Recipe Re-Do: Substituting Healthier Ingredients in Foods
Why should you substitute ingredients? You can substitute items that will taste just as good and be lower in fat, calories, and sugar!
Here are some ideas for healthier (and tasty) substitutions for commonly used ingredients:
| If the recipe asks for this: | Try this substitution instead: |
| Dry bread crumbs | Crushed bran cereal or dry oats |
| White bread | Sourdough, whole wheat, English muffins, pita, corn tortillas |
| Bacon | Turkey bacon, lean ham, Canadian bacon |
| Eggs | 2 or 3 egg whites and 1 yolk, or egg substitute |
| Butter or Shortening | Cooking spray and nonstick pans |
| Mayonnaise | Reduced calorie or fat-free mayo or fat free sour cream |
| Iceberg lettuce | Most other lettuces, spinach, arugula, watercress, collard, or mustard greens have more nutrients |
| Salt | Herbs, spices, vinegar |
| Syrup | Pureed fruit, fruit spread (not jelly), applesauce, low-calorie syrup |
| Sugar | You can usually reduce sugar in recipes by 2/3 to 1/2 and not affect the taste; adding vanilla or cinnamon makes it taste sweeter. |
| Flour | You can substitute 1/2 of the flour with whole wheat flour to add nutrients and not affect cooking; also adding wheat germ to flour will boost the nutrients. |
| Cream | Evaporated skim milk will give the rich flavor of cream in most soups and cream-based dishes; fat-free half and half also works. |
| Cream Cheese | Use low fat, Neufchatel, or pureed cottage cheese (low or nonfat). |
| White rice | Brown rice, wild rice, and converted rice have more nutrients |
| Salad Dressings | Usually high-calorie—look for light and fat-free versions, vinaigrettes, and flavored vinegars; consider using just the vinegar instead of oil and vinegar along with olives and other pickled items. |
| Sour Cream | Low-fat yogurt, fat free, or low-fat sour cream |
| Meats | Cut your meat in dishes to 1/2 of what it calls for and add more vegetables, particularly in soups, stews, casseroles, and pizzas. Buy lean cuts in bulk (white meat instead of dark) then freeze in smaller packages. |
| Bottled Spaghetti Sauce and Chili | Puree into the sauce cooked carrots and other vegetables or use jars of baby food vegetables—it won’t affect the taste but will provide servings of vegetables that are hard to get children to eat. |
| Butter or margarine, shortening in baked items | Try marshmallow cream in sweet recipes (cut down on your sugar, too); substitute applesauce for 1/2 of your butter, shortening or oil (it makes cakes very moist); avoid trans-fat products. |
| Canned Fruit in Heavy Syrup | Fruits in juice or fresh fruit |
| Mashed potatoes | Well-cooked and pureed cauliflower (it really does taste like mashed potatoes but healthier), mashed sweet potatoes |
| Pies | Cook with fresh fruits and cut your sugar in 1/2; pumpkin pie with less sugar is especially nutritious and good tasting. |
| Ice Cream | Replace ice cream with sorbets and light ice creams with fruit for toppings; blend canned fruit (in juice) and freeze in small paper cups for popsicles; freeze a banana and blend; blend fruit and ice with nonfat milk and vanilla for a smoothie. |
Don’t forget to journal!
What substitutions from this list are you going to try while cooking meals for your family?