Recipes are meant to be a guide, not a rulebook. If a recipe calls for something you don't have, don't eat, or just don't feel like tonight, that's not a reason to skip it — it's a reason to swap it.
Every recipe in the Meals tab is built with adaptation in mind, and the more comfortable you get swapping things around, the easier it becomes to stay consistent — which matters far more than following any single recipe to the letter.
Where to Find Swaps on Your Recipe Card
Scroll to the bottom of any recipe card and look for the dropdown sections for substitutions. You'll see options for whichever of these apply to that recipe:
Vegetarian — plant-based ingredient swaps
Dairy-Free — swaps for milk, cheese, and yogurt-based ingredients
Gluten-Free — swaps for wheat-based ingredients like pasta, bread, and tortillas
Nut-Free — swaps for nut-based ingredients
Every recipe includes a swap option for any category it doesn't already meet. So if a recipe is already naturally dairy-free, you won't see a dairy-free dropdown — there's nothing to convert. But if it contains dairy, gluten, nuts, or meat, you'll find a dropdown showing how to adjust it.
Before skipping a recipe that doesn't quite fit your needs, scroll down and check — there's a good chance it's already covered.
Looking for Something Specific? Search by Filter
If you're browsing rather than adapting a specific recipe, you can filter recipes by dietary preference right from search, including:
Gluten-Free, Dairy-Free, Vegetarian, Vegan, Pescatarian, Egg-Free, Peanut-Free, Tree-Nut-Free, Soy-Free, Fish-Free, and Shellfish-Free
You can also filter by cuisine and by meal type (breakfast, lunch/dinner, snack) to narrow things down further.
And if you filter for, say, gluten-free and don't find exactly what you're craving? Remember — almost any recipe that isn't already gluten-free will have a gluten-free swap built in. So a recipe you love that isn't tagged gluten-free might still be easy to make gluten-free using the swap dropdown.
General Tips for Adapting Any Meal
The tips below aren't tied to a specific button in the app — they're general guidance for adapting any recipe, Moves or otherwise, based on what you have on hand.
Protein Swaps
Protein is usually the easiest thing to substitute. Match portion sizes as closely as you can:
Instead of | Try |
Chicken | Turkey, lean beef, pork tenderloin, shrimp, tofu, tempeh |
Ground beef | Ground turkey, ground chicken, plant-based crumbles, lentils |
Fish | Shrimp, chicken, tofu |
Exact macros may shift a little with any swap — that's normal, and staying consistent matters more than hitting numbers perfectly.
Gluten-Free Swaps
Instead of | Try |
Pasta | Gluten-free pasta |
Flour tortillas | Corn tortillas or gluten-free wraps |
Breadcrumbs | Gluten-free breadcrumbs |
Soy sauce | Tamari or certified gluten-free soy sauce |
If you're managing celiac disease or a gluten intolerance, check labels carefully — "gluten-free" swaps can still carry cross-contamination risk depending on the brand.
Dairy-Free Swaps
Instead of | Try |
Milk | Unsweetened almond, soy, or oat milk |
Greek yogurt | Dairy-free yogurt |
Sour cream | Dairy-free sour cream or dairy-free Greek-style yogurt |
Cheese | Dairy-free cheese, or nutritional yeast |
If you're managing a dairy allergy rather than a preference, always double-check ingredient labels.
Adding Volume Without the Extra Prep
If you want a meal to feel more filling, bulk it up with:
Extra vegetables, leafy greens, or mushrooms
Cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, or broccoli slaw
This adds fiber and volume without changing the core recipe.
Want more protein or fiber without swapping anything?
Sometimes the easier move isn't substituting an ingredient — it's building on the recipe as written.
Add a protein-rich topping or side. Greek yogurt, cottage cheese, edamame, hemp hearts, or a slightly bigger portion of the protein that's already in the recipe.
Add volume and fiber. Extra vegetables, leafy greens, cauliflower rice, zucchini noodles, broccoli slaw, mushrooms, or bell peppers — more filling, same recipe.
Or skip the manual work entirely: filter for High Protein or High Fiber on the search screen, or browse the Protein Packed and Fiber Friendly collections at the bottom of the Recipes tab — both built around exactly this. How do I find and browse recipes in the Meals tab?
A good week of eating rarely comes from following a recipe perfectly — it comes from knowing how to adapt one.
That's the idea behind Moves Plus: it's not a course to complete, just the kind of know-how that makes cooking from the Meals tab a little easier every week. For more from the two nutrition experts behind it, see Who are the Moves+ nutrition experts and recipe developers? ✨
If you have any questions or need assistance, our Support Team is here to help. Contact us anytime at support@movesapp.com — we're dedicated to making sure you have the best experience possible!