Easy Food Swaps for Whole30 Success

Prosciutto, and Cider, and Ghee, oh my! What we switched out and brought in to make our January #Whole30 survivable.

Committing to the Whole30 Challenge should not be taken lightly. Think of it as a 30 day vacation for you body from processed junk, sugar, and all the things that you think make you happy (or in our case, stuff that actually does make us happy but also sick and fat). To be successful, you need to plan- like REALLY plan. And that plan should include a good mix of simple swaps and experimentation when it comes to what you're putting in your shopping cart at the grocery store.

We had to learn via trial & error (see our last post, Whole30: A Comeback Comedy), and while you'll have to do the same, we thought sharing our favorite food swaps might make it a little easier for you. Maybe.

So without further adieu...

Here are some of the top (successful) swaps we made to our grocery list that we found to be acceptable replacements for what we'd normally buy.

Ghee in place of Butter

Let us preface by saying we LOVE butter. Like Paula Dean would be SUPER proud kind of love for butter. To help us curb some of the badness from our love, we did make the switch to unsalted butter a few years ago, though, and we've heard that decision may have made the title swap easier for us. All that being said, Ghee (a version of clarified butter) was a fine substitute for butter/margarine. We did't bake with it (which you're supposed to avoid on the Whole30 anyway), so we can't speak to that level of swap, but using it to grease a pan or to throw in with sauteed veggies was a complete success. We honestly couldn't tell the difference, and a little goes a LONG way making the cost increase not seem so terrible.

Almond Flour in place of Panko or Normal Flour

We were skeptical at first, too, ya'll, but seriously- we were so pleasantly surprised that this swap worked as great as it did. We made baked chicken strips with almond flour, gravy from meat drippings, the list could go on and on. We even found Almond Flour Crackers at Costo that were compliant- and they tasted so good! Again, we didn't bake with it, but as a general substitute it was excellent. We also used it sparingly, so our one small-ish bag we purchased at Hyvee lasted us the whole challenge and then some.

Apple Cider in place of the Average Juice

This discovery was a top delight factor for us as we were going through the challenge. Seriously, after a few days without a few of your go-to staples, it doesn't take much to put a smile on your face! We were scouring the health food section at Hyvee during one of our first grocery trips and stumbled upon a fantastic Apple Cider that had cinnamon and apples and that was essentially it for ingredients. Hot Apple Cider is such a treat anyway, so swapping this out for sugary juices or even coffee was great for us.

Prosciutto in place of Bacon

Prosciutto is just plain good anyway, but it makes the perfect substitution for sugar cured bacon when on the Whole30. It fries up like bacon, and adds the perfect crispy and salty taste to any meal. You can also find it at Aldi for a decent price, which is excellent.

• Rachel Confession Time: This should really be labeled as MY favorite swap, because sadly for Ryan, he didn't get any. I ate it all, and wasn't nearly as sorry as I should have been about it...

Coconut Aminos in place of Soy Sauce

We use a TON of soy sauce in our day-to-day, mostly as part of our meat marinades, so it was essential we find something to use in place of it. Coconut aminos fit the bill, and it's a swap we will continue to make. You can get coconut aminos at Trader Joe's for a really decent price, and it adds the same type of flavor. It's great in marinades and in Chinese dishes as well. Even if you're not interested in Whole30, we suggest experimenting with it a little, because it just might change your grocery norms.

Kombucha and La Croix in place of Alcohol and Soda

These two items are all over health and fitness pages. Everyone seems to be tooting the horns of kombucha and La Croix, and while we usually like to swim against the current when it comes to fads, this one ended up being worth the hype for us. And putting them together after a long day at work? ALMOST as satisfying as a beer or glass of wine. Our favorite swap may have been mixing Lavender Berry Kombucha with Berry La Croix and some frozen berries for a mocktail or sorts. Fizzy, bitter, and it hit the spot. Both are a bit of an acquired taste, mostly because kombucha has floating material in it (freaky at first) and La Croix's flavor can be so muted that it's barely an after thought... but it does the job when you're in a pinch. By the end of Whole30, we rather enjoyed drinking them as a normal part of our diet without thinking of them as substitutions for anything. THAT'S a win.

In Conclusion

Obviously, we made substantially more swaps than the 6 we just listed. These specific ones, though, really stuck out as our personal all-stars. It's possible that these swaps could be less successful, or even more successful, for your own Whole30 journey, but for us they worked wonders. A lot of these swaps made an appearance in our favorite recipes that we experimented with during the Whole30 Challenge as well, so a recipe recap will be up next.

Do you have a favorite #Whole30Approved swap that you've made? We'd love to hear about it/them!

Until then...

Always,

Ryan & Rachel

PS: this is NOT a sponsored post.