How to Make Viral Dishes Healthier
TikTok is inundated with thousands of delicious recipes and recipe inspiration. Google searches for ‘TikTok recipes’ are up 225% in the past quarter, while ‘recipe ideas’ have nearly 120k posts on the app itself.
Despite being delicious and hearty, many of these recipes aren’t nutritionally balanced and are more of a treat meal than something to eat daily.
With this in mind, the UK’s no.1 vitamin company, Vitabiotics, has spoken exclusively to nutritional therapist Lucia Stansbie to discover some easy swaps to make viral recipes more balanced. Lucia has taken some of the most viral recipes on TikTok and made them more nutritious to give inspiration to those wanting to incorporate more healthy foods into their diets.
Dumpling bake
Dumpling bakes are currently going viral on TikTok, with Google searches also up +5000% on Google over the past quarter. Lucia has shared some healthy swaps you can make to the viral recipe from this creator.
“While it looks very appetising, this meal is very rich in salt and fats. Soy sauce, shop-bought curry sauce and shop-bought dumplings have a high salt content, while coconut milk is also packed with saturated and hydrogenated fats.”
Turn this dish from a snack to a satisfying meal with Lucia’s easy twist
“To improve the dish, use half the amount of coconut milk and make the curry sauce by using fresh ingredients such as onions, garlic, peppers and curry powder. It is not only more flavourful, but it also allows you to have much better control over the quality of the ingredients.
You could also choose a soy sauce that is lower in salt. To finish, instead of eating the dish alone, which won’t be entirely satisfying, I would serve the dumplings on wholegrain rice or a bed of cauliflower rice to up the fibre content of each serving.”
Marry me chicken
Google searches for ‘marry me chicken’ have surged in popularity over the past five years, with searches up over 20% the past quarter alone. The recipe used by this creator has over 1 million likes. Lucia has given her top tips on upping the nutritional value of the meal.
Add fibre and gut-loving care with Lucia’s swap
“While not at all bad in terms of nutritional content, this meal is very high in calories and saturated fats and has very little fibre. To improve it, use grilled chicken instead of pan-fried as a base, and use reduced-fat cream in a smaller quantity. Increasing the amount of sliced peppers will add a much-needed fibre boost, a bonus point if you add them towards the end and leave them crunchy to preserve their high vitamin C content. Last but not least, simply swapping out the stock cube for bone broth as a base will make this dish nourishing to the gut.”
Lasagne Soup
Lasagne soup has been going viral on TikTok recently, especially as the winter months start to creep in, with Google searches up 192% over the past quarter. The video by this creator has nearly 1 million views. If you want a more nutritious alternative to the internet sensation, Lucia has some tips.
Reduce fat and add gut-loving protein with Lucia’s nutritious additions
“I believe calling it a soup is deceiving, as it is basically a deconstructed lasagna, which is a rich meal to enjoy in moderation, not a light broth. To make this meal more nutritious, use chicken bone broth instead of stock.. Instead of marinara sauce (tinned tomato with extra salt), I would use just simple tomato sauce, organic if possible. I would also be mindful of the quantity of cream, maybe reducing it to limit the amount of saturated fats. That being said, the creator added spinach for extra fibre, making it a more complete meal.”
Banana bread
Banana bread is one dessert that never loses popularity, but it’s currently doing the rounds on TikTok again, with over 36k people sharing their own recipes. Lucia has shared her take on this user’s recipe, in case you want to add a little bit more goodness to the delicious dessert.
Add anti-inflammatory omega-3s with this simple swap
“Who doesn’t love banana bread! It’s important to understand that sweet treats can be part of a healthy diet, and should definitely be enjoyed from time to time. However, if you do want to make this recipe a little more nutritious, try swapping chocolate chips with walnuts, as those are a great source of omega-3. Being a simple cake without many ingredients, toppings and fillings, banana bread is a brilliant dessert and can help avoid food waste as it is made from over-ripe bananas.”
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