A Healthy Fix for Unhealthy Cravings

Published:September 28, 2023 | LET’S EAT, Nutrition 營養貼士

Eating healthily isn’t always easy, particularly given how tempting it is to do the opposite. No matter how hard you try to be disciplined, there always seems to be that part of you that just has to have that one bag of potato chips, or those two scoops of ice cream, or that one helping of onion rings. As anyone who’s been on a diet will tell you, resisting the urge to eat these foods is very difficult and chances are, sooner or later you will eventually succumb to it.

This is no accident, nor necessarily a reflection of weakness on your part. As nutritional food coach and founder of Our Conscious Kitchen Michele Wisla explains, such foods are designed by manufacturers to chemically stimulate feelings of pleasure in us. The more concentrated the calories in a food item are, the faster they enter our bloodstreams, causing a dopamine rush that we easily become addicted to. Thus, we are compelled to not only keep buying unhealthy foods, but to buy more and more of them to feed our growing addiction to them.

“You’re getting foods that are highly concentrated in fat, salt and sugar. And that’s actually engineered by people who’ve studied how to make us more addicted so that we want to eat more of it” says Michele, who also blames cultural factors for the addictiveness of these foods. “We live in this world where it’s all around us […] and then our brains are essentially programmed in childhood to crave this.”

Fighting these urges is the bane of many a dieter’s life. But what many don’t realise is that there are ways to satisfy them without compromising one’s health. It’s just a matter of knowing what healthy foods (and what combinations of ingredients) can replicate the tastes and textures of unhealthy ones. Better still for those on vegan diets, many of these foods are completely plant-based.

WELL, with the help of Michele Wisla, we’ve compiled a list of healthy alternatives to unhealthy foods, explaining the science behind their satisfying sensations and even share a few tips on how to enjoy them at home.

Silken Tofu

Replaces: Cream

The appeal of any food has just as much to do with the texture as with the taste. In the case of silken tofu, which is made from a soya bean curd, it has a high water content and a creamy texture to it. Because it is made from soya beans –which have a higher fat content than other beans– it also has a dairy-like richness to it. So, when pureed into a liquid form, it can easily replicate the texture of real cream and leave the same satisfying sensation in one’s mouth. Moreover, it has a much lower calorie content.

“It’s replicating the mouth feel [of cream], and it just has a high enough fat content that we’re satisfied with it” says Michele.

For a real taste (pun not intended) of how delicious this vegan alternative can be, try it as an ingredient in any given cream-based dessert recipe. We particularly recommend Michele Wisla’s tofu cream chocolate pie, whose strong chocolatey flavour will mask whatever inconsistencies in taste the tofu has with real cream.

Date Sugar

Replaces: Refined Sugar

Refined sugar is one of the most common types of ingredient in commercial foods, being sold not just on its own or even in sweet foods, but also being used as a preservative or fermenting agent in more surprising foods like bread or pickles. However, it is also linked to an array of health problems from obesity to heart disease and has little nutritional value.

In contrast, date sugar is a much healthier alternative. Unlike refined sugar –which is made by extracting chemicals from sugar cane and sugar beets– date sugar is made from grinding whole dehydrated dates into a fine powder. As a result, it still retains its fibre and other accompanying nutrients beside sugar.

Frozen Banana and Cashew Nut Blend

Replaces: Ice Cream

You might think that the milky, sweet sensation of ice cream couldn’t possibly be replicated. But in fact, frozen banana and cashew nuts both have attributes that make for surprisingly good ice cream substitutes in combination. When frozen, bananas take on a rich, creamy texture very similar to that of ice cream. Meanwhile, cashew nuts, like soya beans, have a high fat content (for a plant) and are frequently liquidised into dairy substitutes. Simply blitz the two together in a blender, and you have an ideal mix for a plant-based ice cream.

For those still unconvinced, or those who don’t care for the taste of banana, fear not. Flavouring agents like vanilla extract, ground dried strawberries or even plain old chocolate can help you make this taste however you want. To go the extra mile in this regard, you can also use cavendish bananas in the mix, as these have a less pronounced flavour that is more easily masked.

“If you like it more sweet, you could use the local Chinese banana. It’s a much sweeter banana” advises Michele.

Cashew Nut Cheese Sauce with Corn Tortillas

Replaces: Cheese Nachos Cheese

Sticking with cashews, they can also be used in substituting one of the most decadent of dairy-heavy junk foods: cheese nachos.

To make the cheese sauce, soak the cashews in water overnight so they will disintegrate more easily. Then blitz them to a creamy consistency in a food processor with nutritional yeast, which will add a cheesy flavour to the liquified cashews. For added flavour, you can also add things like lemon juice, paprika or garlic.

As for the chips, corn tortillas are easy enough to buy in most supermarkets and most contain cooking instructions on the packaging. For the healthiest and crispiest results for your nachos, look for tortillas with the least added ingredients and bake them in the oven. Then serve with the cashew cheese sauce on top.

Baked Onion Rings

Replaces: Deep Fried Onion Rings

In the words of Michele herself, “Any time we can remove fried foods from our diet, it brings up our health quota in our bodies”. And believe it or not, there is a way to enjoy this famously deep fried snack without the deep frying part.

To do this, make a batter by mixing flour with water or some kind of plant-based milk. Dip the onion rings in it, then coat them in breadcrumbs, quinoa flour or –if you have a gluten allergy– gluten free flour and bake in the oven until golden and crunchy. Baking not only avoids saturating the onion rings in oil, but also allows them to retain more of their natural flavour and reduces the presence of harmful compounds that often form during frying.

“You’re getting a lot of the onion taste that you miss when you’re frying your food” says Michele “You actually don’t really taste the onion when you’re eating fried onion rings, you’re tasting all that grease.”

Es-Chewing Unhealthy Food

Of course, like any addiction, the urge to eat unhealthily is hard to overcome even if you are aware of the alternatives.

As a nutrition coach, what Michele has found helpful in weaning her clients off these foods is for them to establish a long-term goal related to their eating habits, such as losing a certain amount of weight by a certain time. She recommends then breaking down that long term goal into a series of micro goals one can strive for to gradually obtain it, as this allows the goal to become more manageable and to be done at a pace that best suits the individual.

Having a tangible goal not only gives one an incentive to avoid unhealthy eating, but it also allows them (and/or their nutrition coach) to formulate a coherent plan for doing so, which is important to have when faced with the urge to eat unhealthy foods. And for some, being able to satisfy that urge with an equally tasty but much healthier alternative can be a part of that plan.

“I think the problem is people fall into the pattern of not having a plan when unhealthy eating tempts them” says Michele. “When you think about it ahead of time, then you’re much more clear on what you’re going to do.”

Before you go:

For more details on just how Michele works with clients to alter their eating habits, check out this article on Our Conscious Kitchen.
If you’d like to know how to make these foods, and many other healthy, plant-based dishes, follow this link to sign up for Our Conscious Kitchen’s free weekly newsletter, delivered directly to your inbox.