Episode 254

"Healthier" Food Swaps – Worth It or Hard Pass?

Published on: 12th June, 2024

These days, there are so many eye-catching labels at the grocery store on foods claiming to be a healthier alternative to your favorite foods. Tune in to learn how to determine if they truly are a better option for you and if their taste rivals the original! 

On the episode this week, Jenn is talking about “healthier food swaps”. She covers different lunch/dinner, breakfast, snack, and dessert options with her past client offering the taste test verdict! Jenn walks us through the nutrition facts and ingredients to determine if each item is truly a nutritious swap or if it’s better to just eat the real thing. Then, she provides examples of how to make things work for you and your needs. Tune in to learn more! 

The Salad With a Side of Fries podcast is hosted by Jenn Trepeck, discussing wellness and weight loss for real life, clearing up the myths, misinformation, bad science & marketing surrounding our nutrition knowledge and the food industry. Let’s dive into wellness and weight loss for real life, including drinking, eating out, and skipping the grocery store. 

IN THIS EPISODE: 

  • [6:10] Are the Mission Zero Net Carb Tortillas a healthy option?
  • [9:24] What is a good pasta alternative? 
  • [10:58] Jenn shares her thoughts on the line of products Nestle is coming out with for those taking Ozempic and similar meds?
  • [13:54] Is the Legendary Foods Protein Pastry a good alternative to Pop Tarts?
  • [16:36] Are protein bagels a good option for breakfast?
  • [18:40] What about Catalina Crunch? 
  • [19:44] Are Flock Chicken Chips a good snack choice?
  • [20:43] What are some good chip/cracker alternatives?
  • [28:05] What are some good dessert options?
  • [35:31] Are there good candy options on the market?
  • [37:57] What are healthy ice cream/shake type options?
  • [47:17] Jenn shares her final thoughts around how to utilize “healthy” swaps.

KEY TAKEAWAYS: 

  • There are pros and cons to choosing the “healthier” food swaps. Eating only processed foods, even if they have “better” nutrition facts, won’t create balance in the long run. Make informed decisions for your needs and health. 
  • Always make sure you look at the nutrition facts and ingredients to determine if you actually just want to eat the real thing. Make the best choice for you given the information that is provided.
  • Just because it’s marketed as “healthier” doesn’t mean it truly is. Do your research. 

QUOTES: 

  • “As we know, when they [food manufacturers] take something out, they add other things in to keep it tasting the way we want it to, so I'm cautious...it's about what they do put in there vs. what they take out." - Jenn Trepeck
  • "Ultra processed foods are how we got to this point, among other things but it's a huge contributing factor, and so I hesitate to think that the same companies who got us here are the ones who see so clearly what the solution is." – Jenn Trepeck
  • "Everything has its place in the bigger picture of things we're eating. You're still focusing on the protein and the vegetables and then the wrap becomes this side that helps complete the meal, the condiment that helps fill things out." - Jenn Trepeck
  • “It’s pros and cons. It’s choosing between different ingredients and where you want to spend them and what your priorities are to decide if that works for you.” - Jenn Trepeck
  • "There is a distinction between healthier and health supporting. I almost think a better word is less detrimental." - Jenn Trepeck
  • “So I just say to everybody, proceed with caution. Pick your battles. Read the labels and decide what works for you.” - Jenn Trepeck
  • “The piece to remember for everybody is that this is a progression in the changing of our habits and adjusting our diets. A lot of these options are incredible tools in that process.” - Jenn Trepeck

RESOURCES:

Catalina Crunch Nutrition Nugget

Wonder Monday Cheesecakes Nugget

Become A Member of Salad with a Side of Fries

Jenn’s Free Menu Plan

A Salad With a Side of Fries

A Salad With A Side Of Fries Merch

A Salad With a Side of Fries Instagram

Next Episode All Episodes Previous Episode

Listen for free

Show artwork for Salad With a Side of Fries Nutrition, Wellness & Weight Loss

About the Podcast

Salad With a Side of Fries Nutrition, Wellness & Weight Loss
What to eat and when to cheat! Let's decipher between all the “diets” out there. You know what to do but it itsn't working. In fact, your diet could be making you fatter.

Ever wondered if cryo-freezing your fat cells would really work? Should you try acupuncture? A hypnotist? If you do, how do you know if someone’s good?

Salad with a Side of Fries is the podcast that will answer all these questions and more! Talking wellness and weight loss for real life, because most of us are going to drink, eat out, skip the grocery store and who wants a life without fries or dessert?! Host Jenn Trepeck’s expertise as an optimal health coach, in practice for over a decade, along with experts in various modalities will clear up the myths, mis-information, bad science and marketing to reveal the truth of HOW TO EAT and HOW TO CHEAT!*



*These statements have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration. This podcast, its content and guests are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.

About your host

Profile picture for Jennifer Trepeck

Jennifer Trepeck

“My passion for nutrition and helping others stems from “kicking my food issues” with my own weight management saga.” ~ Jenn

I believe that the greatest accountability is paying it forward! That’s why I teach the nutrition education we are all supposed to know but no one ever taught us, along with the science behind food, fitness, and health.

After I graduated from the University of Michigan Ross School of Business, I founded Better Life Now LLC while working full-time in hedge funds. In 2019, I took my practice from side-hustle to full-time self-employment and launched my podcast, Salad With a Side of Fries. On the show, we offer science-based tips and tricks for how to achieve wellness and weight loss for real life – because who wants a life without fries or dessert?!

Topics we tackle on the podcast include debunking fad diets, food myths, misinformation in marketing, bad science, and general nutrition. I encourage guests whose expertise is different from my own focus on weight management to bring their unique, fact-based perspectives to talk about subjects they are educated in and passionate about.

Due to my decade-long experience of working with clients, I have gained insight into the health and food industry and the how-tos of building a business.

Some specific health and wellness topics I can speak to include debunking fad diets, exposing the BS we are fed by the food and diet industry, how the people around us can positively and negatively impact our health journey, and shifting mindsets in order to overcome inappropriate barometers of success to instead achieve happy, healthy, and meaningful change.

On the subject of business, I can help you by teaching my critical pieces every entrepreneur should know, how to make your side-hustle into your full-time job, ways to sustainably achieve success without burning out, contemporary networking, and how to prioritize wellness while pursuing your projects.

When I find some free time, I’m typically working out at Physique57, discovering hidden gem restaurants in NYC, or traveling to spend time with friends and family.

I’d love to have an in-depth conversation with you, whether it’s leveling up in business or debunking food myths!