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How to Make Healthy Ingredient Substitutions

Super-charge your diet with these simple food swaps (10 Photos)

Regan Burns Cafisco on Dec 28, 2009 at 2:16PM

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How to Make Healthy Ingredient Substitutions

Sian Irvine

Instead of Rice, Try Quinoa

Ban the chance of carb overload (and the blood-sugar crash that accompanies it) by exchanging white rice for the nutty supergrain, quinoa. Touted for its health benefits, quinoa is packed with protein, fiber, and other nutrients—unlike white rice,whose fiber and natural nutrients were removed during the milling process, making it largely a source of refined carbohydrates. Even though some vitamins are added back through enrichment, white rice is nothing near the nutritional powerhouse that quinoa is. Try it in your pilaf recipes or in any rice-based side dish. It also makes a delicious and complete meal when standing in for the rice in risotto.