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Often times, most healthy lifestyle changes become challenging due to our inabilities to make smarter food choices. Whether it is consuming organic, ethically-produced and sourced food or being aware of what we’re putting into our bodies, certain staples that are eaten on most days are the ones that become the most difficult to adapt away from. To illustrate this with an example, take a breakfast staple like pancakes or everyone’s favourite Alfredo sauce pasta; both recipes consist of the usage of some amount of flour. The coffee we consume every morning has a generous helping of refined sugar in it or even milk, for that matter; and while there are ways to be vegan or gluten-free and follow a stricter route when it comes to eating, having options that are sustainable in the long run is crucial. It is why we’ve put down a list of fairly reasonable swaps that make your food taste as delicious if not more:
Refined Flour/Cornflour
Need a replacement for maida in your bechamel for some gooey mac and cheese? Or you simply cannot do without a stack of pancakes for breakfast at least twice a week? Could your sauce do with a bit of thickening? Swap these options for rice flour or arrowroot flour, if using in small quantities and buckwheat flour for recipes like pancakes or cakes.
Dairy
If you’re amongst the lucky few that manages to find top notch dairy products around where you live, let it be known that we’re jealous of you! For those who are left with limited options that are not-so-satisfactory, using plant-based milks like coconut milk or almond milk and even flavoursome liquids like chicken broth, not just make up for taste but also nutrition, when necessary.
Refined Sugar
Delicious alternatives for sugar range from jaggery, closer to home and also other ingredients like coconut sugar, date syrup, honey and maple syrup. Although sugar-free alternatives are a common sight these days, replacing a refined product with a natural source of sugar is preferable.
Gluten
If bloating is a common feeling you experience when consuming rotis or breaded chicken cutlets, it is most likely that the gluten isn’t sitting well with your gut. In cases such as these, eating rotis made with millet-based flours like ragi or swapping the breadcrumbs with a healthy ground seed mix made with equal parts pumpkin seeds, flax seeds and almond meal work well.
