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Trying to introduce more fresh produce into my diet.

faux milk
That reminds me - we tried four different milk substitutes:

rice milk - wife's favorite, thin and a convincing dupe for 2%
oat milk - my favorite, thicker and almost convincing dupe for 4%
soy milk - neither of us liked, kind bitter tasting to us
coconut milk - thicker but odd coconut aftertaste, best sub for recipes tho

Because it's my wife's favorite we keep rice milk and it says 2.5 g fat per serving where our moo juice is 8 g fat. All the subs have lots of sugar...just like regular milk.

make sandwiches and burritos crispy
We bought a stovetop griddle and I can sear or toast anything on it, make smashed burgers where most of the fat drains away, and it allows bulk-like amounts of fried rice to be made at once.
 
I have to try rice milk, sounds good. I saw blanched almonds thrown in blender and turn into almond milk on TicTok.
 
For my cheese biscuits, crackers, crispbread or rice crackers with a little bit of cream cheese or your favourite spread works a treat. If gives you the crunch of potato chips, but half the calories. Grissini are also good. Or something like Ryvita. I don't how useful this advice is as I don't know what's available in your country.
 
There are so many good milk alternatives for smoothies out there - I use almond, cashew and macadamia milks, depending on what's in stock. I can't eat dairy due to health issues and I hardly ever miss it. Berries and bananas are so good after really intense workouts, and you can add almost any nut to a smoothie anyway.

Also, protein powder is totally poison but I found one that's essentially just rice and quinoa which gives those a little more texture and body. I wouldn't recommend eating packaged crap (or even most grains) to anyone, but if you're going to, there are lesser evils out there. And if you really like grains, quinoa and rice are arguably the healthiest ones you can eat. Quinoa has all of the essential amino acids, too. It's almost as healthy as meat!

(Another cheat code: if you want a mostly-healthy bread, check out Ezekiel Bread. It's mostly made out of real food which is a serious win if you're having trouble quitting packaged crap. I can't eat it, but if my issues ever get resolved I'm going to be making Ezekiel bread sammiches everyday, lol)

Also, veggies don't have to be bland; more nutrients can be extracted from a lot of them via cooking anyway, and they usually taste amazing that way. Salt and olive oil make everything better, too. Stir fries are an easy dish if you aren't acclimated to eating a bunch of veggies on their own yet, and the same goes for homemade soups and stews.

There are even plenty of ways to supercharge a burger; wrap it in romaine lettuce, throw a diced tomato or two on top, add a few onion slices and you're good to go. If you like eggs, all you really need to do to add veggies to the dish is saute some peppers, broccoli (yes, broccoli and eggs are phenomenal) and / or onions to make it really healthy.

If you like citrus, you can get a little manual lemon juicer and make your own lemonade with just a bottle of water. I use stevia since I avoid refined sugar, but you can flavor it with whatever you want. The same works for any type of carbonated water if you want to make a mocktail or mock soda. Last night I got some unsweetened carbonated strawberry waters and added in some lemon and a splash of stevia, and couldn't believe it wasn't a soda.

Also, instead of drinking the nasty OJ from the store, most blenders do a great job on oranges, tangerines, or any other orange-like citrus. Mine pretty much demolishes the pulp, so I just make my own and get to consume all of the fiber and nutrients without even thinking about it. Oh, and it tastes so much better than store-bought, for very obvious reasons.

Sorry if this was too much, health has become one of my special interests over the past few years and I managed to transform my body, lose excess weight and become much healthier due to it. You can, too!
 
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@Chameleon In Recovery recently suggested the good idea of sprinkling salt on crunchy veggies as a substitute for chips and less healthy things. I realize adding salt is not the perfect answer to trying to eat healthfully, but it could certainly be an intermediary step to cut out the really bad stuff and start replacing it with veggies.

Don't forget that salt is one of the main electrolytes! The standard American diet (possibly other countries as well, but I'm staying in my lane here) just usually has an overabundance of it. So if you're mostly cooking your own dishes and eating clean, you're definitely going to want to add a little bit of salt!

I personally love sea salt, but there are other types as well
 
I have been making an effort to replace the potato chips with vegetable sticks, and to replace the candy with fresh fruits.

My body is so used to snacking on junk food that it is resisting these changes. Visions of Ruffles potato chips flood my mind when I snack on fresh broccoli instead.

Anybody have any brilliant ideas on how to move past this stage?
That's awesome that you are eating healthier! We could all do with a bit more of that....and it isn't easy. If you are eating the veg raw, some sort of dip is a good solution...like hummus or salad dressing. It is also easier to choose the fruit & veg instead of the highly processed junk foods if you have the healthy stuff cut up and ready to grab and eat. Your body will get used to it over time...typically 3 months, as far as the biochemical balance in the body goes. When we eat highly processed sugary or starchy foods, it triggers dopamine release in the brain. That's why those foods are so addictive, like cigarettes, alcohol or drugs...same dopamine pathway. It takes about 3 months for your body to recalibrate and make the right amount of dopamine again after quitting an addictive substance or food habit. It can be easier to taper down if you have been eating large amounts of chips and candy, etc. There are some healthy foods that trigger dopamine release as well (although not the huge flood that refined carbs will produce in the brain, it's still helpful to eat these): almonds, bananas, avocadoes, eggs, chicken, beef..just to name a few. They all contain a lot of tyrosine, which is a precursor to the body's production of dopamine. Good luck!
 
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@Chameleon In Recovery recently suggested the good idea of sprinkling salt on crunchy veggies as a substitute for chips and less healthy things. I realize adding salt is not the perfect answer to trying to eat healthfully, but it could certainly be an intermediary step to cut out the really bad stuff and start replacing it with veggies.

A squeeze of fresh lemon or lime juice on raw vegetables is a good salt substitute. I also like to make homemade ranch dressing with low fat yogurt or a Mexican-style salsa (diced tomatoes, onion, jalapeno peppers, lime juice and cilantro as a dip for vegetables. The dips taste great and help me forget that I'm not eating chips.
 
That reminds me - we tried four different milk substitutes:

rice milk - wife's favorite, thin and a convincing dupe for 2%
oat milk - my favorite, thicker and almost convincing dupe for 4%
soy milk - neither of us liked, kind bitter tasting to us
coconut milk - thicker but odd coconut aftertaste, best sub for recipes tho

Because it's my wife's favorite we keep rice milk and it says 2.5 g fat per serving where our moo juice is 8 g fat. All the subs have lots of sugar...just like regular milk.


We bought a stovetop griddle and I can sear or toast anything on it, make smashed burgers where most of the fat drains away, and it allows bulk-like amounts of fried rice to be made at once.

I make panini sandwiches on my stovetop cast iron griddle by placing a small cast iron skillet on top of the sandwich to press it flat. It works just like a panini press.
 
I decided to start eating oatmeal and fresh fruit most mornings with my coffee instead of my usual go-to of a toasted bagel with cream cheese. That seems like a healthier option, all things considered.

Yeah, I need to lose about 50lbs, and I want to slim up before my vacation at the end of this upcoming summer so that I have a body that looks halfway decent in a swimsuit.
 
I have porridge often in the mornings with some berries or dried fruit with zimt (cinnamon) on top. =D

Also have grapes and banana as a snack.

Dinner: I often have a lot of vegetables and some form of protein.

I decided to start eating oatmeal and fresh fruit most mornings with my coffee instead of my usual go-to of a toasted bagel with cream cheese. That seems like a healthier option, all things considered.

Yeah, I need to lose about 50lbs, and I want to slim up before my vacation at the end of this upcoming summer so that I have a body that looks halfway decent in a swimsuit.
You can do it. It is very good that you are already making these choices to switch to healthy options. =)
 
I have been making an effort to replace the potato chips with vegetable sticks, and to replace the candy with fresh fruits.

My body is so used to snacking on junk food that it is resisting these changes. Visions of Ruffles potato chips flood my mind when I snack on fresh broccoli instead.

Anybody have any brilliant ideas on how to move past this stage?
It is very easy to control your diet in the store, and very hard to control it in your kitchen.
 
Don't forget that salt is one of the main electrolytes! The standard American diet (possibly other countries as well, but I'm staying in my lane here) just usually has an overabundance of it. So if you're mostly cooking your own dishes and eating clean, you're definitely going to want to add a little bit of salt!

I personally love sea salt, but there are other types as well
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