Little Pain for Big Gain!

by Jeff Lovinger

Everybody knows habits die hard. Given human nature, we would rather take the chance that we won't have to change; a drastic event must occur that forces us to change some aspects of our lifestyle or eating habits. Well, Hamlet's take on this issue was "assume a virtue if you have it not...Refrain...and that shall lend a kind of easiness to the next abstinence, the next more easy; for use almost can change the stamp of nature."

See Jeff's "Tofu Magic" recipes...

ALTERNATIVES FOR HIGH FAT, SALT AND CHOLESTEROL FAVORITES

So from the sublime to the ridiculously practical: we are talking only of some simple substitutions that significantly reduce your intake of fat, cholesterol, and salt. Whatever can't be found in your local supermarket is available at health food stores. Remember to read labels for ingredients and additives!

Most of the alternatives include soy, the wonder food that can't be ignored any longer. As of late 1999, the FDA allows the following health claim on foods with at least 6.25 grams of soy: "Eating 25 grams of soy protein daily in conjunction with a low fat, low cholesterol diet may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease."

Meat alternatives:
Tofu
Tempeh
TVP -- Textured Vegetable Protein
Seitan (wheat gluten)

These are all high protein, lower fat, cholesterol free alternatives to meat. You are probably most familiar with tofu, a soy protein, which is essentially flavorless and comes in several consistencies. It becomes a flavor vehicle. The firmer styles can be cubed or mashed; while the silken tofu can be used as a sauce base. Tofu can be frozen almost indefinitely before thawing for use. Once thawed and drained, it crumbles easily into soups or stews. (See tofu recipes)

Tempeh is made from cultured soy beans and can be sauteed and added to stir fries, grated, or used in stews. It carries 2 1/2 times the amount of protein found in tofu: 20 grams of protein per serving vs. 8 grams. (Tempeh originated in Indonesia and has been a staple food there for centuries - for more info go to http://www.tofurkey.com/discover/what_is_tempeh.htm) Light Life carries 6 different varieties including other grains and flavors (see web site at LightLife.com).

TVP is dried from defatted soy flour and can be crumbled into soups, chili, and stews, or used for veggie burgers or in taco fillings. Use plenty of liquid with TVP as it morphs to 2-3 times its size in liquid!

Lastly, seitan, made from wheat protein, usually comes frozen. Once thawed, it can be pulled apart and sauteed as "chicken" or can be purchased already formed into chicken or turkey shapes.

Light Life has a Smart Deli line of products using these meat alternatives. They are free of all additives, including the nitrates and MSG which are ubiquitous in regular deli meats. For example, the turkey and bologna style products, made from both soy and wheat gluten, have no fat, 10-11 grams of protein and only 40-50 calories per serving.

Vegetable oil alternatives: Canola, olive, safflower and peanut oils

All oils have about the same level of total fat (14 grams) per tablespoon, but these oils are cholesterol-free and non-hydrogenated. Canola and safflower oil each has 1 gram of saturated fat. This is the type of fat that is beneficial for you vs. saturated fat which comes from animal and dairy products. Canola oil is the best all-around oil for baking and sauteing, but peanut oil should be used for high heat stir-frying, as canola and olive oils will burn. Olive oil is prized for salad dressings, sauteing, and dipping. Peanut and olive oils have 2 grams of saturated fat.

Always look for "expeller-pressed," which is a mechanical process that avoids heat. Machine-pressed oils have fewer nutrients, as the heat from this process kills them, and may contain chemical solvents as well.

Butter alternative: Spectrum spread

Made from canola oil, Spectrum is cholesterol free and contains no hydrogenated fats as does margerine. Butter is more than half saturated fat, and one tablespoon of the dreamy stuff unfortunately contains 10% of the recommended maximum daily cholesterol intake. Spectrum also has a slight edge on calories (80 calories vs. 100) and total fat (10 grams vs. 11). The drawback is that it doesn't really melt, so you might let your toast cool a bit before "application." It shouldn't be used in cooking -- consider the healthiest oils instead (see above).

Mayonnaise alternative: Nayonaise (Nasoya)

Made from silken tofu, Nayonaise has only 3 grams of unsaturated fat vs. mayonnaise's partially saturated 11 grams. It also contains no cholesterol and has 1/3 the calories of mayonnaise. My children were brought up on it and recently asked why it was called Nayonaise and not mayonnaise!

Cream alternative: Fat free half and half or evaporated skim milk

Cream is one of the primary fat and cholesterol culprits. Heavy cream flaunts a daunting 10 grams of fat per 2 Tablespoons and 40 mg. of cholesterol; while light cream is a runner up with 6 grams of fat and 20 mg. of cholesterol. By contrast, fat free half and half and evaporated skim milk by definition have no fat, and no cholesterol. Cream falls down on calorie content, too, of course: heavy cream has 100 calories per 2 tablespoons and light cream has 60. Fat free half and half has only 20 calories and is an excellent substitute for cream in your coffee. Either works well in cream sauces, but fat free half and half has the edge over the canned milk for flavor and consistency. However, Land of Lakes fat free half and half (the only fat free brand I have seen so far) has several additives, many of which are in its regular half and half; while evaporated skim milk has only vitamins added. (Always check labels as some brands have more additives.) If you do use the evaporated skim milk for a cream sauce, use some 1% or 2% milk as well. The best alternative health-wise is to avoid dairy altogether and use plain soy milk. At any rate, cream should become only a distant vague memory!

Milk alternative: Soy milk or rice milk

Avoid dairy and cholesterol by using soy milk or rice milk on your cereal and in recipes. Soy milk is the richer of the two; while rice milk is sweeter and lighter in consistency. For example, light soy milk has 2.5 grams unsaturated fat and 4 grams of sugars, while light rice milk has 2 grams of fat and 7 grams of sugars. (Note: 1 teaspoon of sugar contains 6 grams.) Both have 80 calories per eight ounces. Unsweetened soy milk with 0 sugar content is also available.

Soy Sauce alternative: Bragg Liquid Aminos

Soy sauce is in a class by itself when it comes to sodium content with 1210 grams per tablespoon (light version is 50% less). Bragg's, made from vegetable protein (soy) and water, is an unfermented substitute for soy sauce, with about the same sodium content as the light version. It can be diluted for marinades. Bragg's also contains 16 amino acids. (See detailed web site: Bragg.com.)

Salt alternative: Eden Organic Gomasio

In addition to Mrs. Dash, and Spike, which are seasoning mixes, Gomasio (with or without seaweed!) is an excellent Japanese seasoning mix of sesame seeds and sea salt, with the salt content reduced to only 35 mg. per 1/2 teaspoon. This is delicious on rice and veggies.

EDITOR'S NOTE: Coffee alternative: None - but try chai, black tea, green tea, vanilla hazelnut tea or roastarama. My favorite chai tea mix brand is Big Train (chaitea.com), and the last two caffeine-free recommendations are from Celestial Seasonings. Since for most of us coffee is non-negotiable, at least be sure to drink an equal amount of water to offset the diuretic effect, and remember that this is in addition to those daunting 8 glasses a day! (Always carry water with you and drink it at every opportunity!)




See healthwell.com, publisher of delicious living magazine, vegetariantimes.com and vitasoy-USA.com for a start on related web sites, as well as the sites mentioned above.

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Tofu Magic - Cooking with Jeff

Who is Jeff Lovinger