Recipe Makeover
One of my favorite challenges is to take classic recipes and create healthy tasty dishes. This can be challenging but a lot of fun in the end. I gathered some basic ingredient substitutions to help guide you on your re-creations.
Here are some simple tips:
Take a look at a recipe and see where you can cut back on fats. We know that fats have the highest calories per gram. Processed sugars and white flour are a source for empty calories. We want to get as much out of our food that we can. Fiber is your friend. Swapping white flour/grain products for whole grain and wheat can add to your daily fiber intake. Adding vegetables to your recipes can cut calories and fulfill your daily recommended intake.
Here is a cheat sheet for your kitchen.
INGREDIENT SUBSTITUTION
Bacon Turkey sausage/bacon, prosciutto or even
Canadian bacon
Beef Leaner cuts, 90/10 ground beef, or bison
Bread, white Whole wheat, whole grain or other grain breads
Bread crumbs Oats, quinoa, whole grain bread crumbs and rice
Butter or margerine Apple sauce, fruit puree & yogurt spread
Canned Fruit Fruit in natural juice or fresh fruit
Dairy, milk & cheese Low fat or non-fat options
Eggs Egg whites, 2 for 1 whole egg
Flour, white all pourpose Whole wheat flour, banana flour, chickpea flour,
oat flour, coconut flour, or any other grain flour
Iceberg lettuce Any leafy green
Mayonnaise Low calorie or low fat alternatives, Greek
yogurt in some recipes hummus
Pasta, white flour Spelt, quinoa, brown rice or whole wheat pasta
Rice, white Brown rice, bulger, barley, kamut, farro, spelt
millet or buckwheat
Shortening Yogurt spread or butter substitute without trans
fats
Salts Herbs, spices, garlic, onions and other aromatics
Sugar, white Agave syrup, honey, maple syrup, molasses,
turbinado sugar or reduce the amount in the
recipe. You can use alternative sweetners such
sucralose or stevia
Syrups Low calorie, sugar-free syrup or fruit purees
