Food Replacements You're Looking For

Cola and Tea Replacements - while water and herbal teas are best, there are times when you just want something with taste!

• Try Zevia, which is a Stevia based diet cola drink. It comes in a huge variety of flavors! You can find this product at local grocery stores and specialty health stores.
• Keurig has brewable iced tea drinks made with Stevia. Dr. Green’s favorite: the half and half which is half iced tea, half lemonade.
• Lenny Boy, a local brewer in Charlotte, makes a tasty kombucha tea in a variety of flavors.  You can find these products at Earth Fare and Healthy Home Market.
• Hint of Water is a new product that is pure water, nature’s original refreshment, accented with a hint of natural flavor. There is no sugar, no artificial sweeteners. You can find Hint at local grocery stores like Harris Teeter.
• Consider making your own soda-like drink by using Soda Stream!  We’ve heard that it works very effectively and you’re in control of the ingredients.
• Looking to replace your daily cup of coffee?  Try Choffey, which is brewed chocolate and you can buy it on their website.

MILK, CREAMER, ICE CREAM AND YOGURT REPLACEMENTS

If you’ve given up dairy, don’t worry! There are a huge number of products out there that you can have.

• Silk Pure Almond has a great line of products! Their refrigerated almond milk is a wonderful replacement for regular milk. It is creamy and tastes delicious. Buy it in unflavored, vanilla or dark chocolate. They also have shelf stable cartons and cans that you can take with you when you travel. This is perfect for RepairVite and ClearVite diets! You can purchase this at local grocery stores and specialty health stores.
• So Delicious coconut milk and almond milk products are another great resource. They offer coconut milk yogurt, milk, coffee creamer, and ice cream products!  New to their line:  almond milk yogurt and ice cream products.  Find the full line of So Delicious at Earth Fare or Healthy Home Market or some of the products at Harris Teeter.
• Almond Breeze has a wonderful product line of dairy free alternatives! Our favorite is the shelf stable carton of Almond/Coconut milk blend. You can purchase this at local specialty stores like Earth Fare and Healthy Home Market.
• For those of you who can have rice, try Rice Dream or Almond Breeze rice milk. You can find these at your local grocery store and most likely it will be in a carton, sold in the shelf stable/baking aisle.

If you’re worried about not getting enough calcium by replacing milk, be sure to eat nondairy foods that are especially high in calcium. Some good sources are kale, collard greens, tofu, shellfish, salmon, legumes, and amaranth.  Be sure to read our article “Non-Dairy Sources of Calcium” for more information.

BUTTER REPLACEMENTS

Sometimes you just need some melted butter on something like a sweet potato!

• Earth Balance has a great line of butter replacements. All of their products are plant-based, vegan, made without artificial ingredients or hydrogenated oils, and are free of gluten, lactose and eggs. Find them at Whole Foods, Earth Fare, Healthy Home Market, Harris Teeter and Target.  Note:  they have several varieties and only one is soy free.  If you’re on a soy free diet, please look for the red label Earth Balance tub that is soy free.  They also have a coconut spread in a blue tub.
• Melt – this rich & creamy butter alternative is made from natural, fruit- and plant-based organic oils: virgin coconut, palm fruit, flaxseed, sunflower and canola. Each serving of MELT Organic is a rich source of Medium Chain Fatty Acids (the “good fats“) that your body burns as energy instead of storing as fat, thereby boosting metabolism.  You can purchase this at Whole Foods.
• Nutiva Buttery Spread – This delicious buttery spread is made from a blend of red palm oil and virgin coconut oil.  It’s the perfect 1:1 butter replacement for baking or cooking.  Buttery Spread is vegan and contains no dairy, soy or canola.

CHEESE REPLACEMENTS

Cheese seems to category many of us don’t want to give up! There is good news for cheese lovers!

• Daiya has a full line of cheese replacement products and yes, they do melt! Find wedges and shreds at local health food stores like Healthy Home Market and select Earth Fare stores.
• Parma is a great alternative to parmesan cheese without dairy, gluten and soy! You can purchase Parma at local health food stores like Earth Fare and Healthy Home Market.

EGG REPLACEMENTS

If you’re a baker, you may need to replace eggs in a recipe from time to time.

• Flaxseed can be used as an egg substitution. Mix one tablespoon ground flaxseed with two tablespoons warm water for each egg. Blend and let it sit for one minute. Add one half teaspoon flaxseed oil to this mixture plus ½ teaspoon baking soda. Beat into recipe as you would an egg.
• Ener-G has a product called Egg Replacer. It is sold in a box and you can purchase it from local health food stores such as Earth Fare and Healthy Home Market.

FLOUR AND BAKING MIX REPLACEMENTS FOR BAKING

There are many types of gluten free, wheat free alternatives to regular flour.

• Coconut flour is a low in carbohydrates and high in fiber and protein.  Coconut flour’s high nutritional value makes it a part of many diets, including low-carb and gluten-free.  Made of ground-up, dried coconut meat, our coconut flour is organic and unsweetened, although the natural sugars in the coconut make the flour mildly sweet. Some consider coconut flour just as tasty as wheat flour, if not tastier, and it has the advantage of being completely gluten-free. Also, coconut flour contains more fiber than any other flour, making it especially filling and a popular choice for those trying to lose weight.  Baked goods made with organic coconut flour are light and soft, with rich textures. Coconut flour can be substituted for up to 20% of the wheat flour in a recipe. Many gluten-free recipes use it as a base, including for coconut flour bread, cakes, and muffins.  You can purchase coconut flour at most traditional grocery stores and specialty stores.  Find recipes for items made with coconut flour HERE.
• Amaranth flour, almond flour, brown rice flour, buckwheat flour, chia flour, corn flour (and corn meal), millet, potato flour (and potato starch), quinoa flour, tapioca flour and teff flour are the most common forms of gluten free/wheat free flour. You can find these at local health food stores like Earth Fare and Healthy Home Market.
• Our favorite gluten free flour is from Jules Gluten Free and you can only buy it online. It’s worth it!
• If you’re trying to replace a baking mix, try Arrowhead Mills, which can be purchased at Earth Fare or Healthy Home Market.

SPICE REPLACEMENTS

Many spices have hidden sources of gluten (i.e. modified food starch).

• A Vogel has a delicious line of organic seasonings. The Herbamare is natural fine sea salt infused with organic fresh herbs and vegetables. This is perfect for vegetables and meats. You can find this line at Earth Fare and Healthy Home Market.
• Simply Organic spices offer a wide variety of organic spices and blends.  You can find this line at Earth Fare and Healthy Home Market.

SALAD DRESSING REPLACEMENTS  

SOY SAUCE REPLACEMENTS

• Try Coconut Aminos from Coconut Secret. This delectably delicious soy-free sauce, containing 17 amino acids, is dark, rich, and salty. It has an amazing resemblence to soy sauce and is made simply from raw coconut tree sap and sun-dried sea salt, naturally aged of course. Use it in salad dressings, marinades, and as a seasoning for toasted nuts and seeds. Coconut Aminos have a salty flavor with a slightly, just barely, sweet aftertaste. They are great used as a dipping sauce for Nori Rolls! They also have a number of other coconut-based products including coconut vinegar, coconut nectar, coconut crystals, and coconut flour. Find this line of products at Healthy Home Market and select Earth Fare stores.
• San-J has a full line of gluten free soy sauces and you’ll never know the difference! Find them at Harris Teeter, Earth Fare, Healthy Home Market and Trader Joe’s.

XANTHAN GUM REPLACEMENT

Gum (xanthan or guar) is the key to successful gluten-free baking. It provides the binding needed to give the baked product proper elasticity, keeping it from crumbling.

• Add 1/2 teaspoon xanthan or guar gum per cup of flour blend to make cakes, cookies, bars, muffins and other quick breads.
• Add 1 teaspoon per cup of flour blend to make yeast bread, pizza dough or other baked items that call for yeast.

Note:  If you purchase a commercial flour blend, read the ingredient list carefully. Some blends contain salt and xanthan or guar gum. If so, there is no need to add more.