‘I’m a Carboholic,’ Part #5

Note: the following is not intended as professional advice. If you are concerned about your diet, consult your medical professionals.

Hi, I’m Helen, and in this fifth and last instalment of ‘I’m a Carboholic’ (someone who is addicted to refined and ultra-refined carbohydrates), we’ll take a peek at how easy, delicious, (and fun) it is to move towards whole foods in your diet.

If you’ve suffered from unexplained hunger pangs all your life, and had trouble maintaining a healthy weight, you may (after consultation with your GP) choose to move towards whole foods (foods that have changed little from their original state), and even switch to them altogether. Either way, it’s easy-as. Let us walk you through it!

Subs

Whole foods can be added to your existing recipes so they’re barely noticeable. Here are 4 ways to do it:

1. Exchange 50% of minced meat for canned brown lentils in rissoles, casseroles, meatballs, shepherd’s pie, and lasagne.
2. Skip the grated cheese topping on potato-topped pies, and instead, sprinkle over toasted sesame seeds, finely chopped, dry-roasted nuts, or a ground almond and dried herb mix.
3. Toast jumbo oats in a dry fry pan until gold brown. Use them to replace half your commercial breakfast cereal for a crunchy treat.
4. Exchange 50% of white flour for buckwheat flour in scone, bread, and pancake recipes.

All-out

Replace a few staples in your diet with 100% whole food alternatives (start by doing this on just 1 or 2 days a week until you’re up to speed!):

• Ground lentil wraps instead of bread (fill them with salad and left overs).
• Creamy salad dressings (this wide range of whole food salad dressings will astonish you with their variety and flavour – and they can be made in minutes).
• Smooth, soft brown rice. If you religiously avoid brown rice because it has all the texture of toenails, it’s probably because you’re not cooking it correctly. All you need do to produce brown rice every bit as tender as white rice, is to soak it for an hour or two in the same water it will be cooked in, before you cook it!
• Plant-based pasta has taken the world by storm. It uses beans and lentils as its base instead of refined flour. It’s available in most supermarkets, and is a healthy alternative to regular pasta.
• Mushrooms are meaty. Next time you feel like a grilled steak, pick up a pack of portobello mushrooms instead. And serve them with this tasty whole food tomato ketchup!
• Rich, brown gravy is delicious, but almost always uses oil (or animal fat) as its starting point. Make the whole food alternative by creating a white sauce (use chickpea flower instead of white flour) and add your own flavourings in the form of Vegemite or Marmite, soy sauce, miso, and tomato paste. Or check out this flavoursome alternative.

Easie-peesie!

Half the fun of whole food eating is learning completely new ways of cooking. Here’re some for you to experiment with:

• In the beginning … so many recipes begin with frying a chopped onion to bring out the flavour. An alternative is to steam the chopped onion for a few minutes in vegetable stock (use a frying pan), until the onion is tender and the stock has evaporated.
• Invest in a pressure cooker – the most basic foods will emerge tender and more full of flavour than you could ever imagine! It’s a totally new way of doing things.
• Flatbed ceramic sandwich presses are a whole food lover’s heaven! They allow grilling without added fat, and will help you create crackers in minutes from thin slices of potato.
• Steam instead of boil – this cooking method will retain the natural sweetness and flavour of your vegetables and fruits.

Whole food eating is an exciting way of enjoying meals and snacks. For carboholics like me, who want to keep well away from processed foods, there are boundless recipes to be enjoyed!