Most of us might have faced this situation where it is so hard to give up a particular food even if we know it is unhealthy. Maybe it would be easier if we swapped the problematic food for a healthier one.

When it comes to food I’m such a traditional Malayalee. I have so much nostalgia connected to food. I was such a picky eater as a child, my Mom’s nightmare. But at some point, I started to forget that I was a picky eater.

When I moved out of my house for higher studies, that’s when I realized how unique and amazing my Mom’s cooking is.

A lot of things happened since then, tried and failed to learn cooking, tried again, figured out my sensitivities, learned the basics of nutrition, and took ownership of my health.

It is really hard to switch out some foods when you have an emotional connection to them. That’s how our brain is wired. We connect memories with smell and taste, with food. In this article, I am going to dive deep into some food swaps that improved my health.

Gluten-free flour for wheat flour

This is the main one for me. For 20 plus years nobody realized I was getting sick all the time because of something in my diet, not my parents, doctors, and obviously not me. Most of us don’t think that way.

I was not having a gluten-heavy diet till I moved out of my parent’s house. That’s probably why the symptoms were mild then. I was having biscuits, snacks and cakes occasionally. But eventually, I started having rotis, bread, upma, etc on a daily basis.

I even thought for a while that I was losing energy because that’s how aging works (at age 20 LOL). Eventually, my anxiety increased, got tired and tired and I had to go to the hospital.

My hormones were out of whack and my doctor was clueless. That’s when I had to start learning how my body works. I have the detailed version of my story (Food is not just calories) on medium.

With the help of an elimination diet, I figured out I have non-celiac gluten sensitivity or gluten intolerance.

The unexplained colds, hot flashes, mood swings more importantly stomach issues everything made sense all of a sudden. Gradually I took control of my life, took care of my body and it rewarded me.

Food is not just calories

What is gluten?

Gluten is a protein found in wheat, barley and rye. Gluten helps foods maintain their shape, acting as a glue that holds food together. The soft chewy texture of the bread is a result of gluten.

The mechanism of gluten

When we eat gluten it’s broken down in our stomach and our immune system attacks it thinking it’s foreign. Eventually, this creates a kind of battleground resulting in inflammation.

In 2000 Dr. Alessio Fasano and his team at the University of Maryland School of Medicine discovered zonulin. Zonulin modulates the permeability of tight junctions between cells of the wall of the digestive tract.

So what does it have to do with gluten? It turns out that gluten is a strong trigger of zonulin in some individuals and zonulin is linked to increased inflammation.

Fasano says,

“No human being completely digests gluten, And in a small percentage of us, that undigested gluten triggers the release of zonulin,

Why are gluten-related problems on the rise?

Many theories and research are going on this topic.

• Some believe gluten intolerance is a result of losing touch with bacteria. Our microbiome is not diverse enough since we are not in touch with the earth. That explains why it is super high in developed countries.
• Wheat has changed. New variants of wheat have more gluten.
• Many people are reacting to glyphosate (round up) in wheat rather than gluten.

Common food groups to avoid

I had to avoid food items like

• rotis
• upma
• cakes and cookies ( literally everything from the bakery)
• bread
• pasta
• Kerala parotta 😥

and many more.

Hidden sources of gluten

But one thing I didn’t expect to find is that gluten is in everything if it is processed. Unexpected sources of gluten are,

• sauces
• salad dressings
• As thickeners and stabilizers in processed food items.
• Malt extract is a form of gluten
• cross-contamination from processing facilities, etc.

What to use instead?

This is a billion-dollar question, literally, because gluten-free products are an industry growing very rapidly.

But all the gluten-free products out there are not good for us. It could be more damaging than gluten. So, what can we do? Take your eye off processed food (not really food). Most unprocessed food items are gluten-free.

• Vegetables
• Nuts and seeds
• Good quality protein

Healthy gluten-free alternatives are,

• Millets like quinoa, foxtail millet, Jowar, Ragi and sorghum
• Grains like brown or wild rice, buckwheat
• Nut flours like almond flour, coconut flour
• Protein-rich options like chickpea and lentil flours
• Amaranth, etc.

Millets and wild rice for white rice

Gluten-free food items were my most important swap. After that, I started using more nutrient-rich flour for white rice flour. I use millet flours like sprouted ragi in

• Homemade gluten-free bread
• Occasional gluten-free cakes
• Dosa
• pancakes
• puttu

Why switch to brown rice?

White rice is highly processed and has a higher glycemic index than wheat. Brown rice has a slightly low glycemic index. Other forms of rice like

• Kerala matta
• basmati
• red rice
• black rice, etc has an even lower GI.

In addition, wild varieties have nutrients like

• Fiber
• selenium
• magnesium
• folate, etc.

One issue with rice apart from pesticides is its ability to accumulate arsenic. So it’s always best to include a variety of grains and millets in our diet.

Replace simple carbs with more complex carbs

Coconut sugar for white sugar

Most of us grew up eating refined white sugar on a daily basis. Most people know sugar causes weight gain but sugar is more problematic than that, it can damage your liver, destroy the balance of your microbiome, cause yeast overgrowth, etc. The amount of sugar hidden in processed food items is shocking.

What is the issue with refined sugar?

The adverse effects of sugar are many,

• Sugar is addictive
• Damages your immune system by lowering the efficiency of white blood cells
• Sugar empty calories with no nutritional value
• When too much fructose enters the liver, it gets turned into fat that can build up over time and ultimately lead to diseases like fatty liver.
• Linked to high cholesterol levels
• Causes inflammation

What about artificial sweeteners?

Commonly used artificial sweeteners are,

• Saccharin
• aspartame
• stevia
• sucralose
• maltodextrin

Are they good? Not really. In a nutshell, they mess with our microbiome which might result in serious issues.

What difference do healthier sugar alternatives make?

There are many “healthy” sugar alternatives. Are they really what they claim to be?

There are,

• Coconut sugar
• Monk fruit sugar
• Maple syrup
• Honey
• Dates

Although these sweeteners may offer limited health benefits compared with refined sweeteners, any sweetener should be used sparingly.

For example, coconut sugar is not that different from sugar, but it is less processed.

I mostly use it in occasional baking experiments. Since I cut down on conventional baked goods and processed items, my palette can’t tolerate sugar. So it is an addiction that can be reversed with some level of commitment.

Be mindful about amount of sugar we eat daily

Pink salt and sea salt for table salt

I don’t know if it’s just me, normal iodized table salt always tasted weird to me. Like sugar table salt is also highly processed and laced with chemicals like anti-caking agents.

Pink salt

Like table salt, pink Himalayan salt is mostly comprised of sodium chloride.

However, the natural harvesting process allows pink Himalayan salt to possess many other minerals and trace elements that are not found in regular table salt.

Pink Himalayan salt contains several minerals not found in regular salt. However, these minerals are found in very small quantities.

Sea salt

Sea salt is a general term for salt produced by the evaporation of ocean water or water from saltwater lakes. It is less processed than table salt and retains trace minerals.

Whichever type of salt you enjoy, do so in moderation.

Apple cider vinegar for synthetic vinegar

I don’t use vinegar very often. But traditionally in Kerala, it is so common to use vinegar in pickles and salads. The problem with synthetic vinegar is that it is highly processed whereas apple cider vinegar with “the mother” has live bacteria in it.

I use ACV in baking and making salad dressings mostly. It has many health benefits including weight loss and maintaining a healthy microbiome.

Always go for ACV with the mother.

Virgin coconut oil and ghee for butter

I grew up just coconut oil for everything. The smell of freshly pressed coconut oil feels like heaven to me. But at some point in my childhood, I remember seeing bottles of sunflower and palm oil being used for cooking. There were many reasons for the switch in households.

• Vegetable oil, sunflower oil, canola oil, etc were inexpensive compared to healthy fats like coconut oil and olive oil.
• They were advertised as extremely healthy
• They were fortified with vitamins
• There was this idea fat is so bad

The reality is far from that.

• Hydrogenated oils are heavily processed and they have many chemicals from all the processing.
• They have more omega 6s than omega 3s which will increase free radicals in our body
• They are highly inflammatory

Invest in good quality oils like avocado oil, extra virgin coconut oil and extra virgin olive oil.

Green tea for black tea

Tea is an emotion for Indians, black tea with milk is a must in my parent’s house. They add some cardamom and cloves, sometimes ginger, it is delicious.

The reason why I no longer drink tea with milk is that I wanted to cut down my dairy intake.

Black tea and green tea has similar levels of beneficial compounds. But green tea has,

• Higher levels of antioxidants
• Lower caffeine levels
• It helps our microbiome to thrive, etc.

Also, it is more enjoyable than sweetened black tea to me.

Dark chocolate for normal chocolate

I don’t have a sweet tooth nor does my husband. But he loves chocolate. He can eat 100% cacao with no expression. Chocolate has many health benefits,

• It has a good amount of soluble fiber and minerals
• Cocoa and dark chocolate have a wide variety of powerful antioxidants
• May help with heat health and blood pressure
• Improves gut health

The difference between cacao and cocoa is that cacao is raw beans usually fermented, while cocoa is roasted and usually processed. I would choose cacao over cocoa.

Choose at least 70 % dark chocolate for the health benefits.

Homemade oat milk and nut milk for normal milk

The problem with dairy

Dairy is a staple in Indian households. I grew up drinking organic milk from grass-fed cattle. But since I started to learn about nutrition, dairy doesn’t seem like the ideal food. My reason for avoiding dairy is that it has,

• High levels of growth hormones
• Highly inflammatory
• 70 % of the world’s population is lactose intolerant and I’m most probably one of them.

I occasionally eat yogurt with no preservatives. In yogurt, bacteria will break down the protein so it won’t be that hard on the stomach. Most importantly my skin problems disappear when I eliminate dairy for a while.

Why homemade?

I have tried several store-bought brands

• They are full of preservatives, emulsifiers and anti-caking agents which can disrupt gut health
• They are too expensive
• Availability is very low in India

There are many plant-based milk recipes online.

Homemade snacks for chips

This is an area where I love to experiment. Some of my go-to snacks are,

• Soaked and peeled almonds
• Apple slices with nut butter
• carrot and cucumber sticks with hummus
• Seasonal fruits
• Popcorn with non-GMO corn and fewer preservatives

Why soak almonds? Soaking and peeling will reduce some anti-nutrients and make nutrient absorption easier.

Pairing good fats with fruits like apples can keep you satiated for longer.

Popcorn is surprisingly a low-carb and healthy snack. But GMO corn is inflammatory.

Keep healthy snack options prepped

Fermented vegetables for store-bought pickles

I mentioned that I don’t use vinegar in pickles. That’s because I ferment pickles with salt. My favorite veggies to pickle are,

• Lemons
• Beetroot
• Carrot
• mangoes
• Indian gooseberries, etc.

Fermented vegetables have amazing health benefits, especially in maintaining a healthy microbiome.

Use good quality salt and experiment with different vegetables and herbs.

Homemade granola for cereals

This is not a usual breakfast or anything, but I occasionally make it. Honestly, most of the time we just eat it out of the jar as a snack.

When you make granola at home,

• You can control how much each ingredient is
• Can control the sugar
• You can try different ingredients and flavors
• It’s not as expensive as store-bought granola

My go-to ingredients are,

• Gluten-free rolled oats or rice flakes
• Seeds like pumpkin, chia and sunflower
• Nuts like almonds, cashews and peanuts
• A sprinkle of coconut sugar and cinnamon
• Honey and coconut oil

You can add anything like dry fruits, coconut flakes, etc to customize it.

The bottom line

I give credit to the combined effect of all these little tweaks I made. It’s never just one thing. Diet alone won’t be the savior. Sleep is even more important. Stress and movement are other important factors. Even our relationships affect our health and well-being. After all, life is all about balance.

Check out my other blogs on how to sleep better and how to build the perfect night routine. If you are motivated to change your life, read my blog on how to eat healthy on a budget.