Modifying a recipe to be healthier

home garden

Search powered by Google

Garden guide
Home

Home garden - Sections articles:


Home garden

Garden Design

Garden Plans

Design & Decorating ideas

Flowers, Garden plants

Garden magazines

Garden books

Medicinal Plants

  Home & Garden Video

Cactus and succulents

Vegetables and fruits

Fruit trees

Trees and shrubs

About nature

Caring plants

Pests and diseases

  Health & Fitness Video

Recipes

Cocktails

Health news

Medical guide

Nutrition

Diets, Losing Weight

Vitamins

Photo galleries


Home > Nutrition > Modifying a recipe to be healthier
Print
 | 
Send

Modifying a recipe to be healthier


The USDA Dietary Guidelines for Americans emphasizes we need to reduce the amount of fat, sodium (salt) and added sugar we consume and increase our consumption of fiber. When buying food we can check the label, but when using a recipe we may need to make some changes by substituting ingredients or changing the cooking technique. Just like you substitute when you are out of a certain ingredient, you can make changes in a recipe so it is healthier.

This fact sheet provides you with ways to decrease the amount of fat, calories, sugar and salt (sodium) in your recipes. Ways to increase the fiber in your recipes is provided to help you make more nutritious food. Remember you can experiment with recipes and change ingredients. You may also be able to find other recipes that are similar to yours that have less fat, sugar, salt, and have more additions of nutritious ingredients. Have fun when you are cooking: Experiment!

Tips to decrease the total fat and lower calories

Instead of this:

Try using this:

Shortening, butter, margarine, or solid fat.

Use 1/4 less liquid oil or solid fat called for in the recipe. If recipe calls for 1 cup use 3/4 cup. If recipe uses 1/4 cup shortening, use 3 Tablespoons oil. Use equal amounts of oil for melted shortening, margarine or butter.

Shortening, butter, or oil in baking

Use applesauce or prune puree for half of the butter, shortening or oil. May need to reduce baking time by 25%.

Instead of whole milk, half and half or evaporated milk

Use skim milk, 1% milk, evaporated skim milk, fat-free half and half , or plain soymilk with calcium.

Butter, shortening, margarine, or oil to prevent sticking. Fat to saute or stir-fry.

When frying foods use cooking spray, water, broth or nonstick pans.

Full-fat cream cheese

Use low-fat or nonfat cream cheese, Neufchatel or low-fat cottage cheese pureed until smooth.

Full-fat sour cream
Full-fat cottage cheese
Full-fat Ricotta cheese

Use nonfat or reduced fat sour cream or fat-free plain yogurt. (Yogurt is not heat stable.) Use 2% or fat-free cottage cheese. Use part-skim ricotta.

Cream
Whipping cream

Use evaporated skim milk
Use nonfat whipped topping or cream (This is only nonfat if one serving size is used.)

Eggs

Use egg whites (usually 2 egg whites for every egg) or 1/4 cup egg substitute.

Whole fat cheese

Use reduced fat cheese, but add it at the end of the baking time or use part skim mozzarella.

Frying in fat

Use cooking methods such as bake, boil, broil, grill, poach, roast, stir-fry, or microwave.

Regular mayonnaise or salad dressing

Use low fat, reduced or nonfat mayonnaise or salad dressing.

Canned fish

Use water-packed canned products or canned products packed in 'lite' syrup.

Fatter cuts of meatt-skin on

Leaner cuts of meat or ground meat, remove skin before cooking.

Tips to reduce sodium:

Instead of this:

Try using this:

Salt

Omit salt or reduce salt by 1/2 in most recipes (except in products with yeast). Cook foods without adding salt. Don't put the salt shaker on the table.

Frozen or canned vegetables

Choose frozen vegetables without sauces or use no-salt-added canned goods. Rinsing canned vegetables will help reduce sodium.

Seasoning Salt or spice mixes with salt

Use salt-free seasonings and spice mixes. Use herbs, spices, lemon juice, or vinegar to flavor food instead of salt. Seasonings high in sodium include catsup, chili sauce, chili powder, bouillon cubes, barbecue sauce, soy sauce, Worcestershire sauce, and meat tenderizers.

 

Tips to reduce the amount of sugar:

Instead of this:

Try using this:

Sugar

Reducing sugar by 1/4 to 1/3 in baked goods and desserts. If recipe calls for 1 cup, use 2/3 cup. Cinnamon, vanilla, and almond extract can be added to give impression of sweetness. (Do not remove all sugar in yeast breads as sugar provides food for the yeast.)

Sugar

Replacing sugar with amounts of sucralose, works well for most baked products.   Add 1/2 teaspoon baking soda in addition to each cup of sucralose used. Baking time is usually shorter and product will have a smaller yield. Try using aspartame, saccharin, or acesulfame potassium in other products that are not baked. The sweet taste will vary with product combination or amounts of each sweetener used.

Fruit-flavored yogurt

Plain yogurt with fresh fruit slices or use light versions of yogurt.

Syrup

Pureed fruit, such as no sugar added applesauce, or sugar-free syrup

Sugar in canned or frozen fruits

Decrease or eliminate sugar when canning or freezing fruits or buy unsweetened frozen fruit or fruit canned in its own juice, water, or light syrup.

 

Ways to increase Fiber:

Instead of:

Try using this:

White rice, enriched grains

Whole grain, brown rice, wild rice, whole cornmeal (not degermed), whole barley, bulgur, kasha, quinoa, or whole wheat couscous.

All purpose flour

Substitute whole wheat flour for up to 1/2 of the flour. For example, if a recipe calls for 2 cups flour, try 1 cup all purpose flour and 1 cup minus 1 tablespoon whole wheat flour. Use ''white whole-wheat flour'' or ''whole wheat pastry flour'' for total amount of all-purpose flour.

Pastas, crackers, cookies, cereals

Whole grain pastas, crackers, cookies, and cereals.

White bread

100% whole wheat bread and 100% whole grain bread.

Iceberg lettuce

Romaine lettuce, endive, and other leafy lettuces, or baby spinach.

Meat

Use more dried beans and peas. Add legumes and lentils to many different dishes: try adding lentils to your spaghetti sauce.

Peeled fruit and vegetables

Add extra fruits and vegetables, such as adding carrots to spaghetti sauce, leaving apple peels in apple crisp, zucchini bread, etc. Add extra fruits and vegetables to recipes and include the peel when appropriate.

Print
 | 
Send


  Articles in Nutrition

Cofee keeps us young
White bread increases cancer risk
Organic Food: The Natural Choice?
Home Food Safety Tips
Best Calcium-Rich Foods
Missing Nutrients
Lemons and limes, foods high in vitamin C
Why must we drink water
Iron in Your Diet
Seven Bad Eating Habits
Cooking for a Healthy Heart
Good Nutrition to Prevent and Treat Coronary Artery Disease
How Roughage Keeps You Regular
Pomegranate juice beneficial for diabetics
Honey may be better than table sugar
See all list


  Other Home Garden Articles:

In The Blink Of An Eye, You Can Lose A Toe.
How To Create Flower Combinations In Your Garden
Garden Centers Vs. High Priced Nurseries
The Operation Of The Sundial
Scott Lawn Care
What Is Xeriscaping?
How To Landscape Patios And Small Gardens
Indoor Gardening Tips
Container Gardening For Beginners
Use Water Efficiently
The Flame Azalea Shrubs Are Easy Plants To Grow In Shade
The Japanese Garden
Rare And Exotic Garden Perennials For Landscape Planting
6 Most Common Dangers To Roses And Their Fix
Planting Tomatoes In Your Garden
A Step-by-step Guide To Homemade Stepping Stones
Tissue Culture Applications To Improve Crops Of Strawberries, Raspberries, And Blackberries
General Bonsai Tree Care
How To Build A Green-house
Gardens During The Crusades
Storage Sheds – The Un-clutter Solution
Essential Tips On How To Build A Pond
Growing Your Own Fruits And Vegetables: The Keys To Healthy Living
Lawn Mower – Keep Your Lawn Pretty All The Time
Consumer Trend Alert - Environment-friendly Home Improvement Flooring Products Gain Mass Appeal
Garden Water Feature - The Fish Dish
Hydroponics - A Novel Blessing Of Science
How To Sharpen Lawn Mower Blades
What You Don't Know About Roses
Types Of Lawn Mower Batteries
It's Time To Select Your Snow Blower
Planting And Caring For Flower Bulbs
Bare Root Roses, What To Look For When Buying
White bread increases cancer risk
Collard
Artichoke
Linden
Tarragon
Tender fountain grass
Adult stem cells differentiate based on their external environment


  
webgardenguide.com



All right reserved © Webgardenguide.com