🌿 The Good Stuff Simple Swaps – Every Wednesday! 🌿

Welcome to The Good Stuff Simple Swaps — each Wednesday I’ll share one easy ingredient swap you can make at home to move toward better ingredients, one step at a time.No need to purge your pantry today — this is all about the long game. As you run out of an item, just restock with something a little better. Small swaps like this add up over time and can make a big difference in your kitchen and health.✅ Small swaps, big impact. Start where you are, use what you have, and restock better when it runs out.

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✨ Swap for 5/28: Conventional Cold Cuts, Bacon & Hot Dogs → Nitrate/Nitrite-Free Versions

Let’s talk about one of the easiest ways to clean up your meals: swapping out processed meats like cold cuts, bacon, and hot dogs for nitrate- and nitrite-free options. Nitrate free doesn’t necessarily mean it’s something super healthy, you’ll want to check the other ingredients also. But removing nitrates alone is still a big step in the right direction!

🧐 Why it matters:

Conventional deli meats, hot dogs, and bacon are often preserved with sodium nitrates or nitrites- ingredients used to boost shelf life and color, but not health. These additives have been linked to:

• Increased inflammation
• Digestive issues
• Higher cancer risks & more!

Not exactly what you want on your sandwich or off the grill.

✅ What to look for instead:

-Boar’s Head offers a variety of “No Nitrates or Nitrites Added” deli meats like turkey, ham, and roast beef.

-Applegate has a wide range of natural deli meats without added nitrates or nitrites.

-Good & Gather (Target) Offers uncured options like Black Forest Ham and Oven Roasted Turkey Breast.

-Nathan’s Famous Offers bun-length skinless beef hot dogs without added nitrates or nitrites.

-Simply Nature

-Simple Truth

-Hormel & Applegate both have nitrate free pepperonis we like

-Some Kroger brand deli meats as well as a lot of the Private Selection deli meats at Kroger are nitrate free

Look for labels that say:

* “No nitrates or nitrites added” (except those naturally occurring in celery juice or sea salt)

* “Uncured”

This is an easy win, especially if your family eats bacon at breakfast, sandwiches at lunch, and hot dogs at cookouts. Small swaps add up fast!💪🌭🥓🥪

✨ Swap for 5/21: Conventional Mayo → Clean or Homemade Mayo

Homemade Mayonnaise is so simple to make!

Or here are some great store bought options:

Chosen Foods: https://amzn.to/3GUGLGj

Sir Kensington: https://amzn.to/3Zb4dVR

🧐 What’s the problem with most conventional mayo?

The usual stuff on the shelf is often made with:

• Inflammatory seed oils like soybean or canola oil

• Added sugar

• Preservatives and mystery ingredients you don’t need

These can contribute to inflammation, sluggish digestion, and just aren’t doing your body any favors—especially when mayo is something you might be using regularly in sandwiches, dips, dressings, and more.

This is one of those swaps that’s super easy to make and adds up big over time. Clean up your condiments—you’ll never look back!

Once you get your mayonnaise upgraded, use it to make Tuna Melts, Copycat Chick-Fil-A Sauce, Fried Pickle Dip and sooooo many other delicious things!

✨ Swap for 5/14: Enriched Bleached Flour → Unbleached, Unenriched Flour (or even better- His Saving Grains whole cell crushed wheat!)

This a long one, but I feel like it’s a BIG one- so bear with me! Wheat and flour often get a bad rap, but sometimes it’s not the wheat, it’s the source. For many people, just switching to a cleaner, less processed flour can make a huge difference in how they feel. This CHANGED EVERYTHING for my son when we realized it wasn’t the gluten, it was the processed crap flour. We made the switch to His Saving Grains whole cell crushed wheat and haven’t looked back. Find more information at healthygraincrushing.com or check out their brochure here. I plan on adding more information about baking with this soon!

Yes, some folks truly need to avoid wheat altogether—but if you’re dealing with bloating, discomfort, or mystery digestion issues, it might be worth trying a better-quality flour first. Sometimes that simple change is all your body’s been asking for!

Here’s why it matters:

🚫 What’s Really in Enriched Bleached Flour?

Most conventional all-purpose flour goes through a heavy processing routine:

• First, it’s stripped of the bran and germ—where nearly all the natural fiber, minerals, and vitamins live.
• Then it’s bleached with chemicals (like chlorine or benzoyl peroxide) to make it bright white and super soft. These don’t add nutrition, they’re just for looks and shelf appeal.
• Finally, it’s enriched with synthetic vitamins to try to replace a few of the nutrients that were lost… but it’s not even close to the full package of what whole wheat offers.

One big concern is folic acid. Most enriched flours contain synthetic folic acid, which many people (especially those with the MTHFR gene mutation that is estimated to affect 40%-60% of the population!) cannot properly break down. That buildup can contribute to fatigue, digestive problems, long-term inflammation and a slew of other problems.

✅ Why We Choose Unbleached & Unenriched

Swapping to unbleached, unenriched flour gives your body real food it can actually use:

• No harsh bleaching chemicals
• No synthetic folic acid
• Naturally present B vitamins, magnesium, and iron
• More fiber → better digestion and satiety
• Better blood sugar balance
• Improved gut health and energy levels

Plus, it keeps your ingredients simple and recognizable. You’re baking with real food—not factory-altered flour.

Whether you’re making cookies, muffins, or pancakes, this is one swap that adds up fast in your kitchen. 🌾🙌

Want to go a step further? Try His Saving Grains whole cell crushed wheat!—it’s nutrient-rich and supports better digestion!

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✨ Swap for 5/7: Sour Cream for… Sour Cream?

I’ll be honest… I used to just grab whatever sour cream was cheapest and never even thought about it. 🤷‍♀️

Then one day I actually read the label—and a lot of them are packed with gums, preservatives, and other stuff I can’t even pronounce. One of the big offenders? Carrageenan—a common ingredient in some sour creams that’s been linked to inflammation and a potential carcinogen (cancer causing). 😬

Now I stick with Daisy Sour Cream—just cultured cream and nothing else. No questionable ingredients, no weird fillers. There may be other good brands also, but Daisy is always easy to find! This is also true for cottage cheese, stick to Daisy!

Not sponsored by Daisy (but hey Daisy, Call me! 🤙📱😂).

Once you’ve got your daisy, I 10/10 recommend making some Fried Pickle Dip!!

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✨ Swap for 4/30: Traditional “Cream of” Soups → Pacific Foods or Whole 365 Cream of Mushroom/Chicken

Cream of mushroom

Pacific Foods: https://amzn.to/4ltvbBC

365 Whole Foods Market: https://amzn.to/44jWg47

Cream of chicken

Pacific Foods: https://amzn.to/3G0WwLw

We all know it… that can of cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soup that shows up in so many easy casseroles and slow cooker recipes. Some people call it “cream of crap” soup — because the ingredients list can be rough: hydrogenated oils, MSG, mystery additives, and barely any real food.

But good news: it doesn’t have to be that way.

Better Options:

Pacific Foods or Whole Foods 365 cream of mushroom or cream of chicken

✅ No weird oils

✅ No artificial flavors or preservatives

✅ Actually made with real mushrooms, chicken, cream, and seasonings

You can absolutely make your own “cream of” soup from scratch — and it tastes amazing — but let’s be real:

Most of the time, I’m reaching for it because I need dinner quick. These brands make it easy to stick to better ingredients without adding time.

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Swap for 4/23/25: Vegetable Oil → Avocado Oil

Here is a link to one of the avocado oils we like! https://amzn.to/3YtWhyF

Why make the swap?

-Most vegetable oils undergo extensive processing, which involves high heat and chemicals. This can create unhealthy compounds, which are linked to heart disease, and may also lead to the formation of free radicals, contributing to oxidative stress and inflammation in the body.

-High in omega-6 fatty acids, which can throw off your omega balance when over consumed

Better Option: Avocado oil is a great healthy substitute for vegetable oil! Perfect for high-heat cooking (up to 500°F!), neutral flavor, and rich in heart-healthy fats

Avocado oil is used in lots of our Healthy Cereal Recipes, and this Asparagus and Eggs Sheet Pan Meal!

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✨ Swap for 4/16/25: Soy Sauce → Coconut Aminos

Here’s a link to the coconut aminos we use: https://amzn.to/3G6amMA

🌱 Why Coconut Aminos?

Coconut aminos are made from the fermented sap of coconut blossoms. They’re:

Lower in sodium than soy sauce

Soy-free and gluten-free

Free of MSG and artificial additives

Rich in umami flavor, with a slightly sweet, mellow taste

Soy contains phytoestrogens, which can mimic estrogen in the body. While occasional soy may not be an issue for everyone, regular high intake — especially in kids — can potentially disrupt hormone balance during key developmental years. If you’re looking to reduce overall soy exposure in your home, this is a great and simple place to start. Coconut aminos make the perfect healthy substitute for soy sauce!

We loovvee it on rice, in stir fry and for this Sweet Chili Chicken & Veggies Sheet Pan Meal….delicious!

See you next Wednesday for the next Good Stuff Simple Swap!

*This post contains affiliate links*