ZeroPoint foods are one of the cornerstones of the programme. They’re nutritional powerhouses that help set you up for a healthier pattern of eating, and that you can lean on as go-to staples when sitting down to a meal - no weighing, measuring, or tracking required!
But are you using your ZeroPoint foods to their full potential? Read on for our best tips and tricks to see how these zero heroes can save the day.
Beans, peas & lentils
Ways to use them
- Add moisture to chocolate cake and brownie batters with the addition of puréed black beans. The bean flavour will be drowned out by the rich cocoa.
- Purée canned chickpeas or white beans and use them to replace some of the fat in peanut butter cookies and to bind together edible cookie dough and protein bites.
- Roast or air-fry seasoned chickpeas or shelled edamame for easy, protein-rich crunchy snacks.
- Add beans to pasta dishes to amp up the protein while keeping things plant-based.
Corn & popcorn
Ways to use them
- Swap air-popped popcorn for croutons in soup and salad recipes.
- Minimise higher-calorie ingredients (like nuts, chocolate, and dried fruit) in homemade granola bars and cookies by stirring plain popcorn into your batters and mixes.
- Purée fresh or frozen (thawed) corn kernels to lend sweetness and creaminess to pasta sauces.
- Rely on corn’s naturally-occurring sugar to add sweetness to puréed desserts such as panna cotta.
- Grill whole ears of corn, cut off the kernels, and use them to impart smoky-flavor to salsa.
Eggs
Ways to use them
- Make mini two-bite sandwiches with halved hard-boiled eggs instead of bread.
- Cook up a stack of really thin omelettes and slice them into strips to make wheatless noodles.
- Blend eggs with mashed ripe bananas for easy, 2-ingredient gluten-free pancake batter.
- Crack eggs directly into bell pepper halves or acorn squash rings and bake.
- Line the cups of a muffin pan with thin slices of ham or turkey and add eggs, then bake.
Fruits
Ways to use them
- Swap unsweetened apple sauce for some of the sugar or oil in cake and cookie batters.
- Purée frozen bananas with your favorite fruits to make dairy-free “nice” cream.
- Air-fry or bake very thin apple slices until crispy for fruity chips.
- Use watermelon instead of tomatoes in summer salads and use whole watermelon slabs as the base of no-cook desserts.
- Skip traditional pie crust and bake pie filling in cored apples, or stuff strawberries with cheesecake filling.
Non-starchy vegetables
Ways to use them
- Spiralise carrots, beets, courgette, or butternut squash, or roast and rake spaghetti squash into strands, and use them as a spaghetti stand-in.
- Use puréed cauliflower rice to add (nearly) flavourless creaminess to soups and sauces.
- Cut back on flour by using some grated cauliflower, butternut squash, or courgette as part of the base of pizza crust and taco shell recipes.
- Swap riced broccoli or cauliflower for regular rice in grain-based main dishes and side dishes.
- Add canned pumpkin purée to frittata recipes to give them a custard-like texture.
- Skip tortilla chips and make nachos using bell pepper wedges instead.
Oats
Ways to use them
- Swap them for breadcrumbs in veggie burgers.
- Toast oats and use them as a binder in protein balls and other dessert recipes.
- Stir cooked oatmeal into muffin batters to add moisture and texture.
- Stir quick-cook oats into a pancake batter to add fibre.
Potatoes & starchy veggies
Ways to use them
- Swap bread for thin slabs of roasted sweet potato for sweet and savoury toasts.
- Replace lasagne noodles with thin slices of sweet potato.
- Thinly slice root vegetables and make homemade baked chips.
- Blend sweet potatoes into soup to help give it a creamy, thick texture.
- Steam potatoes, then grill wedges or slices for a smoky side dish.
- Slice parsnips and use them to make fries.
Tofu
Ways to use it
- Use silken tofu as a cream or mayo replacement in salad dressings, deli-style salads, and sauces.
- Purée tofu into dips, soups, and smoothies to give them a silky smooth texture.
- Blend silken tofu until smooth and add to chocolatey desserts instead of heavy cream without imparting any flavour.
Yogurt & cottage cheese (plain, 0% fat)
Ways to use them
- Make pizza crusts, bagels, cinnamon rolls, and mini pies using 2-ingredient dough.
- Swap yogurt or puréed cottage cheese for sour cream and mayo in dips and deli-style salad recipes.
- Swirl yogurt into soups as a garnish for a hint of tanginess.
- Add Greek yogurt to softened cream cheese so you can spread it further throughout a dish.
- Blend cottage cheese until smooth and add to mac and cheese for a creamier sauce.
