Find tasty substitutes

If you need to give up or reduce your intake of certain foods it is

always best to
substitute with an alternative. Here are some suggestions:

Dairy products
Replace with oat or rice milk, or alternatively try almond or quinoa
milk. You
could also use small amounts of sheep’s or goat’s cheese, yoghurt or
milk.

Orange juice
Dilute apple, pear or grape juice concentrate, or drink mineral water.

Coffee and tea

It may be easiest to change to decaffeinated coffee or tea, although
make sure it
is carried out by a natural water process. Other alternatives are herb
teas or my
personal favourite is rooibos (redbush) tea, which is low in caffeine
and tannin.
There are many coffee substitutes such as ‘Caro’ or ‘Barleycup’ but
coffee
addicts may find these harder to change to as they might be
considered a poor
substitute for the real thing!

Hot spices
Use milder herbs for flavouring or a smaller amounts of spices. Soya
sauce is
also a good alternative.

Sugary foods
Use foods with a natural sweetness such as sweet potatoes, parsnips,
carrots
or peas (not frozen with added sugar!). Alternatively use foods that
have
been naturally sweetened with apple juice or molasses. Avoid most
artificial
sweeteners, although a sweetener called Xylitol is an excellent one – it
is natural,
and good for the teeth as well. Carob is a useful substitute for
chocolate (an
acquired taste if you’re a chocoholic!).

Fatty red meat

Eat more fish (oily fish such as sardines and mackerel is best) and
poultry. Eat
tofu burgers and sausages, and bean and lentil dishes.

Alcohol
Drink an occasional low-alcohol lager, or alternatively organic wine or
beer.

Wheat
Eat rice, oats, rye and products made from other grains (see page 14
for cooking
grains). Also eat fresh rye bread or pumpernickel bread. Use wheat-
free pasta
and other similar products. Eat oat biscuits or rice cakes. Find wheat-
free
‘bars’ for a healthy snack – usually available in health food shops.
There is also
much gluten-free food (which contains no wheat, oats, rye or barley)
in the
supermarkets now, and shops often have a ‘free from’ section where
you can buy
gluten-free and other allergen-free foods.