in soluble fiber, specifically beta-glucans. This means that when we drink oat milk, it forms a gel-like substance in our intestines, binds to cholesterol, and therefore can help lower cholesterol levels. It is also very high in calcium + vitamin D. Above all, oat milk has NONE of the saturated fat and a fraction of the calories in dairy milk. Not sure about milk alternatives? Check out My Guide to Choosing A Dairy-Free Milk Alternative.
Replace Your Salad Croutons With Roasted Chick Peas
One of the most popular recipes on this blog is for Air Fryer Buffalo Chick Peas. There is a reason why … they are awesome. We eat these every week on our salad. There is no comparison between an awesome little chickpea + store-bought croutons. Come on! This is probably the easiest food swap for weight loss in this entire article! Don’t like buffalo? Try these Air Fryer Garlic Chickpeas.
Oat Flour Instead of White Flour
You might have noticed on this blog that I use A LOT of oat flour. Oat flour is a fabulous replacement for unrefined all purpose white flour. Again with the fiber! YES! This is the key to weight loss. Make your food harder for your body to break it down and your blood sugar does not spike + you lose weight! Try my recipe for Vegan Buckwheat Chocolate Chip Cookies or Healthy Homemade Falafel (Baked not Fried!).
Unrefined Sugar Over Refined Sugars
I almost never use refined sugar in my baking. That is because it is completely void of any nutritional value. Instead, I recommend using less refined options such as turbinado sugar, dates + date paste or coconut palm sugar. Vegetarian or not, finding healthy alternatives to refined sugar is an essential part of a healthy, balanced lifestyle. Don’t think you can do it? Check this out: Healthy Alternatives to Refined Sugar.
Choose Oatmeal Instead of Breakfast Cereal
I can go on and on about what a huge fan of oats I am. I can also go on and on about breakfast cereal. Similar to the salad dressing label. Have you ever read the ingredient profile for some popular breakfast cereals?!?!? I’m not sure how much more explanation it needs. Sugary breakfast cereal just isn’t a great food choice. Heavily processed, packed with refined grains, doesn’t keep you satiated at all and is absent of nutrients. Enough said. Go make some oatmeal! Steel Cut Oats.
Hummus Instead of Mayo
I LOVE HUMMUS! When compared to mayo do I really need to go there? Mayonnaise is made of oil + eggs + vinegar making it 90 calories + 10 grams of saturated fat in 1 tbsp! Oh my! As compared to hummus made of chickpeas + lemon + garlic + tahini making it only 70 calories + 2.5 grams of unsaturated fat PLUS 4 grams of protein + 2 grams of fiber. Your sandwich can still have that creamy + flavorful taste, try it! Start with my recipe for Cilantro Jalapeno Hummus (Oil-Free!)
Spaghetti Squash Over Spaghetti
I love a good bowl of pasta, don’t get me wrong, but pasta is also relatively void of nutritional value. Spaghetti squash is a fabulous alternative! The key is learning how to cook it properly + sauce it properly. Start here and you will be a believer: Instant Pot Spaghetti Squash.
Some Other Helpful Swaps for Weight Loss:
- Air fry instead of fry. Check out all of my air fryer recipes here.
- Make your own granola instead of store-bought. Start with Easy Healthy Homemade Granola or Easy Vegan Chocolate Granola or Easy Peanut Butter Granola.
- Bake your own crackers to avoid the fat + calories in boxed crackers . Try these Quinoa Crackers or Baked Chickpea Crackers.
- Copycat your favorite takeout meals to make them healthier. Try my Copycat Chipotle Recipes.
- Swap in quinoa for other grains like in this Mexican Quinoa or Quinoa Cookies.
- Swap out the oil in baking + cooking. Not sure how? Start here.
See …. not so hard after all! These easy swaps for weight loss are easy and sustainable and your food will still be satisfying and taste good. Weight loss does not have to be complicated!!!!
