| Healthy Substitutions: Tips to Make Recipes Lighter |
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Healthy Dessert Tip
| Traditional Ingredient |
Healthy Substitution |
| Butter and cream in mashed potatoes | Buttermilk instead of cream and light butter instead of regular. —Tsang |
| Cream in soup recipes | |
| Oil for sauteing | Defatted broth or white wine. Substitute 2 tablespoons. —Ruggiero (Editor's note: On the other hand, a small amount of oil with your vegetables can be nutritious. Read more in the box on this page, where it talks about salads and salad dressings.) |
| Meat and breadcrumbs in meatloa |
Half extra-lean ground beef (like ground round) and half turkey, with whole-wheat breadcrumbs, for more fiber and reduced saturated fat and calories. (Also, drain the excess fat after the meatloaf's done cooking; this won't dry it out.) —Hingle |
| Oil for deep frying chicken |
Oven "frying" the chicken: Spray chicken tenders with cooking-oil spray. Roll in bread crumbs. Bake at 400º for 20 minutes, turning after 10. —McDonald |
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Healthy Substitutions for Bread Recipes
Cornbread:
Add real corn (for flavor, texture and fiber), whole-wheat flour (instead of white) and vegetable oil (instead of butter). For a delicious, healthier topping, substitute cranberry sauce for butter. —Heller
Muffins or Pancakes:
Add ground flaxseed and whole oats to packaged muffin and pancake mixes to increase the fiber and add omega 3s. You can also use frozen berries for additional fiber and an antioxidant boost. —Owens
Muffins, Pancakes or Waffles:
Add puréed, cooked pumpkin, sweet potato or carrots for beta carotene. Grated carrots or zucchini also works well in pancakes and muffins when trying to eat more vegetables. —Priebe
Healthy Substitutions for Baking
| Traditional Ingredient |
Healthy Substitution |
| Butter in baking |
Smart Balance spread. It bakes and cooks well, with about 65 percent less saturated fat and 20 percent fewer calories. —Duryea (Editor's note: Smart Balance contains palm fruit oil. Read about this ingredient in the box labeled "Palm Oil Controversy" on this page.) |
| Butter in frosting or icing | Marshmallow creme, for creaminess without fat. —Ruggiero |
| Flour and butter in buttermilk biscuits | Whole-wheat pastry flour and half canola oil/half butter (instead of all butter), for more fiber and less saturated fat. —Hingle |
| Oil added to brownie mixes | Plain, nonfat yogurt. The brownies are chocolaty and delicious without the fat! —Owens |
| Sour cream in baked goods or recipes | Fat-free plain yogurt. It tastes amazing in ambrosia-style fruit salads and is even delicious in stroganoff! (It also has more calcium than sour cream.) —Ruggiero |
- Cynthanne Duryea, R.D., L.D., Cooper Clinic (Dallas and McKinney, Texas)
- Samantha L. Heller, M.S., R.D., C.D.N., nutrition counselor, Fairfield, Conn.
- Melanie Hingle, M.P.H., R.D., senior research specialist, University of Arizona.
- Linda McDonald, M.S., R.D., L.D., editor, Supermarket Savvy newsletter
- Mindy Podolsky Owens, M.S., R.D., owner, Have a Healthy Home, Los Angeles
- Robyn Priebe, R.D., C.D., director of nutrition, Green Mountain at Fox Run health retreat, Ludlow, Vt.
- Tina Ruggiero, M.S., R.D., corporate and private nutrition consultant, Tierra Verde, Fla.; blogger, Voice of Reason
-
Gloria Tsang, R.D., founder, nutrition community HealthCastle.com
You May Also Be Interested In:
- Lighter Meal Ideas: Easy Substitutions for Classic Dishes
- Grocery Store Tour: How to Pick the Healthiest Foods—and Save Money!
- Healthy recipes
- Our free health newsletter—expert-written articles delivered monthly
Last updated and/or approved: January 2012. Tips originally appeared in various issues of the former print magazine. Bios current as of that issue. This general health-care information is not meant as individual advice. Please see our disclaimer.
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