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YouTubeOil substitutes: Oils may be replaced by whole nuts and seeds. They may be finely powdered or ground into a paste (nut butters and seed butters). Tahini (ground sesame seeds), almond butter and cashew butter are some examples. Check out 2,000+ WFPB recipe cards including Indian style Dal, Sabzi, Tikkis, Cutlets, and a variety of savory snacks made without any oil!
Sugars substitutes: Refined sugars may be replaced by dates (or date sugar, or date paste, or homemade date syrup), and dried fruits like dried figs, raisins, dried peaches, and so on. We may use natural sweeteners like maple sugar, agave syrup and jaggery too. However, such sweeteners are sub-optimal since they are categorized as Added Sugars by organizations like AHA (American Heart Association). Dried fruits like dates, raisins, dried figs and dried persimmons are better. We may also explore Baked Tubers.
Salt substitutes: Salt has a unique flavor which is difficult to substitute with alternatives. Among the three SOS Extracts (Salt, Oil, Sugar), salt elimination is the most challenging. We may browse through Salt-Free Seasonings (fresh herbs, dried spices and tart ingredients) and watch videos listed below to pick up strategies for SOS-Free meals. Over time, our taste buds adjust to low sodium meals and we start finding such meals delicious!
Products: SOS-Free Products is a long list maintained by NHA (National Health Association) who have advocated WFPB SOS-Free lifestyle since 1948! Also check out Well Your World products — all of these products are SOS-Free.
Recipe Books: Check out SOS-Free Recipes and SOS-Free Recipe Books.
A memorable quote from this ideo: "Salt has always been considered The Lazy Man's way of flavoring meals because it overpowers everything! You can't taste the other subtleties in your foods and in your seasonings when salt is involved. When you reduce that or eliminate it, you will taste food in a way that you have never tasted food before. So do not leave out the herbs and spices. Use these liberally! Not only are they flavorful but they're so beneficial!"
Ideas in this video: (a) Naturally high acidic foods like lemon; we may use vinegars too, (b) Salt-free mustard, (c) Vegetables with naturally higher sodium, e.g., celery and broccoli, (d) Naturally spicy foods like cayenne pepper, chipotle pepper, berbere spice mix, red pepper flakes, jalapenos, chile peppers; ginger is also spicy and spikes up flavor, (e) Herbs & dried spices like onion powder, garlic powder and black pepper. Minced garlic, fresh onion. Herbs like tyme, oregano, basil, paprika, cumin, rosemary, mint — fresh or dried. (f) Sea vegetables (nori, dulse) and veggie stock.
Another quote from this video: "There is a lot of options out there. You just have to get creative and step outside the box. We're so used to using salt and pepper and hot sauce and different ways to cover up the flavor of the meat and the dairy. But you don't have to do that anymore! Now you can enjoy the wonderful subtleties and boldness of plant-based foods."
Sugar alternatives: fresh/frozen fruit, dried fruit, sweet potatoes, flavored vinegar, cocao, cocoa, vanilla bean powder, date syrup/paste, molasses, maple syrup.
Oil alternatives: water and/or homemade veggie broth, nuts/seeds or nut/seed butters, onion & garlic for sauteeing, applesauce pumpkin puree, mashed ripe banana, sweet potato, nut flours, non-stick cook & bakeware.
Salt alternatives: Naturally acidic foods, tomato sauce, vinegar, lemon/lime juice, herbs & spices, salt-free seasoning mixes, miso, liquid smoke aminos.
00:00 Intro
00:55 Reading food labels
02:19 Hidden sources of salt, oil, and sugar
03:35 Specialized baking/cooking equipment
05:07 Know substitutions for each cooking method
05:32 Finding favorite SOS-free condiment recipes
06:00 SOS-free chefs & cookbooks
A nice video by Dillon Holmes and Reebs (Rebecca) from Well Your World which espouses SOS-Free lifestyle.
In this video, Chef AJ (Abbie Jaye) and Cathy Fisher do a taste test for Well Your World SOS-Free Sauces.
A presentation by Tami Kramer from Nutmeg Notebook who advocates an SOS-Free lifestyle.
This video has many different ideas. Two products caught my attention: Benson's Table Tasty Salt Substitute and Organic Stoneground Mustard - No Salt. This video also mentions that baked sweet potatoes, especially Japanese sweet potatoes, are really sweet! Now if we also layer them with apples, some oats, some dates, and so on, we make a super-sweet baked preparation.
Chef AJ (Abbie Jaye) interviews three SOS-Free chefs, all of whom have published recipe books too! Cathy Fisher, Ramses Bravo and Katie Mae.
Strategies inspired by Dr Fuhrman's 'nutritarian way of eating'.
(1) Use Vinegars; Balsamic vineger is popular. (2) Use lime and lemon. (3) Use punchy vegetables like garlic, onion, chillies. (4) Use a ittle bit of red wine (alcoholic beverages are an IARC Group 1 carcinogen but may be acceptable in small quantities (1tsp to 2 tsp)). (5) Ues herbs and spices.
Chef Ramses Bravo — he works at TrueNorth Health Center where Dr Goldhamer (and other doctors) recommend SOS-Free lifestyle.
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