Healthy Substitutions

I ruined your day with those condiments, right? Here are some healthy substitutions that also taste delicious!

BAD CHOICE:

VEGETABLE OILS: I don't want to get too much into why, but recent research has linked them to heart disease and many other health issues. Price and availability cause these oils to run ramp id. Money talks

Better Choice: COCONUT OIL: coconut oil has great health benefits we know of and more are discovered every day. Some include: Skin and hair health, weight loss and healthy cholesterol levels. The medium chain fatty acids found in coconut oil are known to reduce appetite and burn fat! Pretty cool huh. I use expeller pressed oil when I don't want coconut flavor. I "butter" toast with it, use it to fry eggs and have substituted it in many baking recipes that call for butter with great success. Keep in mind it has more "saturated fat" than other oils but has been proven to give health benefits, not all fats are equal.

EXTRA VIRGIN OLIVE OIL: This does a few of the same things that coconut oil will do for you. It has a nice flavor. I prefer to buy organic.

*coconut and olive oil cost more. Keep in mind treating heart disease and heart attack is also very expensive.

BAD CHOICE

MAYONNAISE: This is a type of oil (Usually vegetable) emulsified (combined) With raw eggs, salt and sugar. Sounds really appetizing, right? There is not reason for any human, ever for any reason except for starvation to consume mayonnaise.

GOOD CHOICE:

Greek Yogurt: This substitute gives you a lot of the texture of mayonnaise (as in tuna fish or egg salad) Without adding a bunch of useless garbage fat calories. You can also substitute Greek Yogurt for anything you would use sour cream for. I used it in a sour cream chocolate bundt cake, delicious. This adds protein and good fats with no downside! USE IT!

BAD CHOICE:

SUGAR, NUTRASWEET, ASPARTAME, SUCRALOSE AND ALL 0 CALORIE ARTIFICIAL SWEETENERS: It says right on the can aspartame causes cancer. Sugar is very clearly a downer, it makes us fatter, hungrier, and is highly addictive. Cheap to make cheap to sell and highly addictive. Sounds like a recipe for big $$$$. The reason 0 calorie artificial sweeteners are 0 calorie? Your body does not recognize them as food. We know some of the harm they do but not all. Hunger and over eating have also been attributed to these.

GOOD CHOICE:

RAW HONEY, PURE MAPLE SYRUP, STEVIA, XYLITOL. These are all naturally made. The health benefits of Raw Honey and Pure maple syrup are another post for another day. Try these in place of sugar. Ratios in cooking will vary, but you will be healthier.

Keep pushing you don't lose until you quit trying!