DISCLAIMER:
I am not, nor do I claim to be, a professional dietician, nutritionist or diet programme consultant.
I rejoined SW in May 2019, achieved my target in August that year and had managed to stay within my target parameters for over three years.
Saturday Swapit is not intended as a diet programme, and anyone who wants or needs to lose serious weight should consult a medical professional or their GP.
I started this series to give encouragement and support to those having the diet doldrums. I hope some readers have taken heart throughout 2022 and maybe picked up a few tips here and there. Diet is a four letter word, but then so is food.
IMO, more should be taught about nutrition in schools, and how to make a meal from the basic of ingredients.
Hands up those who love mashed potatoes.
At school, it was never the same as Mum used to make, but then they didn’t add butter or milk. In adult life, we can have mash, but those of us counting calories/syns/points omit the butter.
How about cake?
I cut down the fat and sugar in my cakes some years ago and it doesn’t detract from the taste. If using dried fruit, even less sugar may be necessary as the fruit provides the sweetness.
When making a fresh fruit crumble, some sugar may be needed to reduce acidity, but my topping of a 50/50 mix of porridge oats and granola requires no fat, flour or sugar so again calories etc are reduced.
Do you make your own sauces?
The beauty of that if you do is that you know exactly what goes into it so again you can cut down on the bad stuff.
I am not a fan of artificial sweeteners as those I tried left a residue in the mouth which spoilt the flavour of the dish.
There are alternatives to frying, and I cook my chicken breasts or sausages in water rather than fat, or of course you can grill of bake them in the oven.
What I am trying to say is there is no reason why we can’t have the foods we enjoy if we can adapt the way we cook them. Sometimes, they actually taste better as you get the flavour of the food, not the ingredient it’s cooked in.
Swings and roundabouts.
pensitivity101 
At Thanksgiving I made an Apple Cranberry pie – completely forgot the sugar! And it tasted better!!
Sometimes improvements come by accident!
Sometimes you just have to eat to enjoy and not worry about the consequences
That’s exactly how I feel at the moment
“For mash get Smash!” I hated that stuff. I still have cake but mainly just on a Sunday as a treat (‘cakey tea’). It’s a tradition in the family.
I use instant mash quite a lot as it’s practical and versatile for the two of us.
Loved the Smash men. It’s not a Cadbury product anymore though.