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These are suggestions of easier-to-digest and healthier foods to substitute for other ingredients more commonly used. Please add your own suggestions in “Comments”.
Butter: Use a heart-smart margarine, such as Smart Balance. Try to saute in stock/broth, wine, water, olive or canola oil. Lemon juice is a tasty and healthful seasoning.
Cheese: Soy and rice based cheeses are found at most health food stores and national supermarkets like WalMart, and work almost as well as dairy products, although often are more costly. Many large supermarkets also carry vegetarian/soy cheeses. And there is a new sliced cheese out called Heart Smart, recommended by the American Heart Association for being low fat and cholesterol free.
Chocolate for Baking: Use 3 Tbs. plain cocoa plus 1 Tbs. heart-healthy margarine as a substitute for 1 ounce (1 square) of unsweetened baking chocolate.
Cream, Light: Instead of 1 c. light cream, use 2 Tbs. healthy margarine and 1 cup, minus 2 Tbs., of rice or soy milk
“Cream” Sauces and Gravies: Blenderize cooked vegetables until thick and smooth for a base, such as white and sweet potatoes, zucchini or mushrooms in broth, or a combination of sauteed vegetables in 1-2 Tbs. olive oil or healthy margarine, like my personal favorites of celery, carrots and potatoes (when substituting green pepper for potatoes, this is called The Trinity by chefs) with a little added cooking water or broth. Or make a roux by quickly stirring 1 Tbs. acceptable flour into 1 Tbs. heated oil or melted heart-smart margarine, stir, and add 1-2 c. broth/stock or rice/soy milk until cooked to desired thickness; add seasonings. Traditional cream sauces use 2 Tbs. margarine, 2 Tbs. flour and 1 c. milk for a medium thickness sauce. This is easily adapted by substituting healthy margarine or olive oil, “safe” flours and rice or soy milk. Arrowroot is also a wise alternative to cornstarch or flour as a healthier choice of thickener.
Dairy products besides cheese: Once again, many varied rice and soy products are available, even at some large supermarkets. Since soy is unfortunately often a genetically modified product, it is wise to only buy organically certified soy products. In fact, when possible, I also buy organically certified rice and rice products which are more often than not, reasonably priced. The organic rice and soy milks and ice creams are surprisingly tasty and satisfying. Be sure to look for soy and rice products that are also calcium fortified for another nutritional boost.
Eggs: Eggbeaters and other commercial egg replacement products work very well. You can also crack regular eggs and just use the whites (2 egg whites for each whole egg), or some people substitute tofu in scrambled “egg” recipes. For each egg in many baked goods, try substituting 2 Tbs. arrowroot, cornstarch or 1-1/2 Tbs. soy or other flour.
Gelatin: Commercial gelatin-based products such as Jello type products and marshmallows, to name a few, are made from questionable animal sources. Try using the vegetable product of agar-agar from health food stores instead.
Healthy eating,
Marianne
Combine all ingredients in a bowl, cover and chill 2 hours or more.
Finely chop: 2 plum tomatoes and 1/4 red onion
Minced garlic clove
2 tbs. lime or lemon juice
1 tbs. good olive oil
Salt and pepper to taste
2 ripe avocados, peeled and mashed
1 tbs. fresh cilantro (optional)
Serve with tortilla chips or chips of your choice.
OR
Healthy eating,
Marianne
A wonderful comfort food, updated for healthier ingredient choices and tasty leftovers.
Preheat the oven to 350F. Bake 30-40 minutes until the potatoes are browned.
Lightly oil an 8″ or 9″ sized, deep casserole baking dish
In a bowl, combine:
2-3 cups leftover cooked turkey or chicken, cut into small chunks
1-1/2 c. homemade (see recipe below) or canned mushroom or other gravy (check label for possible ingredients that may bother you) OR homemade gravy
1/2 lg. bag frozen mixed veggies of your choice, microwaved to thaw completely
Pour into the casserole dish.
Cover the top of the food with mounds of leftover mashed potato (made without dairy), spreading the potatoes to cover the whole top of the dish. Serves 4.
Mushroom Gravy
In a medium skillet, lightly saute 2 c. sliced mushrooms and 2 tbs. minced onion in 1 tbs. olive oil. Add 2c. canned chicken or vegetable broth/stock. Cook over med. heat till bubbly. Stir in 3 tbs. cornstarch, arrowroot or acceptable flour that has been dissolved smoothly in 1/2 cup more broth. Stir into the gravy and continue to stir with a whip until thickened and smooth. Taste for seasonings and adjust accordingly. Keeps in refirgerator for up to 4 days.
Healthy eating,
Marianne
The real secret of success for dining out without developing digestive upset is taking the time to ask your waiter to find out ALL the ingredients in a dish you have questions about. For those who need to, ask if they have a menu featuring non-gluten and non-wheat products. Check sodium levels. Several restaurants do offer one, two or more choices like that. Restaurants, even upscale ones, often use pre-packaged and pre-prepared ingredients made by wholesale suppliers that have several ingredients you might not suspect. For me, I only go to restaurants and fast food places that offer foods I know I can eat, especially offering freshly made, uncomplicated foods without sauces or gravies. Most of the fast food franchises offer unprocessed or un-pressed whole chicken breast sandwiches, just ask for no cheese (if lactose intolerant or suffering from dairy digestive problems) and no iceberg lettuce (very difficult to digest), and make a decision as to how you will be affected by what sauces or spreads they use. If you do not want to eat wheat products, you can just order the baked or grilled chicken breast with tomato slices without a bun. Many restaurants, as well as fast foods, have internet sites where you can check the ingredients of many of their foods, and many even publish information on their gluten-free dishes.
Baked potato bars are open in many areas, offering a large variety of toppings we can eat. The Hard Rock Cafe, Denny’s, Ruby Tuesday’s and Burger King all have begun offering veggie burgers on their menus along with other tummy-friendly food items. Even some baseball parks now offer veggie burgers and hot dogs. Many true vegetarian dishes may have ingredients that are “safe” for you, but still ask the waiters for an ingredient list. Do not assume that just because a dish looks vegetarian or “safe” for you to eat, that it is.
Research and vigilance are your best defense!
Healthy eating,
Marianne
Many of us with digestive and bowel problems suspect that we may have an actual allergy or an intolerance to wheat and wheat products. For myself, I have many food intolerances, and I suspect wheat may be among them. One of the well known symptoms of such an intolerance is bloating, and that feeling, after you have eaten wheat-based products, that they are sitting in your stomach like a lump of lead, seemingly nearly indigestible. In the past, I have made my diet wheat free, and believed it did help. Now I am doing so again as much as possible as I continue to strive to improve my health and the quality of my life on a daily basis.
Is it a an allergy or an intolerance? A food allergy is an immune system response that can manifest itself in stomach upset and other digestive problems, eczema, asthma, hay fever and/or anaphylasxis. The most common food allergies are peanuts, tree nuts, fish, shellfish, milk, eggs, soy and wheat. A food intolerance is most often a digestive system response by someone who cannot fully digest a certain food or some part of a food’s makeup. The most common food intolerance is dairy products, with lactose in dairy being the culprit. However, under certain conditions such as in particular diseases like IBS, Crohn’s, and Celiac Disease, it can often be a combination of allergy(s) and intolerances.
When you suspect a food intolerance or allergy of any kind, try completely eliminating that particular food from your diet altogether for two weeks to see if there is any noticeable difference. Read labels very carefully, because those very foods may be listed under different or unfamiliar names, and they could easily be incorporated in foods you would least suspect of containing them. For an excellent and complete list of what to eat and what not eat for a wheat allergy, see: www.lpch.org/DiseaseHealthInfo/HealthLibrary/allergy/wheat.html. For symptoms of other food allergies and intolerances, go to WebMD. And as I always caution, before changing your diet in any way, it is always best to consult your physician.
Please remember, as you look over that information, to stay aware that some of the foods listed may be “okay” for someone with ONLY a wheat allergy, but a few of the foods listed may not be on your “safe” list for digestive and bowel problems.
The culprits in a wheat allergy or intolerance are certain proteins in wheat, and can often include GLUTEN. Most of the Health Food Markets, particularly Wild Oats, have many wheat and gluten free products for sale. Try to eliminate both all wheat and gluten products if you suspect them. I have tried many of them over the years, and find that the breads made from just rice flour tend to be a little grainy, but I do like the spelt flour products. For more information on really good spelt grain and flour products, see: www.rudisorganicbakery.com. I particularly like their non-frozen, bakery fresh Spelt, Wheat Alternative Bread, with No Hydrogenated Oils. Since most of these baked goods have no preservatives, refrigerate them after opening. To warm up the sliced breads, I usually like to toast them. To make croutons, I toast them well on both sides, tear into bite-size pieces, and toss lightly in a seasoned olive oil. Or brush the bread with a seasoned olive oil or spread of your choice, toast under the broiler on foil or a cookie sheet, cool and tear into pieces.
In the “Eat Right 4 Your Type” (meaning blood type) books, and internet sites, by Dr. Peter D’Adamo, he says that people with Type “O” and Type “A” blood should avoid wheat products, although he does recommend Ezekiel bread, a frozen sliced loaf made with sprouted wheat. Sprouted wheat has not yet developed gluten.
Healthy eating,
Marianne
Sweet potatoes and yams are particularly safe, healthy, soluble fiber and comforting foods for all of us with digestive problems. This is a soup and soup base idea for you to use – there are few limits to the variety of dishes you can make with sweet potatoes.
Canned pumpkin can also be substituted, like any other cooked squash, for a similar soup base and more variety. Cooked acorn and butternut squash are particularly good as a soup base also. For a very light summer soup, try using zucchini and yellow crookneck squash..
Scrub and dry a large sweet potato. Microwave the potato until the flesh is soft, about 15-25 minutes on HIGH, depending on the potato’s size. Check after 15 minutes, turning the potato over. I often lightly oil the skin with a drop or two of olive oil to keep the skin from overcooking. Cool. Peel and cut into chunks, put in a blender and add as much or as little canned or homemade vegetable or chicken broth, or even rice/soy milk, as you want so that the soup will be the desired thickness. It is better to add the liquid a little at a time as you blend and smooth the ingredients. Seasoning is up to you, really depending on whether you are serving the soup as is, or will be adding other ingredients. Salt and a little pepper make good simple seasoning for this soup base.
Another version I make of this sweet potato soup is made like any other good potato soup:
In a large saucepan with 1-2 tbs. olive oil or an acceptable heart-healthy margarine (Smart Balance, for example), saute chopped onion, carrot and celery. Add one or two peeled raw sweet potatoes cut into chunks, and as much water or broth as you want. Bring to a boil, cover, reduce heat to medium or medium-low, and cook, stirring occasionally, adding more liquid as may be needed, until the potato is soft. This makes a good sweet potato-vegetable soup, very tasty with a little added thyme, salt and pepper. I usually use canned vegetable or chicken broth as the liquid. You can serve as is, mashing the potatoes to make the soup thicken or not, or pour all the cooled soup into a blender and blend until smooth and thick, like a bisque. When done, I sometimes stir in some cooked rice, leftover cooked vegetables or bits of cooked chicken or turkey. Fresh or canned tomatoes can also be a great addition for a differently flavored soup. For the holidays, a good dash of cinnamon and a sprinkle of nutmeg is delicious.
Try researching other sweet potato recipes, such as breads, cakes, muffins, etc. Like pumpkin and other squashes, and white potatoes, the sweet potato is a tasty and extremely versatile, low cost food that is very tummy friendly.
Healthy eating,
Marianne
Although I have written a recipe for a berry dessert below, for people with digestive problems, I suggest only eating berries very infrequently and in great moderation. Other August produce that may potentially cause digestive problems are green beans (if not thoroughly cooked), dried beans, black-eyed peas, corn, cucumbers, okra, berries, figs, peaches and pears (try them peeled and poached), and plums. For additional information, see my July 5, ‘06 entry “BE A SAVVY SEASONAL EATER”.
Luscious Berry Parfait
In parfait glasses or a large deep, round glass bowl, arrange the following ingredients in this order repeated for 2 layers:
Bite-size pieces of Angel food cake
A small scoop of acceptable ice cream made from soy or rice milk ( I like to use a vanilla or strawberry flavor)
Assorted washed berries, like a combination of blueberries, raspberries and strawberries that have been lightly dusted with sugar.
Let this sit at room temperature for 1/2-1 hour so that the ice cream begins to soften and soak into the cake. If the seeds in berries are bothersome to you, just use a few for color. When ready to serve, top with a dollop of Cool Whip Free, and sprinkle with colored sugar if desired. For more berry taste, you can also top the ice cream scoops with some seedless berry jam before adding a few fresh berries.
This also can make a very pretty red, white and blue dessert for holidays.
Skillet Summer Squash
This is fast, easy and very delicious.
Peel some zucchini and/or yellow summer squash, and slice into large slices. To 2 tbs. acceptable heart-healthy margarine or olive oil in a large skillet over medium heat, add the squash and sprinkle with salt, dried or fresh snipped dill and pepper to taste. Cover and cook about 5 minutes until the squash is tender. Uncover and toss with fresh or dried parsley. Saute a minute more. Serve hot. Also good at room temperature. Sometimes I like to add a squirt of lime or lemon juice and a fresh, chopped tomato or two to the pan. Another way to serve this dish is to substitute basil for the dill, add the tomato, and when done, serve with a sprinkle of grated Parmesan. Try serving this over some hot cooked pasta for a great, light summertime meal.
Healthy eating,
Marianne
