10 Food Substitutes for the Military Diet – Healthline

The military diet is a calorie-restricted fad diet that claims to help you lose 10 pounds (4.5 kg) in a week.
It offers detailed instructions on what, when, and how much to eat. Its primary foods include toast, canned tuna, eggs, apples, bananas, cheese, cottage cheese, saltine crackers, hot dogs, vanilla ice cream, peanut butter, tea, coffee, and grapefruit.
However, due to aversions, sensitivities, medical reasons, and dietary or religious practices, some people don’t eat some of these foods. Therefore, you may be curious about food swaps that are permitted on this diet.
Here are 10 common food substitutions on the military diet.
The military diet allows food substitution and lists several swaps for each food item on its website. For example, you can swap 1 cup (113 grams) of canned tuna for 1/2 cup (83 grams) of chickpeas, or half a grapefruit for 1/2 teaspoon of baking soda and a glass of water.
However, the diet’s website doesn’t provide detailed measurements for each alternative food, suggesting that the original and the substitute have the same number of calories.
You may notice that some food substitutions don’t match up nutritionally with the original food item. As such, calorie and macronutrient info is offered below to help you choose the most comparable food swaps.
Furthermore, you may want to steer clear of some swaps, such as baking soda and water in place of grapefruit, since some approved alternatives aren’t good sources of nutrients.
The military diet includes a list of approved food swaps on its website. Although these foods may align with the diet’s own methodology, they’re often nutritionally unequal to the foods that they’re replacing.
Foods that people frequently want to swap on the military diet include fish, meat, and eggs. All of these animal products are high in protein, so the swaps below are comparably protein-rich.
Although the alternatives mentioned are also naturally gluten-free, there may be a risk of cross contamination. If you must avoid gluten, be sure to check the packaging for a label that certifies your foods as gluten-free.
The military diet often prescribes 4 ounces (113 grams) of canned tuna. This amount typically contains 131 calories and 29 grams of protein (1).
Keep in mind that the military diet simply recommends substituting tuna with lean meat or fish instead of providing specific meats and quantities.
This amount of cottage cheese provides a similar number of calories but only half the protein found in 1 cup (113 grams) of canned tuna.
Much like cottage cheese, this serving size of tofu provides similar calories but less than half the amount of protein found in 1 cup (113 grams) of tuna.
Almonds and avocados are not very rich in protein, so they’re not an ideal swap for tuna.
The military diet calls for lean meat, though it doesn’t specify the type.
Just 4 ounces (113 grams) of turkey, lean beef, and lean pork provide 130–138 calories and 22–26 grams of protein (13, 14, 15).
Keep in mind that shiitake mushrooms are particularly low in protein, and the other plant foods in this list contain less than half of the protein as 4 ounces (113 grams) of lean meat.
Two low fat, bunless hot dogs — a common item on the military diet — provide 160 calories, 14 grams of protein, and 11 grams of fat (20).
Since the vegan sauce items are processed foods, you may need to check the packaging if you need to avoid gluten, lactose, or particular food allergens.
Beans and lentils are less processed and contain similar amounts of protein per serving.
One large, hard-boiled egg contains 76 calories and 6 grams of protein (28).
Bear in mind that half of an avocado isn’t an apt substitute for an egg since it has far more calories and less protein. You may prefer baked beans, skim milk, or bacon.
Simply avoid the milk if you’re lactose intolerant.
You can substitute various meat products on the military diet with other meats, dairy, or plant-based protein sources. However, keep in mind that vegan substitutes may not provide enough protein if you’re substituting calorie for calorie.
Dairy is a good source of dietary protein, so the substitutes in this category are sorted by both total calories and protein content.
The military diet often calls for cottage cheese. Just 1 cup (220 grams) of this dairy product provides 180 calories and 24 grams of protein (33).
While the military diet recommends substituting 1 cup (22 grams) of cottage cheese with 1 cup (240 mL) of unsweetened plant milk and 2 tablespoons (34 grams) of hummus, this swap is less than ideal since these milks are very low calorie.
Only if you double or triple the amount of milk and/or hummus can you can approach the desired calories — and you may still fail to reach the protein content of cottage cheese.
Tofu is a much more comparable alternative to cottage cheese in terms of both calories and protein.
Only 1/2 cup (66 grams) of vanilla ice cream packs 137 calories and 16 grams of carbs (44).
Flavored Greek yogurt also boasts far more protein than the same amount of ice cream.
For dairy products on the military diet, animal foods and vegan products alike make good alternatives. Bear in mind that animal-based products often match dairy’s protein content better than vegan ones.
Since the military diet calls for several carb-rich baked goods, such as bread and crackers, the alternatives below contain similar amounts of carbs.
They’re also lactose-free except for yogurt, and all are vegan except for yogurt and tortillas, which may contain lard. Always check the ingredient list to be sure.
A single slice of toast offers 71 calories and 13 grams of carbs (48).
Around 5 saltine crackers pack 63 calories and 11 grams of carbs (57).
When substituting for toast and saltine crackers on the military diet, you can choose any number of grain products — both gluten-free and not.
One of the military diet’s primary foods is grapefruit, though the diet’s only suggested swap is an item that contains almost no nutrients.
Thus, you’re better off swapping grapefruit for another citrus fruit.
Half of a grapefruit contains 41 calories, 1.4 grams of fiber, and 44 mg of vitamin C (63).
The diet’s proponents claim that this swap is necessary because baking soda makes your body more alkaline, which is said to be conducive to fat burning.
However, your body’s pH is naturally slightly alkaline, and your body and all its systems work to keep it that way (66).
No concrete evidence suggests that any food or ingredient can alter your pH significantly. The claim that alkalinity is tied to weight loss is likewise unsubstantiated.
For a diet that includes very few fruits and vegetables and supports the regular intake of empty calories like ice cream and saltines, substituting a nutrient-rich fruit with a bicarbonate salt like baking soda is unreasonable. It’s best to avoid this swap.
Baking soda and water isn’t a nutritionally comparable alternative for grapefruit. You’re better off swapping for a different citrus fruit.
The military diet sets no limits on your intake of coffee and black tea.
Still, if you avoid these drinks for any reason, you can try both caffeinated and caffeine-free alternatives.
Brewed black tea and coffee both are great sources of caffeine. Just 1 cup (240 mL) of brewed coffee provides 96 mg of caffeine, while the same amount of black tea offers 54 mg (67, 68).
Hot chocolate doesn’t provide enough caffeine to be a comparable coffee alternative. Still, if you’re simply craving a hot drink, it’s a good option.
Other than herbal tea, beverages made with guarana, yerba mate, or green coffee beans may be equally effective pick-me-ups, but the military diet doesn’t mention any of them.
You can substitute coffee and black tea on the military diet with green tea, caffeinated energy drinks, or a few other caffeine-free beverages.
There are many reasons why you might be interested in looking at alternative food options on the military diet.
Restricted eating patterns like the military diet often prescribe particular foods. You may simply dislike one of these items and want other options.
Food swaps are necessary for some people who follow an additional eating pattern that restricts a certain food or food group. Some of the more popular diets done in tandem with the military diet include:
Religions may incorporate dietary laws that prohibit certain military diet foods. Faiths with dietary restrictions include (71):
Food sensitivities and intolerances occur when your body has trouble digesting certain foods. Common substances that cause intolerance include (72):
Unlike intolerances and sensitivities, a food allergy is an immune reaction and may be life threatening. More than 160 foods have been known to cause allergenic reactions. Of those, here are some of the major allergens (73):
Someone who is allergic to any of these foods can still follow the military diet plan if they carefully swap foods.
Managing a medical condition sometimes involves following a certain diet. For example, people with diabetes may be advised to limit their carb intake, while those with heart disease may need to limit foods high in sodium or cholesterol.
Certain medications may also negatively react with foods. For instance, grapefruit — which the military diet prescribes — is known to interact with numerous drugs, such as cholesterol-lowering, anti-anxiety, and blood pressure medications (74).
There are a number of reasons you may be looking to swap certain items out on the military diet, including food aversion, allergies, complementary diets, or restrictions related to health conditions.
For all its easy instructions and simple menu planning, the military diet is an unbalanced eating pattern that encourages a regular intake of ice cream, saltine crackers, canned tuna, and toast. It’s also particularly low in fruits and vegetables and high in processed foods.
While certain substitutes, such as lean meat or tofu for tuna, rice cakes for saltines, and yogurt for ice cream, may be equal in terms of calories and even slightly more nutritious, this isn’t true for every swap.
In fact, some of the swaps that this fad diet recommends have no nutritional value. For instance, baking soda mixed with water isn’t a viable swap for grapefruit.
Given that the military diet’s approved food substitutes aren’t in line with nutritional science, you’re better off following an eating pattern that’s rich in nutrient-dense, whole foods.
Last medically reviewed on July 27, 2021
This article is based on scientific evidence, written by experts and fact checked by experts.
Our team of licensed nutritionists and dietitians strive to be objective, unbiased, honest and to present both sides of the argument.
This article contains scientific references. The numbers in the parentheses (1, 2, 3) are clickable links to peer-reviewed scientific papers.
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