SEXYMAMA
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Zonya Foco, registered dietitian and author of The Power of Positive Eating, takes ingredient substitution seriously. "I absolutely hate the old adage, 'if it tastes good, it must be bad for you' (as well as 'if it tastes bad, it must be good for you'). Once you're keen on a few tricky kitchen secrets, fool your family and friends with everyday favorites that are unbelievably healthy." She breaks down easy substitutions into categories and says salt can be eliminated from all recipes.
* Replace sugar with spice
You can usually reduce sugar by 1/3 to 1/2 without altering the food product. Foco suggests you reduce sugar by 1/4 to 1/3 in baked goods and desserts. Cookies, quick breads and cakes can be baked successfully this way. Substitute flour for the omitted sugar. (Do not decrease sugar in yeast breads because sugar feeds the yeast.)
Use cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla for an illusion of sweetness, she advises. Sprinkle sugar on top instead of mixing in to enhance the sweet flavor to your taste buds.
* Use skim milk
Another way to decrease the amount of fat and calories in your recipes is to use skim milk or 1% milk, instead of whole milk or half and half. For extra richness, Foco suggests you try evaporated skim milk. This method produces a savings of 25 grams of fat!
1 cup heavy cream = 1 cup evaporated skim milk mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch (heat to bubbling)
1 cup sour cream = 1 cup low-fat or non-fat sour cream, 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt, or 1 cup blended low-fat cottage cheese
* mix in whole wheay flour
Use 1/2 white and 1/2 whole-wheat flour when baking, says Foco. Use all whole-wheat pastry flour (available at bulk food stores, food co-ops, or natural food stores like Whole Foods). This flour is wonderful and worth the special trip. It works so well in quick breads, you'll never notice you used whole wheat four. Special Note: Does not work in yeast recipes (too low in gluten). Use regular whole-wheat flour for yeast recipes.
* Sub egg whites for whole eggs
Here are Foco's guidelines:
Substitute 2 egg whites for 1 whole egg.
Use 1/4 cup of egg substitute for each egg.
* make a low fat chocolate
Try this simple recipe from Foco:
1 ounce chocolate = 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 6 tablespoons evaporated skim milk (heat to boiling)
*Sub Soy for Ground meat
Cynthia Sass, MA, RD, Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association suggests substituting ground beef in tacos, chili, and pasta dishes with soy crumbles as a great source of protein, iron, zinc, and calcium. One half cup of soy contains only 70 calories, no cholesterol, 5 grams of fat, and 0 grams of saturated fat, yet a whopping 4 grams of dietary fiber. "Not only do you get the health benefits of soy, you also reduce your food safety risk associated with raw meat juices and undercooked meat," says Sass.
* bake with pureed fruit
When baking, Foco replaces part or all of the oil with applesauce, mashed bananas, pureed prunes, fruit juice, yogurt, or buttermilk. When you use fruits in the substitution, you often can cut back on the sugar because fruits lend sweetening.
Reduce the amount of fat in baked products by 1/4 to 1/3. For example, if a cookie, quick bread, or muffin recipe calls for 1 cup of oil, use 2/3 cup instead. (Do not use this method for yeast breads and piecrusts.) Use oil whenever you can, instead of margarine or shortening. This method doesn't reduce total fat, but it does reduce saturated fat and trans fat.
Dont know about that last one... lol ..but these are just a few simple steps to help cut some cals & fat
* Replace sugar with spice
You can usually reduce sugar by 1/3 to 1/2 without altering the food product. Foco suggests you reduce sugar by 1/4 to 1/3 in baked goods and desserts. Cookies, quick breads and cakes can be baked successfully this way. Substitute flour for the omitted sugar. (Do not decrease sugar in yeast breads because sugar feeds the yeast.)
Use cinnamon, nutmeg or vanilla for an illusion of sweetness, she advises. Sprinkle sugar on top instead of mixing in to enhance the sweet flavor to your taste buds.
* Use skim milk
Another way to decrease the amount of fat and calories in your recipes is to use skim milk or 1% milk, instead of whole milk or half and half. For extra richness, Foco suggests you try evaporated skim milk. This method produces a savings of 25 grams of fat!
1 cup heavy cream = 1 cup evaporated skim milk mixed with 1 tablespoon cornstarch (heat to bubbling)
1 cup sour cream = 1 cup low-fat or non-fat sour cream, 1 cup plain nonfat yogurt, or 1 cup blended low-fat cottage cheese
* mix in whole wheay flour
Use 1/2 white and 1/2 whole-wheat flour when baking, says Foco. Use all whole-wheat pastry flour (available at bulk food stores, food co-ops, or natural food stores like Whole Foods). This flour is wonderful and worth the special trip. It works so well in quick breads, you'll never notice you used whole wheat four. Special Note: Does not work in yeast recipes (too low in gluten). Use regular whole-wheat flour for yeast recipes.
* Sub egg whites for whole eggs
Here are Foco's guidelines:
Substitute 2 egg whites for 1 whole egg.
Use 1/4 cup of egg substitute for each egg.
* make a low fat chocolate
Try this simple recipe from Foco:
1 ounce chocolate = 4 tablespoons cocoa powder, 2 tablespoons brown sugar, 6 tablespoons evaporated skim milk (heat to boiling)
*Sub Soy for Ground meat
Cynthia Sass, MA, RD, Spokesperson for the American Dietetic Association suggests substituting ground beef in tacos, chili, and pasta dishes with soy crumbles as a great source of protein, iron, zinc, and calcium. One half cup of soy contains only 70 calories, no cholesterol, 5 grams of fat, and 0 grams of saturated fat, yet a whopping 4 grams of dietary fiber. "Not only do you get the health benefits of soy, you also reduce your food safety risk associated with raw meat juices and undercooked meat," says Sass.
* bake with pureed fruit
When baking, Foco replaces part or all of the oil with applesauce, mashed bananas, pureed prunes, fruit juice, yogurt, or buttermilk. When you use fruits in the substitution, you often can cut back on the sugar because fruits lend sweetening.
Reduce the amount of fat in baked products by 1/4 to 1/3. For example, if a cookie, quick bread, or muffin recipe calls for 1 cup of oil, use 2/3 cup instead. (Do not use this method for yeast breads and piecrusts.) Use oil whenever you can, instead of margarine or shortening. This method doesn't reduce total fat, but it does reduce saturated fat and trans fat.
Dont know about that last one... lol ..but these are just a few simple steps to help cut some cals & fat
