My acupuncturist gave me the idea for the following healthier food choices to upgrade how you eat.  These are simply suggestions or guidelines:

• all beans cooked without animal fat or salt
• herbal teas, fresh vegetable and fruit juices
• all soy products
• all fresh, frozen, stewed or dried (unsulphured) fruits without sweeteners
• all whole grains and products containing whole grains such as with buckwheat, millet, oats, brown rice and wild rice-limit consumption of yeasted breads to 3 servings per week
• all fresh raw nuts-with the exception of peanuts
• all cold-pressed oils made from corn, safflower, sesame, olive, flaxseed, soybean, sunflower and canola-including margarine made from these oils
• eggless mayonnaise
• garlic, onions, cayeene papper, all herbs-dried or fresh, dried vegetables, apple cider vinegar, tamari, miso, seaweed and dulse
• soups-homemade-salt and fat-free such as bean, lentil, pea, vegetable, barley, brown rice and onion
• all slightly cooked sprouts, except for alfalfa-which should be eaten raw after thoroughly washing first
• wheatgrass and all raw seeds
• for sweetening-barley malt or rice syrup, agave and xylitol
• all raw, fresh or frozen vegetables with no additives or salt-always undercook the vegetables!
 
Here's some healthy guidelines to use plant based products:

• for baking-replace one cup of regular milk with one cup of oat or hemp milk
• buttermilk-replace one cup with one cup of oat or hemp milk and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice or 1 tablespoon of white vinegar-let this stand at room temperature until slightly thickened
• replace one cup of yogurt with 1 cup of soy sour cream such as Tofutti brand or one cup of unsweetened applesauce
• replace 8 tablespoons of butter-1 stick-with 8 tablespoons if Earth Balance Buttery Spread or with 8 tablespoons of Willow Run Soybean Butter; also-8 tablespoons of extra virgin olive oil can be used instead
• if you replace more than 2 eggs in a recipe-it will change how the recipe works as follows-for something like a quiche-which calls for a lot of eggs-use pureed silken tofu; replace one large egg as follows: 3 tablespoons of unsweetened applesauce and 1 teaspoon of baking powder or mix 1 tablespoon  of flax meal with 3 tablespoons of hot water letting it stand for 10 minutes-stirring every so often-until it thickens-don't strain this mixture; use 4 tablespoons of pureed silken tofu and one teaspoon of baking powder; finally-to replace one egg white-dissolve 1 tablespoon plain agar-agar powder into 1 tablespoon of water and beat on high; chill for 15 minutes and beat again.
 
Finally-these are some suggestions to move from high fat, animal based products to lower fat plant based choices: using guidelines from "Prescription for Dietary Wellness" by Phyllis A. Balch, CNC; copyright 2003; pages 46-241.

• 1 oz baking chocolate=3 tablespoons of carob powder and 2 tablespoons of water or 3 tablespoons of carob chips;
• 1 cup of beef bouillion=1 tablespoons miso in 1 cup of water or 2 cubes of vegetarian low sodium bouillion;
• 1 tablespoon cocoa=1 tablespoon carob powder and 1 tablespoon of xylitol;
• 1 tablespoon cornstarch=1 tablespoon arrowroot-(mixed with hot water-thickens when cooled);
• one egg in baked recipes=2 egg whites or 1 tablespoon of arrowroot powder or 3 tablespoons of Ener-G egg substitute;
• one clove of garlic=1/4 of a teaspoon of garlic powder
• 1 tablespoon of butter or margarine=1 tablespoon of olive or other healthy vegetable oil
• 1 cup of sugar=3/4 cup of agave syrup-light.
 
I hope that these suggestions are helpful and that they will enhance your cooking efforts with healthier food choices!

To order Jennifer Derry’s cookbook, Gourmet Vegetarian Cuisine, please call 626-233-3736 or visit her online at www.gourmetvegetariancatering.com