12 Of Your Favorite Fast Foods and Unhealthy Treats Made Healthy!
JAMES COLQUHOUN
Do you struggle to give up that beloved hamburger or bowl of fries? Try these healthy fast food swaps! We guarantee you will love them just as much as the originals!
1. Pizza
Pizza makes a great treat, but the take-out versions are loaded with highly processed ingredients, loads of refined fats, preservatives and other additives. Instead, add your favorite toppings to this delicious cauliflower pizza base that bumps up your veggie intake and satisfies those cravings!
2. Burger
Some days, there's nothing like a hearty burger to fill you up. However, most burgers have minimal nutrients but a tonne of calories, fat and unwanted ingredients! Even the buns are typically loaded with added sugar! So what's an alternative? We love using Portobello mushrooms for the ‘bun' and filling it with our favorites. Don't let the fact it's a mushroom fool you. This burger will fill you to the brim without filling you out!
3. Fries
Supercharge your serving of fries by using sweet potato and baking them instead! You'll cut out the refined, processed oils, and bump up the nutrient value! This recipe offers up a coconut and cinnamon sprinkle, but we also recommend using smoked paprika, himalayan sea salt and black pepper for a more savory side dish.
4. Chocolate
Who doesn't love chocolate? When you need a chocolate fix, avoid the store-bought varieties full of sugar and processed ingredients, and opt instead for some decadent raw chocolate! You can make some yourself in next to no time, and tailor the add ins to suit your tastebuds. Personalized chocolate? Yes please!
5. Fruit Gummy Bears
Most gummy candies are made up of some form of sugar syrup, colors, flavors and animal-derived gelatin. They're easy to overeat and provide no vitamins or minerals. If you love gummies, there's a much healthier, vegan alternative! Try these wonderfully delicious gummies for an occasional, fruity treat.
6. Fish & Chips
A regular choice at the beach or when having a picnic in the park, the smell of fish and chips tends to take people back to their favorite Summer holiday destination. Recreate this traditional combo with this paleo crumb recipe! Serve with a side of sweet potato fries to enjoy a much healthier version of this cult classic meal. There's even a tartar sauce recipe included!
7. Tacos
Tacos are a great, fun and interactive meal when having people over, or when you simply need a quick mid-week throw together meal. Unlike fast food varieties, you';ll know exactly what's in these vegan, lentil and walnut tacos! Top them up with lots of veggies and you've got yourself a winning meal!
8. Nachos
It's Friday night, you're not feeling like going out, but you don't want to cook either. So what can you make in a flash? Try these fully loaded vegan nachos! They're packed with black beans, salsa, vegan cashew-less queso sauce, guacamole, red onion, jalapenos, hot sauce and cilantro! Make the sauces in advance so you can whip these up in no time.
9. Chicken Nuggets & BBQ Dipping Sauce
Chicken nuggets are one of the most processed fast foods out there! Nobody is every truly sure of what goes in them, but there's one way you can be sure! Make your own chicken nuggets at home with a paleo coconut crust and barbeque dipping sauce. For a vegan alternative, simply use firm organic tofu and cut into cubes. Crumb the tofu cubes using this recipe.
10. Iced Donuts
Did you know that one single chocolate-iced Krispy Kreme donut contains 5.3 teaspoons of sugar and 17g of fat? Not to mention the long list of artificial additives! Bake these delicious Gluten-Free Baked Donuts With Caramel & Chocolate Glaze to enjoy a much lighter, more nutritious chocolate-iced donut treat. They'll take you less than 20 minutes to prepare!
11. Caramel Slice
One of the most popular recipes on our site, this gorgeous Raw Caramel Slice is so easy to make and always disappears fast! Satisfy your sweet tooth and wow your guests. We guarantee it will be a crowd pleaser! Plus it's loaded with healthy ingredients offering a whole range of vitamins and minerals in each piece!
12. Fudge Brownies
Regular homemade brownies are made up mainly of fat, sugar and highly processed white flour. Packaged varieties are even worse with so many more processed ingredients in the mix! This sickening combination leaves you feeling full, sick and zapped of energy. But a fudgy chocolate brownie treat isn't off limits. You just need the right recipe! These sweet potato brownies give you the same fudgy texture, but they're full of goodness! Who knew potato could taste so good?!
What's your favorite treat that you've made healthy?
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James Colquhoun is the filmmaker behind Food Matters, Hungry For Change, and Transcendence Seasons 1 & 2 and founder of Food Matters and FMTV. Along with Laurentine ten Bosch, James founded the Food Matters community following the release of the 2008 documentary, giving people the tools (films, books, articles, and guided programs) to take charge of their own health. From here, FMTV was born! It was designed as a place where you can access vital information by watching all of your favorite inspiring documentaries, expert interviews, & recipe videos in one place, and in early 2020 FMTV found it's new home on Gaia.