The new year brings time of changes. A commitment to yourself and creating the change you desire in life includes trying a few new and positive things. Here are some simple and easy swaps that you can make this year if you're committing to your health and nutrition!
1. Swap margarine for organic, grass-fed butter or ghee
Margarine is not a healthy alternative to butter (to read what margarine really is and why it’s not healthy, click here). Margarine is highly industrialized and processed vegetable oils formed into a spreadable condiment.
Instead, opt for organic, grass-fed butter, which ensures the dairy source is from healthy cows that eat their natural diet of grass. An even better option is organic, grass-fed ghee, which is clarified butter and is also dairy-free because the whey is removed. It’s whole food and rich in nutrients to help promote weight-loss, and skin and brain health among other things. Organic ghee is widely available at many grocery stores (like Real Canadian Superstore, Whole Foods, or Healthy Planet) and is easy to make at home using organic, grass-fed butter.
2. White pasta for chickpea / lentil / quinoa pasta
White pasta is void of nutrition and highly refined carbohydrates spike the blood sugar, leaving you to crash not too soon after. Ever eat a plate of pasta and feel tired, sluggish, and low in energy afterward?
Chickpea, lentil, or quinoa pasta is made from one ingredient. You guessed it! The flour of chickpeas, lentils, or quinoa. This makes your pasta full of fibre, nutrition, and complex carbohydrates to help balance blood sugar and digestion.
3. Soda / juice / other sugar-filled beverages with kombucha / sparkling water
Soda, juice, and other sugar-filled beverages are empty calories that don’t contain much nutrition.
If it’s fizziness that you crave, opt for sparkling water with a splash of coconut water or lemons, limes, and fresh fruits. Or try kombucha, which is a fermented drink that has the similar taste of soda but with beneficial gut-healthy bacteria found in fermented foods. It does contain organic sugar, which is required to brew kombucha and support the fermentation, so drinking a small quantity to satisfy your soda craving is a healthier option. Approximately 80% of your immune system is in your gut, therefore gut health is crucial for our entire body’s functions and incorporating fermented foods is a great way to support that cause.
4. White bread for sprouted whole wheat, rye bread, or grain-free bread
White bread is another type of refined carbohydrates that is void of nutrients, and which converts to sugar in the blood and spikes blood sugar levels. A lot of white bread in the diet can leave us feeling bloated and low in energy. A better option is sprouted whole wheat because sprouted wheat has a higher nutrient-density and the gluten is easier to digest. Or opt for rye bread, which is low on the glycemic index (meaning it won’t spike your blood sugar so high), is rich in fibre and other nutrients, and contains less gluten. Or if you’re looking for a gluten-free option altogether, try grain-free breads. Many paleo cookbooks and bloggers have great grain-free bread options!
5. Sports drinks for coconut water
Sports drinks are not the ideal drink for hydration. They’re full of sugar, artificial colours, and flavours. Artificial colours are linked to many health issues, especially in children, since much of the packaged and processed foods marketed to children is artificially coloured.
A better option to re-hydrate the body and restore electrolytes and potassium is coconut water. Found naturally inside coconuts, it’s 100% natural (given that there’s no added sugar on the ingredient list) and has the same functions as a sports drink.
6. Table salt for sea salt
Switching from table salt to sea salt is easy, especially given that almost every grocery store now sells sea salt. Many people may think that salt is the enemy but that is the case because packaged and processed foods contain a lot of added salt, therefore a diet rich in processed foods in addition to adding salt to your food can be harmful to health. A natural diet without processed foods must include salt, as it’s a crucial mineral for our nervous system, hormones, blood pressure, and metabolism.
Table salt is refined and lacks the nutrients found in sea salt. Sea salt or pink Himalayan sea salt supports our bodily functions, is high in vitamins and minerals, and a tiny pinch really elevates the flavour of food.
7. Bouillon cubes/canned stock for homemade stock
Bouillon cubes and canned stock seem like great options when you’re in a pinch for time but the ingredient list isn’t nutritious at all. With ingredients like MSG, maltodextrin (a filler), modified palm oil, yeast extract, various gums (more fillers), sugar, spices (which spices?), and may contain traces of milk ingredients (why?).
Making your own homemade stock is a sure way to know that you’re getting the immunity boosting properties to help soothe and heal your gut, and all the richness of gelatin, vitamins, and minerals (which helps to aid autoimmune disease sufferers). It’s easy to do by just saving the bones from leftover meals, like whole roasted chickens and turkeys. Alternatively, you can go to your local butcher shop and ask for the bones. I simmer the bones for 2 hours on a Sunday afternoon, and voila, I have a rich and delicious broth for the week!
8. Processed cheese with real white cheddar/goat or sheep’s cheese/nut cheese
Cheese slices, cheese strings, and spreadable cheese are all examples of processed cheese. Processed cheese contains food colouring, emulsifiers, saturated vegetable oils, sugar, and other preservatives. Despite packaging claims that it’s “made with real milk” or “a good source of calcium”, it’s a man-made cheese product and not really cheese.
Real cheese should have a short ingredient list. It should be the natural colour of the milk it’s made from (which is white), with enzymes and bacterial culture. Cow’s milk may be harder to digest for some people, so other options include goat or sheep’s cheese or a great vegan option is nut cheese (made primarily from cashews or almonds and nutritional yeast).
9. Store-bought salad dressing for homemade salad dressing
Store-bought salad dressing contains ingredients that negate the benefits of eating salad. There’s vegetable oils, refined sugar, artificial flavours, sodium, and other fillers and preservatives that help bind the ingredients and maintain its shelf life.
Instead, opt for lemon juice and olive oil, or olive oil and balsamic vinegar with sea salt and pepper for an easy dressing. Or you can make your own creamy salad dressings with tahini, nuts, garlic, apple cider vinegar, mustard, olive oil, and the list goes on. If you want the convenience of buying a store-bought salad dressing, you find certain brands in specialty health food stores, kept in the fridge section, that do not contain refined sugar and have an ingredient list with real foods that you can understand (example: lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, sea salt, tahini, coconut sugar, and spices).
10. Swap soy sauce for tamari or coconut aminos
Tamari is a fermented soy sauce that does not contain wheat, meaning it is a great gluten-free option (from brands like San-J and Eden Organic). It’s made from soybeans and contains less “filler” ingredients, giving it a bold and rich taste.
Coconut aminos are a soy-free option to soy sauce and tamari, and is made from coconut tree sap and salt. It has the same dark colour and umami taste as soy sauce but with slightly less salt and a milder flavour.
11. Swap coffee for Dandy Blend
Everyone metabolizes caffeine differently but caffeine does drain our adrenal glands because we’re trying to “push” more adrenaline out of our bodies for energy and alertness. Also, drinking coffee late in the day means that caffeine remains in our body into the evening and night, affecting our natural hormonal functions, from how we wind down in the evening to how we sleep.
Dandy Blend is an herbal beverage (caffeine-free and gluten-free) made from roasted dandelion, chicory, and barley extract, and yet surprisingly tastes like coffee! It has the same taste, colour, and texture but surprisingly does not have the acidic and bitter taste that coffee has. This usually means people enjoy the flavour more and are less dependent on added sugar and dairy to change the taste.
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