Eat well: How to make your meals healthier

It's not all doom and gloom for those with food allergies or intolerances. Skipping wheat, dairy, sugar or white rice can still a tasty and varied diet make. Here, holistic food guru Lee Holmes enlightens us to wholesome alternatives that more than measure up.

Wheat-free, no-sugar and dairy-free are terms we increasingly hear. For some, these food groups encompass a lifestyle switch for those seeking more wholesome, unrefined foods, and for others they represent a dietary need, the result of some allergy or intolerance. While omitting certain foods sounds like a life sentence, it doesn't have to be. By introducing a few substitutes, you won't have to miss out on both optimal health and undeniable taste.

White flour

“White flour is a highly refined product with little or no nutrition,” says holistic food coach Lee Holmes. “The refining process strips out nearly 100 different kinds of vitamins from the whole wheat kernel, and replaces them with synthetic quantities which requires the body to access its stored nutrients in order to digest the wheat.”

To replace white flour, Holmes recommends nutritious almond meal, buckwheat, coconut, chestnut, chickpea, quinoa and brown rice flours. These are gluten-free flours, which means, you may need to experiment to get your desired result, but there enlies a rewarding quest if ever we saw one.

“Gluten-free flours don’t display the same characteristics as gluten flours like white, wholemeal and spelt,” explains Holmes. “Gluten-free bread may have a crumblier texture and won’t rise as high as traditional bread, but the addition of arrowroot or tapioca flour may improve the end result. Gluten-free baking powder and bicarb soda are also helpful.”

Rice and buckwheat noodles are healthy, easy alternatives to pasta; or if you’re feeling adventurous, Holmes endorses ‘zoodles’ (blanched zucchini noodles) for warm dishes or ‘coodles’ (fresh cucumber noodles) in cold dishes.

Source: Benito Martin

Handmade buckwheat noodles with tobiko and shiso

White sugar

“Sugar can contribute to nutrient deficiencies, as it provides energy without any nutrients,” says Holmes. Instead of artificial sweeteners (a form of poison that promotes fat storage, according to Holmes), try a natural sugar substitute like pure stevia, coconut sugar or rice malt syrup. “Stevia is a wild herb that’s 200-300 times sweeter than sugar, without the affects that artificial sugars have on your insulin,” says Holmes. Coconut sugar, with its rich, nutty, maple flavour, low GI and minerals, is another relatively healthy addition; while the butterscotchy taste of rice malt syrup is currently the popular sweetener for good reason, containing only 3% glucose and variety of vitamins and minerals.

White rice

White rice is high GI and lacking in essential B-vitamins, iron, manganese and fibre when refined (from brown to white). If you stick with wholesome brown rice, you’ll get the same texture with more vitamins, minerals and an extra serve of fibre. Try it in risotto, sushi, stir-fries and alongside dishes like Holmes’ health-promoting eggplant and green bean curry.

Other great rice alternatives are buckwheat, which controls blood sugar levels; and quinoa, a complete protein that's great in porridge, risotto, soup, salads and stuffed vegetables.

Source: Adam Liaw

Smoked hairy crab with brown rice

Milk

“Cow's milk is a poor choice for people with low-functioning immune systems as it contains casein and lactose,” says Holmes. “These substances are incredibly difficult for many people to digest and process, leading to a wide range of digestive disorders.”

An abundance of substitutes are ready when you are: almond, cashew, rice, oat, quinoa, coconut or goat's milk: almond, rice or coconut milk are great for baking (almond milk is perfect for pancakes or baked goods); cashew milk is ideal for creamy savoury sauces and mashed potato; coconut milk is best for smoothies or ice-cream, as it has an excellent consistency and sweetness; and goat’s milk is unusually delicious on muesli or in homemade yoghurt (it’s high in calcium and more digestible than regular cow’s milk, but still contains a little lactose).

Creamy pink almond milk smoothie

Vegetable oil

Fats and oils from nature are vital for healthy immune function. Skip the man-made hydrogenated fats (trans fats) and polyunsaturated fats from vegetables oils such as canola, soy, safflower, sunflower, soybean and corn oils. “These are toxic and damaging to your entire body because they affect the structure of cells and severely depress immune function,” explains Holmes.

Good fats increase the body’s ability to absorb nutrients from other food and also provide your body with energy; they help the body to eliminate heavy metals like aluminium, mercury and nickel and lead; rebuild cell membranes; and act as carriers for important fat-soluble vitamins.

Try olive oil, which protects against heart disease. It can be damaged by heat, so use it unheated in salad dressings and homemade sauces or drizzled over cooked food. Coconut oil, which supports immune system function and is antiviral, antibacterial, and an antifungal agent, is easily digested and absorbed, and is great for cooking as it has a high burning point; and organic butter, packed with minerals, containing vitamin D, is great for cooking, baking or grilling on a moderate heat.

Asian chicken balls with coconut oil

 

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