While we all love pasta, pizza, and all things carbs (and it's definitely more than okay to indulge once in a while) these aren't the most health conscious foods out there. Here's a list of the ways that chickpeas, cauliflower, and all types of plants are sneaking their way into our foods – and succeeding at it, too – to create these healthy alternatives!
1. Banza Pasta
Nothing compares to good, old fashioned pasta, right? Well, you'll be pleasantly surprised with this chickpea (healthier) alternative from the brand Banza that you won't even know you're not eating classic, wheat noodles. Plus, besides tasting good, Banza is packed with more protein and fiber than your typical pasta, so there's no reason you can't enjoy pasta every night of the week. There's all shapes from linguine to rigatoni to shells to wheels and even Mac and cheese. You won't ever get bored!
2. Ezekiel Bread
Food for Life's Ezekiel 4:9 bread makes any kind of bread you could ever ask for. And you would never know it's a healthier alternative to your favorite bread! From whole grain to cinnamon raisin to flax seed, the possibilities are endless. Made with absolutely no flour, the ingredients consist of a combination of six grains, legumes, and more health benefits than that found in a typical loaf of bread. Besides being a great source of protein, amino acids, vitamins B and C, and fiber, Ezekiel promotes digestibility and absorption of minerals. You don't see that too often in your foods, so there's no reason not to try this amazing product.
3. Dairy-Free Milk
Whether you choose soy, almond, rice, oat, coconut, cashew, peanut, or any others that may pop up, plant based and dairy-free milk is the new fad that also has health benefits over your typical cow's milk. These milk alternatives don't taste exactly like cow's milk, but they will each have a subtle hint of the product they're made with. Most of these alternatives provide health benefits such as lower cholesterol content, no saturated fat, and less sugar. These days everyone seems to have some sort of dietary restriction, so it seems fitting that milk alternatives are making their way into households regularly.
4. Anything Cauliflower
Cauliflower is the new fad. It's showing up in what seems like every single food recently as the "alternative" for anything with gluten. Luckily you don't have to be gluten free to enjoy these products. The leader of this healthier cauliflower alternative trend is Trader Joe's with everything from cauliflower pizza to cauliflower gnocchi to crackers. You can do anything that you could do with these classic foods. Top your pizza with tomato sauce, cheese, vegetables or anything else. Cover your gnocchi in pesto, vodka sauce, tomato sauce, and more. You'll forget you're eating cauliflower.
5. Almond Butter
Every household has a good, creamy peanut butter lurking in their cabinets but in recent years, almond butter has been making it's way into households, even replacing peanut butter in some cases. Almond butter has more vitamins, minerals, and fiber than peanut butter. It's a good source of monounsaturated fats that our bodies need and contains vitamins that can help lower risk of heart disease and cholesterol. Plus, I guarantee you that your favorite peanut butter brand also sells almond butter, so there's no reason to not give it a try!
Our indulgence foods shouldn't have to be limited to certain "cheat days." It's a good thing these alternatives are both healthy and taste good! You won't even miss the real thing