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The Make America Healthy Again movement has Americans taking second looks at everything from ingredient lists to pharmaceuticals, but the fastest way to get healthy is much closer to home: our own recipes. And it turns out that upgrading tonight’s dinner plan is much easier than finding the latest superfood or protein concoction.
Here are the everyday ingredient swaps to make your regular rotation of favorites meet the MAHA mark.
Seed oil. By now, everyone has heard about the evils of seed oils such as canola, soy, and “vegetable” oil: They’re potential carcinogens, hyper-processed, and as far from a real vegetable as possible. Fortunately, they’re easy to replace with another oil or fat. Shortening can be replaced with lard, butter, and — with a little troubleshooting — coconut oil, while liquid fats are easily replaced with olive oil or avocado oil. For the hardcore MAHA bakers, peanut butter, almond butter, or even applesauce are also easy one-to-one swaps for seed oil in baked goods, and though they will create a denser and less crispy finished good, your muffins, cookies, and pancakes will turn out extremely moist.
Deep frying. Speaking of seed oils, if you’re looking to ditch the extra oil calories altogether, then high-temperature roasting and air-frying are even better alternatives. For starters, there are no oil splatters and mess to clean up. Instead, it’s as simple as lightly spraying your French fries, chicken nuggets, or “fried” food of choice with a little avocado oil and roasting at 425 until cooked and crispy, flipping partway through. To cut out the oil completely, line a sheet pan with parchment paper or carefully line your air fryer’s basket, being sure the paper’s edges do not reach up to the heating element. While roasting won’t have quite the same grease factor as conventionally fried, just think of how many more fries you can eat with the calories you’re saving — guilt free.
White rice. With the advent of cauliflower rice, white rice has become a bit of a “bad” food, and while I’m not here to kick the grain when it’s down, it is an easy ingredient to replace with higher-fiber and higher-nutrient options. Brown rice is the obvious swap, and while it works perfectly in soups, rice bowls, and burritos, it’s not the only choice. There’s a whole world of other whole grains to explore: quinoa, barley, farro, and — technically not a grain, but still tasty — wild rice. If grains aren’t your carb of choice, then cubed and roasted potatoes are also an easy swap, with white and sweet varieties adding their own unique nutrients and flavors to stir fry, salads, bowls, and more.
White flour. Like white rice, white flour is the more processed and lower-fiber version of its heftier sibling, whole grain flour. Whole wheat flour might ruin cupcakes or a fluffy white bread recipe, but in muffins, bagels, and sturdier breads, whole grain flours are a one-to-one swap for the classic “enriched wheat flour” many of us normally use.
Sugar. While we’re trying to cut down on processed and high-sugar ingredients, white sugar is an obvious culprit in recipes from sauces to scones. For a move in the MAHA direction, swap out white sugar for a less processed cane sugar one-to-one in any recipe. Along the way, it’s also worth slowly reducing the amount of sugar in recipes since many taste just as good with a little less sweetener. For the committed MAHA cooks, honey and maple syrup are also natural alternatives to white sugar and may even have some health benefits.
Condiments. Even from-scratch recipes can call for ketchup, mayo, soy sauce, and other condiments. Whether it’s for a dressing, marinade, or side sauce, an otherwise healthy meal can be ruined by the corn syrup, seed oils, or MSG in our favorite condiments. Instead, reach for higher-quality options. Look for ketchup sweetened with sugar rather than corn syrup, avocado-oil mayo, and coconut aminos instead of soy sauce, or look for certified organic or non-GMO options.
More veggies. While not a recipe swap, bulking out the vegetable portions is one of the easiest ways to up the MAHA profile of your favorite recipes. There are plenty of tips online to “hide” veggies in everything from mac and cheese to brownies, but unless a picky eater is your challenge, it’s much easier just to embrace the veg. If stir fry is on the menu, pile in the cabbage and carrots. If burgers are for dinner, stack up the lettuce and onions. Or if soup is in season, double the carrots, celery, onions, or peppers. Most recipes are just as tasty with an extra cup or two of veg, so long as you also add a little extra broth, seasoning, or sauce as needed. As a bonus, this healthy hack will also stretch the more expensive ingredients, like meat, in a dish.
Among the sea of health tips and advice, there is always the latest and greatest trend. We’ve gone from low-fat to low-carb and corn-syrup crazy to anti-mystery corn ingredients. But the best diet advice is surprisingly simple: Eat real food. And as straightforward as it sounds, it truly is the healthiest way to make over your favorite recipes — with real, nourishing ingredients.
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Jordan Jantz is the assistant editor at IW Features as well as a freelance writer, editor, and website designer.
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