Increased energy, clearer skin, shinier hair, better sleep and reduced stress may only be a few swaps away..
Just like my personal training clients, my kitchen cupboard contents have transformed quite a bit in recent years – as have I! Out of all the ingredients I’ve swapped, here are the 3 that I believe have created the biggest and most significant changes to my health, fitness and shape for both me and my personal trainer clients.
Soy Sauce to Low-sodium Tamari
If, like me you love Asian dishes, you probably use soy sauce regularly. After eliminating gluten from my diet, I was concerned about what alternatives there were. Soy sauce contains not only wheat, but high levels of sodium.
Tamari is made from fermented soybeans, the fermentation process breaks down a lot of the soybean proteins that may cause allergies and upset. It tastes identical to soy sauce and eliminates the need for adding excess salt to dishes. It’s a great flavour enhancer and, for me particularly, a recipe life-saver! If you can’t find it in the ‘free from’ section, you can buy it online in bulk (make sure you choose organic!) which is what my personal trainer clients do, to save cash.
Any Cooking Oil to Coconut oil
It’s important to remember ANY fat can be congestive (leading to weight gain rather than loss) if you eat too much of it. This is why coconut oil and it’s vast array of benefits make it the only oil I cook with. It contains many medium chain triglycerides (GOOD fats!) that have been found to have therapeutic effects on several brain disorders; and been shown to increase 24 hour energy expenditure by as much as 5%; potentially leading to significant long-term weight loss!
The Tokelauan population in the South Pacific eat over 60% of their calories from coconuts, making them the biggest consumers of saturated fat in the world. They are in excellent health with no evidence of heart disease! Coconut oil is easy to digest and it’s high smoke point makes it ideal to cook with. Make sure you buy organic and cold pressed (the most nutrient-rich.)
Honey/Maple Syrup to Coconut Nectar
Continuing the coconut theme! I’m mystified how so many make millions from ‘sugar free’ cookbooks, yet the recipes contain vast amounts of honey or maple syrup! When we consume sugar, our bodies immediately try to flush it out of our system, which spikes blood sugars. Insulin must then rush in to help it out of our blood. This results in a crash, promoting fat-storage!
Coconut nectar is a nutritious, enzyme-active sweetener that comes from coconut tree sap. It contains minerals and amino acids and it’s low GI makes it suitable for diabetics. It is super sweet and sticky and an excellent store cupboard ingredient, for anything that requires sweetness. My husband uses it on his porridge, it has featured in all my Nourish at Home nutrition workshops and many of my blog’s recipes – which I hope you enjoy as much as I do!
Thanks so much for reading and I wish you happy shopping/swapping!
Gen x
