Don’t Ditch That Dish: Healthy Substitutes for Your Favorite Recipes
Think you have to say goodbye to your tried and true recipes now that you’re eating healthier?
Not so fast.
With a few tweaks and substitutions, many recipes can be made healthier. Every recipe is different, so be sure to make notes of what works and what doesn’t. It may take a few tries before you get the results you want.
Try These Substitutions and Conversion for Ingredients
- 1 cup oil = 1 cup unsweetened applesauce
- 1 tbsp. margarine = 3 tbsp. ground flax
- 1/2 cup pecans = 1/4 cup toasted pecans
- 1 cup sour cream = 1 cup plain Greek yogurt
- 1 cup whole milk = 1 cup skim milk
- 1 cup mayonnaise = 1 cup blenderized low-fat cottage cheese
- 1 cup wine = 3/4 cup water, 3 tbsp. lemon juice and 1 tbsp. sugar
Here are some other ideas to follow in general:
- Use skim (non-fat) milk instead of 2 percent, whole milk (homogenized), whipping cream or heavy cream
- Use light or non-fat sour cream instead of regular sour cream
- Use lower-fat cheese instead of regular cheese
- Use less oil than the recipe calls for
- Replace onion salt, garlic salt, celery salt and seasoning salt with onion flakes, garlic powder and herbs
Other Tips to Decrease Fat, Sugar and Sodium
- To reduce fat in a recipe, cut the amount by half and substitute for the missing fat with unsweetened applesauce, mashed bananas or pureed prunes.
- To reduce the sugar, just leave out one-third to one-half the amount called for in the recipe.
- To reduce sodium, reduce the amount by half, or eliminate it altogether. The exception: the recipe uses yeast. Salt is necessary for the leavening process, so it must be left in these recipes.
- You can easily slim down fat intake by changing your food preparation. Instead of frying, try braising, broiling, grilling or steaming. For an added bonus, use non-stick pans so you can use less oil.
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