Aubergines, courgettes, Lentils and all other devil foods!

This topic contains 13 replies, has 7 voices, and was last updated by LJoyce 7 years, 8 months ago.

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sam littlelegs

11:29 pm
17 Mar 17
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Hi Everyone.

I have some very big issues with some of the recipes both on-line and in the book. I really dislike some or most of the ingredients but am completely at a loss as to what to replace them with.

The offensive items predominantly tend to be:

Aubergines
Courgettes
Lentils
Carrots
Celery
Anything aniseed flavoured
Avocado
Most fruit
Pearl Barley
NUTS – in any shape or form
Olives
Chillies
and Finally (for now) seeds.

God that lot makes me seem like a very fussy eater!

Any suggestions of replacement foods for any of the above would be very much appreciated

HappyNow

12:06 am
18 Mar 17
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Ha ha, might be quicker to give us a list of food you do like 😁

sam littlelegs

7:52 am
20 Mar 17
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I realise that, however I came to the forum believing that my idiosyncrasies would be taken seriously and not mocked or belittled. I was led to believe that there would be others who had friendly assistance and guidance they could give me. pointing out to me just how challenging it is for me has not really Been very constructive. I want to make the changes necessary but also don’t want to spend my life having watery onion and mushroom soup and boiled fish or chicken.

Can anyone help with some suggestions to replace any of the items I have listed?

Cinque

8:09 am
20 Mar 17
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Hi Sam, it is really hard to help you because those ingredients will play different roles in different recipes.
Maybe if you give us a recipe you think you would like, if only it didn’t include the ingredients you can’t eat, we might be able to make suggestions.

More broadly, just try leaving out the ingredient you don’t like, swap a vegetable for another vegetable, and a grain for a different one.

HappyNow

9:48 am
20 Mar 17
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Sorry Sam, it wasn’t my intention to offend! As Cinque says, it will be recipe dependent and it’s difficult to advise on replacements without knowing the context.

Have you tried googling replacements? The internet is always a good place to start, and I’ve found the following website useful.

http://www.gourmetsleuth.com/ingredients

sam littlelegs

11:03 am
20 Mar 17
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Sorry, I am quite touchy about this now. Bourne of frustration and absolute fear of what is to come!!

I was trying to make the butternut squash and sweet potato soup – the recipe asks for red lentils. I understand that they are used to fill the soup out and to extend the time of feeling full. I am very stuck as to what to replace them with??

Pretty much every recipe in the book contains ingredients I either don’t like or cannot eat.

I have tried really hard to find replacements for myself but have gone round in circles so much I’m dizzy!

Merryme

11:33 am
20 Mar 17
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Hi Sam,

I wrote you a detailed message that I’ve somehow made disappear, can’t redo it right now, but I have 2 questions-

1. What is your favourite dish?
2. What are your favourite foods?

My list of foods I am allergic or intolerant to is linger than yours and I have successfully done 5:2 for 2 1/2 yrs. People here are very helpful, and it is easier to start with what you can eat. I’d add that you don’t have to use the recipes in the books. They’re only there for people who want to use them.

Merry

Sarah57

11:42 am
20 Mar 17
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Hi Sam

Just chipping in here to say that 5/2 doesn’t require you to use the recipes. It is best for the longer term that you eat healthily with not too many refined carbs, but for now why don’t you just start off by eating the calories allowance 5/600 calories on a fast day (depending on gender) and then normally without going mad on the other days. This will get you started and you can refine it later.

Not sure where you live but when I first started 5/2 because time was extremely tight I began by eating as healthy a calorie counted ready meal as I could find.

I like cooking and all the foods you list but you really don’t have to eat anything specific to be successful on 5/2. I am really surprised you can even identify the taste of a red lentil when pureed in a strong flavoured soup. But maybe that is a conversation for another day. Don’t worry about recipes for now just get going with it.
Good luck.

Marsbar2

8:53 pm
20 Mar 17
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Mushroom,onion,spinach omelette.Pork/lamb chop with green leafy veg.Fage ‘total’ yoghurt ,alone ,very yummy.Just a couple of things to try maybe?
A couple of fast days (water only) to concentrate the mind.
I’ve not followed any of the books recipes but taken in the no white carbs message.Carry on eating the things that you do like but avoid white carbs.

Cinque

9:17 pm
20 Mar 17
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Hi again Sam,
I think you are exactly right about the role of the lentils in that soup, but if you leave them out it will still be delicious and should still fill you up for a while.
The only thing I can think of substituting is another legume: chickpeas or white beans, if you like them!

sam littlelegs

9:17 pm
20 Mar 17
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Merry Me:

1. My favourite dish is duck in a plum sauce with egg fried rice!! lol Home made is pretty much anything with mashed potatoes!! Not the healthiest start.

2. My favourite foods are red meats, my freezer has rib eye steaks, venison steaks, lamb shanks and duck breasts. I like the simple boring meals – meat and two veg. Nothing spicy nothing hot.

Sarah57:

I thought that by using the recipes it would help me understand the whole calorie counting thing. I sound so thick writing this but I have never agreed with diets and never even contemplated going on one. I don’t understand any of it – I am trying to keep to the 500 on the fast days but no matter how hard I try I have yet to go below 700 and on the “feast”days I’m struggling to get below 2500. Like I said I’m really struggling.

I really don’t like the ready meal route because of all the additives, might as well cook the meal fresh at least I know what I’ve put in the meal. Just that I can’t work out the Kcal for each meal then!!! Ggggrrrrr!

I live in North Nottinghamshire, England.

Marsbar2:

I will try the omelette but how do you work out the calorific value?? This is where I get stuck! I’m trying to stay away from white carbs – I have bought a wholemeal loaf of bread for the first time in my life – it takes some getting used to but I will persevere!

Thank you all for your support with this and I am trying to get this right, I just think that the grey matter is taking a battering by having to start thinking again.

sam littlelegs

9:27 pm
20 Mar 17
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Hi Cinque

Thank you for that I can have a go at the soup now I have an idea of what I can possibly do. Because of health conditions I am unable to waste food, hence all of the questions.

Thank you

Cinque

9:57 pm
20 Mar 17
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Hope it works well!
Cheers!

LJoyce

3:15 am
21 Mar 17
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It you don’t like lentils and other legumes there are a couple of options that you could consider, depending on the recipie.

If you are making a soup that uses lentils as a thickener then an alternative is wholegrains, quinoa or pearl barley for example. They won’t give you the protein content that lentils would but will thicken the soup and are also good fibre sources.

If legumes appear in a recipie where they stay whole and are there to add fibre & protein then look for a vegetable alternative. If you don’t like dry legumes then you may find that fresh/frozen options work. I use frozen edamame beans and broad beans – you get the benefits of legumes but not the taste as they taste like a fresh sweet vegetable. (To be most palatable the edamame beans should be shelled and the broad beans peeled of the outer skin.) If you don’t like these either then perhaps add a protein source (eg meat or fish) instead of the legumes and make sure the veg you are using will give you enough fibre

With other vegetables just look at how they are prepared in the recipie. If they are being stir-fried then choose another veg that you know also works well for that cooking method, if they are being grated then what other veg can you grate? Some of it will be trial and error as you find textures and flavours that appeal.

Also, as has already been pointed out, you do not need to follow any special recipies you just need to stay under the fast day calorie limit. You may have more success if you look at food you already eat and see if it can be tweaked to fit into a fast day. Sometimes only minor adjustments are required or perhaps a smaller serve than you’d normally have.