Today’s post brought to you by one of you! Thanks for the idea Grace! If there are topics or recipes you would like to see on here, send me a message, I would love to hear from you! As you probably know, based on the name of my blog, I am all about eating WHOLE foods. The closer it is to how it grows out of the ground the better! When it comes to packaged foods, I am always giving my clients healthier whole food recommendations to swap out for the more processed items they are used to buying. I’ve rounded up ten whole food, plant based alternatives to common items in your kitchen and pantry. These brands are brands I use and love and I have not been paid to promote these items. If any of these companies want a paid partnership though, I’m all for it! Just kidding I don’t have enough followers! Seriously though, please share this post with all your friends! Simple and easy changes like these are a great place to start if you want to clean up your diet!
PASTA – White pasta (including most “gluten-free” pastas) is processed and stripped of the bran and germ giving you a higher percentage of gluten and lower percentage of nutrients and fiber causing an unnecessary insulin spike to bring your blood sugar back to normal.
SWAP FOR LENTIL PASTA – Loaded with fiber and protein, lentil pasta is a great alternative to white pasta. Lentils have cancer fighting, blood sugar lowering, and stroke reducing properties! The high fiber content in legumes prevents blood sugar levels from rising rapidly after a meal as well as lowering cholesterol levels. The flavor is so mild and it doesn’t become mushy when cooked like most gluten free pastas. My favorite brands are Tolerant, Ancient Harvest POW, Explore Cuisine and Cybele’s. I buy my dry goods from Thrive Market, but more and more supermarkets like Shoprite, Wegmans and Costco are carrying legume pasta alternatives!
DAIRY MILK – Approximately 75% of the world’s population doesn’t even have the enzyme to break down dairy milk in the small intestine, which is no surprise since cow’s milk is designed for well, baby cows. This leaves all the work for the large intestine which produces gas, bloating and IBS. It has also been linked to chronic ear infections, sinus problems, eczema, acne, arthritis, osteoporosis and most importantly breast, ovarian and prostate cancers. Interestingly enough, studies do not show reduced risk of bone fracture with larger consumption of dairy as everyone assumes to be true. The dairy industry has been trying to convince us that we need dairy for strong bones but the truth is that dairy has the opposite effect on our bones through a process called metabolic acidosis. Dr. T. Colin Campbell of the China Study explains that animal protein is acidic to our bodies, and one of calcium’s jobs in our bodies is to act as an acid buffer. So when we consume dairy, calcium is pulled from our bones to neutralize the excess acid and excreted in our urine which in turns weakens our bones.
SWAP FOR PLANT MILK – Try swapping for plant milk instead which has no saturated fat and isn’t linked to cancer, osteoporosis or any of those other unpleasant things mentioned above! There are endless options from almond to coconut to hemp to oat or a combination of a few! It is so easy to make, but most of my clients want to buy it so I recommend buying brands with the least ingredients and ones you can picture in their natural state like Three Trees or Malk. Make sure you buy unsweetened and add a date or two in the blender if you’d like it to be sweet. Stay away from thickeners like carrageenan which is linked to inflammation.
DAIRY CREAMER – Again, as mentioned above, dairy is linked to chronic ear infections, sinus problems, eczema, acne, bloating, diarrhea, arthritis, osteoporosis and most importantly breast, ovarian and prostate cancers so I advise my clients to stay away from it except for treats.
SWAP FOR PLANT “CREAMER” – Ditch the dairy and swap for 2 tablespoons (per cup of coffee) of nut butter, coconut butter or nuts (soaked in water overnight to make them soft and creamy!). Any combination of coconut butter, cashew butter, almond butter, peanut butter or even tahini are delicious! My husband who is an avid coffee drinker has tried a lot of creamer alternatives and the only one that he truly enjoys is cashews. It only adds about 1 minute to your normal coffee routine so I bet you can handle it! I hesitate to recommend Nutpods and Califia Farms BetterHalf because they both have “natural flavors” which is basically a blanket term for something that is so far removed from its original whole food state that it can no longer be legally listed as a name we recognize. However, these pre-made options are still probably better than dairy. Just make sure you buy unsweetened and add dates for sweetness if you like.
SODA – We all know soda is bad for us! It has been linked to pretty much every chronic disease including diabetes, obesity, heart disease and cancer. It also increases parathyroid hormone (PTH) in the blood, which increases blood calcium concentrations by stimulating bone breakdown (bone loss). The high fructose corn syrup in most soda is derived from genetically modified corn which has been sprayed with toxic chemical glyphosate (the main ingredient in Round-Up). Caramel color and other food dyes are carcinogenic and have been linked to everything from infertility to hyperactivity in children to cancer. If these are not enough reason to quit soda I don’t know what is.
SWAP FOR KOMBUCHA – If you enjoy a refreshing and bubbly drink, try kombucha. It is fermented tea which has lots of good bacteria for your gut. I typically find people love it or hate it. My husband hates the store bought kind, but loves homemade! If you buy it, make sure you look for one with no added sugar. If you are interested in making your own, it is super easy and you can ask your local health food store if they have a scoby (symbiotic colony of bacteria and yeast) to give you so you can start your own. If you know me personally, I am always happy to give a piece of mine away so hit me up!
DAIRY CHEESE – Again, as mentioned above, dairy is linked to chronic ear infections, sinus problems, eczema, acne, bloating, diarrhea, arthritis, osteoporosis and most importantly breast, ovarian and prostate cancers so I advise my clients to stay away from it except for special occasions.
SWAP FOR NUT CHEESE – “Vegan cheese” has come a long way from the processed oil crap that used to be the only option. Look for brands like Treeline, Kite Hill and Miyokos. They are amazing smeared on a cracker or crumbled over a salad or on a pizza! Coming from a Sicilian who could easily eat a pound of cheese in one sitting, I honestly don’t even miss the real deal! You can also try your hand at making your own.
PROCESSED CRACKERS – I recently picked up some crackers to compare for a wellness talk I did. A box of seemingly healthy 100% whole grain Wheat Thins contained at least 4 genetically modified ingredients (which means they were most likely sprayed with toxic pesticides and herbicides) and sugar to boot. Why do crackers need sugar? Even brands touted as “healthy” like Back to Nature contain sugar which is completely unnecessary and drives me crazy.
SWAP FOR WHOLE FOOD CRACKERS – Choose crackers with whole ingredients that you can picture growing out of the ground. My favorite brands are Mary’s, Simple Mills, Jilz and Jovial Sourdough Crackers.
CHOCOLATE – Chocolate in and of itself is actually good for you but it’s what they add to it that is not. Sugar, soy lecithin (genetically modified unless specifically labeled otherwise), dairy and natural and artificial flavors are all ingredients you should stay away from.
SWAP FOR 70% (or DARKER) DARK CHOCOLATE – Although it has a little sugar, 70% or more dark chocolate is a far better choice than anything less! Chocolate is a good source of magnesium and antioxidants! My favorite bars are Alter Eco Black Out and Hu Kitchen Cashew Butter & Vanilla. My husband and toddler even like this one from Eating Evolved that has no sugar; it’s too bitter for me though.
DORITOS & TORTILLA CHIPS – Most chips on the market are made with genetically modified corn which is modified to withstand chemical pesticides and herbicides that would otherwise kill the plant. These chemicals are toxic and carcinogenic and should be completely avoided. Not to mention all the scary additives made in a lab like MSG, food dyes and artificial flavors. Chips are another item that companies sneak sugar into just because!
SWAP FOR SIETE NACHO & LIME TORTILLA CHIPS – Chips are not really a health food, but if you want a chip, at least eat one with whole ingredients! I love these chips from Siete made from yuca root and have whole ingredients like chia seeds, jalapeño powder, onion powder, and roasted garlic powder!
DAIRY YOGURT – First of all, most yogurt has so much sugar, you might as well be eating a bowl of ice cream for breakfast. Many of them also have processed additives like food dye, carrageenan, natural flavors, and modified food starch. Again, as mentioned above, dairy is linked to chronic ear infections, sinus problems, eczema, acne, bloating, diarrhea, arthritis, osteoporosis and most importantly breast, ovarian and prostate cancers so I advise my clients to stay away from it except for special occasions.
SWAP FOR PLANT YOGURT – Non-dairy yogurts have also come a long way and some of my favorites are Coyo (look for flavors without coconut nectar, rice syrup and natural flavors) and Lavva (all flavors – vanilla is my favorite) which just use fruit to sweeten, Cocojune plain/unsweetened and Forager’s unsweetened cashew yogurt. If it’s not sweetened with real fruit, it’s best to sweeten your own yogurt with berries or other fruits.
DAIRY ICE CREAM – As mentioned above, dairy is linked to chronic ear infections, sinus problems, eczema, acne, bloating, diarrhea, arthritis, osteoporosis and most importantly breast, ovarian and prostate cancers so I advise my clients to stay away from it except for special occasions.
SWAP FOR PLANT BASED ICE CREAM – Most of the time when we have “ice cream” in my house we throw a bunch of frozen bananas in the food processor with some whole coconut milk and whatever else we feel like (nut butters, cacao, or fresh mint). But my clients who are switching to more of a plant-based diet want something they can just buy. I get that, and so does Van Leeuwen’s. This ice cream is made from cashews and is wonderfully creamy and has awesome ingredients. Their flavors are equally awesome and range from matcha green tea to honeycomb to sicilian pistachio. The price matches the ingredients so it will force you to treat it like a treat! There is a brand called Steve’s who made a coffee cinnamon coconut ice cream that was to die for, but it looks like they no longer have that flavor.
