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Food swaps in favor of lower calorie/energy density, higher volume foods:
- Rice ➜ Cauliflower rice (or half regular rice, half cauli rice), palmini rice or shirataki rice
- Noodles ➜ Zucchini noodles, spaghetti squash, sauteed shredded cabbage, heart of palm pasta, shirataki pasta (again, can go half and half for a less drastic swap). Additionally, swapping for a potato alternative will provide higher volume for the same amount of carbs
- Tortillas ➜ Egg white wraps (Crepini is a popular brand), jicama wraps (Trader Joe’s), lettuce cups, "low carb" tortillas (Mission brand)
- Breads/Buns ➜ Swap traditional sandwiches for open face sandwiches. You can load up on toppings and throw a big piece of lettuce on top for easier holding - or enjoy with a knife and fork. If you are used to having bagels with your breakfast, a swap to toasted bread will also work as a lower carb swap
- Large salads ➜ You can throw essentially any meal on top of a big bowl of lettuce or greens. This instantly adds a ton of volume and increases eating time
- Fruits ➜ If you have a sweet tooth, try eating fruits, especially berries. Frozen berries can be blended with a bit of Greek yogurt and a small splash of almond milk to make a big bowl of sorbet. Also, swap any dried fruits for whole fruits
- Vegetables ➜ Try to add vegetables to your meals whenever you can. This is the single most powerful hack for augmenting food volume. Things like celery, cucumber, carrots, broccoli, cauliflower, and zucchini are also delicious dipped into your favorite seasoning mix with Greek yogurt
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- Oatmeal ➜ You can add egg whites, riced cauliflower, shredded carrots, or zucchini. A scoop of protein powder (after cooking) can also be added for help with hitting protein macros
- Meats ➜ 98-99% lean ground meats. Swap things like sausage/bacon/pepperoni for chicken or turkey varieties, and choose chicken breast rather than chicken thighs
- Eggs ➜ Add additional egg whites to your eggs. Adding egg whites increases protein and volume without increasing fats. Add cottage cheese or Greek yogurt to scrambled eggs for a similar effect. Chopped veggies scrambled into eggs also increases food volume while giving more bite
- Condiments ➜ Dilute dips, sauces, etc. with nonfat Greek yogurt or even cottage cheese. This can make a small serving of a heavier condiment go much further. Vinegar, pickle juice, or even water (depending on your taste preferences) can also be added to stretch sauces even further. Salsa, hot sauce, and mustard are all flavorful additions that are also low in calories
- Dairy ➜ Fat free or reduced fat cheeses, yogurt, cottage cheese, cream cheese, light butter
- Spray Oils ➜ We encourage the use of cooking spray rather than butter or oils
- Chips/Snacks ➜ Baked versions! Pretzels, chickpea/lentil puffs, or home-made tortilla chips in the air fryer are great ways for you to enjoy the snacks you love, but stay within your fat macro goals
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Food swaps in favor of higher calorie density, lower volume foods:
- Rice ➜ Adding oil like sesame oil or olive oil + salt
- Nut butters ➜ Add nut butters to oats, toast, rice cakes, smoothies etc. to easily increase calories
- Avocado ➜ Avocado can be added to almost any meal for an easy way to increase calories while not adding much more volume
- Noodles ➜ Add butter or oil to noodles in order to increase calories
- Tortillas ➜ Double up! 2x tortillas can handle more toppings
- Meat/Fish ➜ Choose a fattier cut of meat - Alaskan king salmon, chicken thigh instead of breast, sablefish, anchovies, etc.
- Eggs ➜ Eat whole eggs rather than egg whites - each egg is equal parts protein & fat
- Condiments ➜ Oil or cream based dressings can pack a big caloric punch. Jams, honey and jellies are also higher calorie condiments that can be added for calorie increases.
- Cooking butters/oils ➜ Cook foods in butter or oil instead of low-cal cooking sprays
- Intra-workout carbs ➜ This can be a low volume carb source such as gummy candies, or it can be an added carb powder in a shaker, such as Hexagen, Karbolyn or even Gatorade
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- Loaded smoothies ➜ When you are just not hungry, it can often be a lot easier to drink something rather than eating it. Add these additions in to add some bulk to your smoothies:
- Chia seeds/flax seeds/hemp hearts
- Avocado
- Nut butters
- Oats
- Whole milk or full fat oat milk
- Juices
- Dates
- Honey or maple syrup
- Frozen banana
- Low volume snack ideas ➜
- Any mixed nuts, pumpkin seeds
- Trail mix
- Meal replacement bars, Rx bars
- Dried fruit
- Fruit juice - especially helpful if you are struggling with getting enough carbs
- Cheese cubes
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