# Healthy Eating Hacks **URL:** \ **Category:** Cafe Society\ **Created:** [January 20, 2010, 7:05pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-eating-hacks/525730 "2010-01-20T19:05:37Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 9\ **Page:** 5
**Author:** ![Cardinal](https://sea3.discourse-cdn.com/straightdope/user_avatar/boards.straightdope.com/cardinal/32/4000_2.png) [@Cardinal](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Cardinal)\ **Post date:** [February 1, 2010, 10:18pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-eating-hacks/525730/81 "2010-02-01T22:18:11Z")
> [@Gesturing\_Mildly](#): > > I love hellaciously-bad-for-you boxed meals like Hamburger/Chicken/Tuna Helper, Rice a Roni, Kraft Mac and Cheese. Is that true? I don’t use the milk or butter the box recommends. Why are they bad? ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 2:55pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-eating-hacks/525730/82 "2010-02-02T14:55:48Z")
I can’t believe I forgot about this one: if you love Thai curries but don’t want all the fat of coconut milk, a pretty good substitute is to use fat-free evaporated milk and add about half a capful of coconut extract (a bit hard to find, but large grocery stores often have it). It’ll give you approximately the right texture and flavor, without all the saturated fat and calories. ---
**Author:** ![Snickers](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/5daacb/32.png) [@Snickers](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Snickers)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 4:14pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-eating-hacks/525730/83 "2010-02-02T16:14:30Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > The nice thing about the cheeses you use is that, if you get good quality ones, they are _very_ flavorful, so you don’t need a _ton_ of cheese to get good flavor quality. I will say that if _I_ were going to make this recipe, I’d grate a little fresh nutmeg into it as well. No fat, no calories, just another little layer of taste. I find it nice to also add a tiny (tiny!) bit of cayenne pepper to my alfredo - something like a dash or so. Again, a nice additional layer of taste. ---
**Author:** ![lindsaybluth](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/l/90db22/32.png) [@lindsaybluth](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/lindsaybluth)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 4:30pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-eating-hacks/525730/84 "2010-02-02T16:30:44Z")
> [@The\_Weird\_One](#): > > I can’t believe I forgot about this one: if you love Thai curries but don’t want all the fat of coconut milk, a pretty good substitute is to use fat-free evaporated milk and add about half a capful of coconut extract (a bit hard to find, but large grocery stores often have it). It’ll give you approximately the right texture and flavor, without all the saturated fat and calories. Ooo, I’ll have to try that. Out of curiosity, how does it compare with just using “lite” coconut milk (which is what I’ve done up until this point). ---
**Author:** ![Athena](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/35a633/32.png) [@Athena](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Athena)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 4:31pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-eating-hacks/525730/85 "2010-02-02T16:31:07Z")
> [@Cardinal](#): > > Is that true? I don’t use the milk or butter the box recommends. Why are they bad? Ironically, the milk & butter are the parts of those kinds of mixes that are actually good for you. Milk is a perfect food - a good balance of carb, protein, and fat, along with calcium and vitamin C. As far as fats go, butter is a good one - high levels of the good fats, and low on the bad fats. And delicious. Rice-a-Roni, Kraft Mac & Cheese, and the various “Helpers” typically contain lots of white flour (noodles), chemically artificial flavors, TONS of preservatives, and even more salt. They are what [Michael Pollan](http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Pollan) likes to call “edible food-like substances” - that is, food that is characterized by being heavily processed, having little nutritional value, full of stabilizers, preservatives, and salt. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 9:29pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-eating-hacks/525730/86 "2010-02-02T21:29:11Z")
> [@lindsaybluth](#): > > Ooo, I’ll have to try that. Out of curiosity, how does it compare with just using “lite” coconut milk (which is what I’ve done up until this point). Hmm, I’m not sure. It’s been years now since I used light coconut milk - I just use the substitute, and occasionally treat myself to the real thing. The only problem I’ve had with it is that the evaporated milk scorches more easily than coconut milk, so I have to stir it frequently. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Lurker\_Above](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/dc4da7/32.png) [@The\_Lurker\_Above](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Lurker_Above)\ **Post date:** [February 2, 2010, 9:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-eating-hacks/525730/87 "2010-02-02T21:40:38Z")
> [@norinew](#): > > YES! If you are a mayo fan (as is my hubby, who tries hard to watch his weight), low-fat ranch dressing/ranch dip can make a better sub than low-fat or no-fat mayo (both of which he despises!) > You can make tuna salad, chicken or turkey salad, egg salad, etc. by adding low-fat ranch for your moisture instead of the ‘chemical’ taste he says low-fat mayo has, I’ve actually had great sucess using tzatziki as a mayo (or sour cream) substitute. I really like my tzatziki & paprika egg salad. ---
**Author:** ![The\_Weird\_One](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/t/7bcc69/32.png) [@The\_Weird\_One](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/The_Weird_One)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 2:54am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-eating-hacks/525730/88 "2010-02-03T02:54:03Z")
> [@The\_Lurker\_Above](#): > > I’ve actually had great sucess using tzatziki as a mayo (or sour cream) substitute. I really like my tzatziki & paprika egg salad. OMG, that sounds delicious! I’ll have to try it. ---
**Author:** ![Gesturing\_Mildly](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/65b543/32.png) [@Gesturing\_Mildly](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Gesturing_Mildly)\ **Post date:** [February 3, 2010, 8:40pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-eating-hacks/525730/89 "2010-02-03T20:40:18Z")
> [@Kayeby](#): > > If you throw some raw spinach, kale or broccoli into your fruit smoothie, it will turn green but not taste like vegetables. I did this last night and it worked! Made an orange-pineapple smoothie, and threw in a big handful of spinach. It looked like toxic waste, but you couldn’t taste the spinach at all! [Previous page](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/healthy-eating-hacks/525730.md?page=4)