Simple swaps

Simple swaps: What they are & how to make them

It’s easy to modify your favourite evening meals to make them suitable for weight loss. Small, manageable changes to your diet make weight loss and healthy eating feel so much easier.

We call these ‘simple swaps’ and it involves swapping foods that are either easy to overeat or less nutritious, with equally-delicious veggies. Embracing simple swaps is one of the fastest ways to improve nutrition we know.

Plus, you can still cook and enjoy your favourite meals to share with your friends or family!

Simple swaps for weight-loss

Swap RICE for cauliflower or broccoli rice
Swap POTATOES for roasted cauliflower or celeriac or cauliflower mash
Swap PASTA & NOODLES for courgetti
Swap TORTILLA WRAPS for iceberg lettuce wraps
Swap VEGETABLES GROWN UNDER THE GROUND (potatoes, carrots, turnips, beets) for vegetables grown above ground

Why? Because rice, potatoes, pasta and breads contain significantly more calories, significantly fewer nutrients and are much easier to overeat than the swaps we recommend.

By the way, it’s pretty simple to make cauli or broccoli rice or mash (see the recipes below), but we’re all for keeping it simple. Boiled or steamed florets are just fine, especially on a school night. They’re delicious roasted in a little olive oil if you fancy something different.

Simple swaps recipes

1. Courgetti

Allow 1 large or 2 small courgettes per person. Trim the ends of the courgettes and use a spiralizer to create long, thin spirals.

No spiralizer? Cut the courgettes into thin strips or use a julienne or potato peeler lengthways to peel the courgette into ribbons.

Enjoy them raw or fry with olive oil for 1-2 minutes.

2. Cauliflower rice

Cut cauliflower or broccoli into small chunks.

Place in your food processor and blitz in batches until it resembles the texture of rice. Alternatively, you could use a grater.

Enjoy raw or stir-fry with a little olive oil for around 5 minutes.

3. Celeriac fries

Peel off the rough skin of the celeriac, then dice or chop into chip-shaped slices.

Add the chopped celeriac to a bowl and coat with a good drizzle of olive oil, salt, pepper and any spices.

Bake in the oven for around 30 minutes or until crispy.

4. Cauliflower mash

Chop up the head of a cauliflower into small florets and place in a large pan or pot. Cover with water and heat until the water boils, before simmering for around 10 minutes.

Drain and place the cauliflower in a food processor with your choice of add-ins (a knob of butter and some salt and pepper works well).

Process until smooth and serve!