CHOCOLATE

Milk chocolate vs dark chocolate.
While they both have similar calories and fat content, the sugar levels in milk chocolate are very high compared to high cacao % dark chocolate. Cacao is a great source of antioxidants. Once you quit sugar, you'll find a small square of dark chocolate is enough to satisfy you.

BBQ SAUCE

Do you love BBQ Sauce?
Did you know it is more than 50% sugar?
Here's a simple swap from an Australian company doing good things to get the nasties out of your condiments.

PASTA

Who doesn't love pasta? But it's so high in carbs. You can have your favourite pasta sauces on edamame bean pasta which is only 4% carbs. You'll find Slendier products in the health food section of your supermarket or online.

WHEAT CRACKERS
This simple swap significantly reduces your carb intake and ups your healthy fats from the seeds. It's worth noting that a pack of Carmans Crackers is only 80g, not 100g and has three servings per pack.

Or you can try making your own. This is a simple keto seed cracker recipe.

MARGARINE

Margarine has 11 ingredients including Vegetable Oils taking up a whopping 65% of the ingredient list.

Butter is made from just two ingredients - cream (from milk) and salt.
Margarine is also highly processed, butter is not.

VEGETABLE OIL

Mass-produced seed oils are highly inflammatory and go rancid when heated, causing them to oxidise.
Examples of vegetable oils are: vegetable oil, soy, canola, corn, cotton, palm, rice bran, sunflower, safflower, grapeseed.  

Animal fats can handle cooking at high temperatures. Examples of animal fat are: butter, ghee, tallow, lard, duck fat.

CHIPS /CRISPS
Pork rinds/pork crackle are high in fat and protein and are a great low-carb snack option.
Just 1 cup of Potato crisps/chips = 29g carbs. Most people don't stop at just that, they'll eat the whole bag. Pork Rinds contain no carbs.
These J Crackleton pork crackles have minimal ingredients and are a much lower carb option than a bag of crisps.

FLOUR

If you're a baker, you may be wondering if you can still bake and keep low carb? Swapping wheat flour for low-carb flours is often not a direct 1:1 ratio.

Almond flour is the closest ratio to standard flour, whereas coconut flour is more like 3:1, you need less of it, but more eggs to combine the mixture.

MAYONNAISE

Commercially produced mayonnaise products contain cheap, toxic industrial seed oils, such as canola oil or sunflower oil that are extremely inflammatory.
Vegetable oils (which are derived from seeds) are high in omega-6 polyunsaturated fats which become unstable when heated.
Swap to a mayonnaise made from real ingredients or try making it yourself. It's easy!

YOGHURT

If you only like fruit flavoured yoghurt, your tastebuds are tuned to seek out the sugar hit.
To cut down your incidental sugar intake, try swapping fruit yogurt for natural Greek yoghurt and add some fresh berries for flavour and sweetness.
Greek yoghurt is a much lower carb alternative to the fruit version because there is no added sugar.

TOMATO SAUCE / KETCHUP

Did you know it is more than 25% sugar?
It's a favourite for many people, especially kids.
Here is a simple swap from an Aussie company doing good things to get the nasties out of your condiments - Undivided food co. Available in some health food stores and online.

TUNA

Bravo to Sirena for only using sustainably caught tuna. But...did you know their tuna in oil is not just olive oil? It's also sunflower oil which is a toxic seed oil.

Buy tuna in Springwater instead and add your own olive oil at home.

MUESLI BARS

Muesli bars, fruit bars and breakfast cereal bars are often marketed as ‘healthy’, but these products are highly processed and packed with sugar.
To keep fuller for longer try apple slices with peanut butter. The water and fibre content in the fruit will fill you up faster with less kilojoules and more important nutrients. 

TERIYAKI SAUCE

Ready-made sauces are usually full of sugar, seed oils and other nasties.

You can get just as much (and better) flavour with gluten-free soy sauce (or tamari) and some grated ginger without the massive sugar load.

BUTTER, SPREADABLE

You want spreadable butter but you keep it in the fridge instead of on the bench in a container.
Did you know there can be a big difference in ingredients between brands?
Western Star - the block you can buy wrapped in foil is just cream and salt. But the spreadable version has vegetable oil among other things. Mainland is just cream and salt.

VODKA & LEMONADE

Vodka & lemonade vs Vodka & soda with lime. The carbs in this swap come from the lemonade and a negligible amount from the lime.

Try swapping the lemonade with soda which is a very refreshing alternative to the sweet lemonade.

GIN & TONIC

How many carbs do you drink? It's easy to lose track after a few drinks. While there are no carbs in spirits, the mixers can easily catch you out.

Make this simple swap, instead of gin and tonic, have gin and soda. Add fresh lemon or lime for extra flavour if you wish.

EASTER CHOCOLATE

If you're going to indulge in chocolate at Easter, see what you can do to minimise your sugar intake.
While there's not a significant difference between milk and dark choc Lindt bunnies, a little less sugar is better than nothing.

Personally, I stick to the Lindt 85% dark chocolate, not festive at all, but my preferred treat. (see first swap at top of page)

RICE CRACKERS

Chinese Rice Crackers are an easy-to-access snack but so are nuts. Look at the carbs in the crackers, a whopping 83.4g!
Nuts are one of nature's powerhouses, full of vitamins and minerals and lots of healthy fats to keep you satisfied.
A small handful is the recommended serving size equal to 30g.

SWEET CHILLI SAUCE

Do you love Sweet Chilli sauce? Did you know it is more than 70% sugar?

Look for low sugar or organic versions from health food stores. This one is from Undivided Food Co.

PEANUT BUTTER

This simple swap is an example of why is it important to check the ingredients list AND nutrition information panel on food packs.

Both of these peanut butters are made by Bega. The left one contains multiple ingredients including a toxic seed oil and sugar - Roasted Peanuts (85%), Vegetable Oil (Contains Antioxidant (320)), Sugar, Salt. It also uses imported ingredients.

The one on the right is just two ingredients - peanuts and salt. It's made with 100% Australian peanuts.

FETA CHEESE

Meredith's Goat cheese is marinated in canola oil, with just a little bit of olive oil.
Only olive oil is mentioned in the marketing but canola oil is the second ingredient listed on the pack.
Canola oil is an industrial seed oil, highly processed and extremely inflammatory in your body.

Swap to natural Greek feta instead. Buy from the deli or in a bulk container where it sits in brine.

CREAM

The Bulla cream with the red lid is made with full-fat milk and only contains 2 ingredients:
- Fresh Cream (Milk), Thickeners (Carrageenan, Guar Gum),

The 'cooking' version with the green lid is a light cream using reduced-fat cream and has 4 ingredients plus a higher sugar content.

BBQ SEASONING

Mingle's Seasonings use all-natural ingredients. And free from nasty additives. They only use real ingredients.

The Masterfoods BBQ spice rub has sugar as the main ingredient, plus it contains rice flour and food acid.

TERIYAKI SAUCE

Ready-made sauces are usually full of sugar, seed oils and other nasties.

You can get just as much (and better) flavour with gluten-free soy sauce (or tamari) and some grated ginger without the massive sugar load.