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NCHPAD - Building Healthy Inclusive Communities

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Try a Healthy Swap


Don’t be afraid to lighten up recipes. You'll be surprised that won't even know the difference!  Cutting down on excess salt and fat can help you maintain a healthy eating pattern. You can make small substitutions to your favorite recipes and transform them in to lighter versions. The following table from Mayo Clinic offers excellent suggestions for recipe ingredient substitutions.

If your recipe calls for:

Try substituting:
All-purpose (plain) flour Whole-wheat flour for half of the called-for all-purpose flour in baked goods
Note: Whole-wheat pastry flour is less dense and works well in softer products such as cakes and muffins.
Bacon Canadian bacon, turkey bacon, smoked turkey, or lean proscuitto (Italian ham)
Butter, shortening, or oil in baked goods  Applesauce or prune puree for half of the called-for butter, shortening, or oil
Note: To avoid dense, soggy, or flat baked goods, don't substitute oil for butter or shortening.
 Butter, margarine, shortening, or oil to prevent sticking  Cooking spray or nonstick pans
 Creamed soups  Fat-free milk-based soups, mashed potato flakes, or pureed carrots, potatoes, or tofu for thickening agents
 Dry bread crumbs  Rolled oats or crushed bran cereal
 Eggs  Two egg whites or ¼-cup egg substitute for each whole egg
 Enriched pasta  Whole-wheat pasta
 Evaporated milk  Evaporated skim milk
 Fruit canned in heavy syrup  Fruit canned in its own juices or in water, or fresh fruit
 Fruit-flavored yogurt  Plain yogurt with fresh fruit slices
 Full-fat cream cheese  Fat-free or low-fat cream cheese, Neufchatel or low-fat cottage cheese pureed until smooth
 Full-fat sour cream  Fat-free or low-fat sour cream, plain fat-free or low-fat yogurt (Greek yogurt works well too!)
 Ground beef  Extra-lean or lean ground beef, chicken, or turkey breast (make sure no poultry skin has been added to the product)
 Iceburg lettuce  Arugula, chicory, collard greens, dandelion greens, kale, mustard greens, spinach, or watercress
 Margarine in baked goods  Trans fat-free butter spreads or shortenings that are specially formulated for baking
Note: If ingredient lists include the term 'partially hydrogenated,' it may have up to 0.5 grams of trans fat in one serving. To avoid dense, soggy or flat baked goods, don't substitute diet, whipped, or tub-style margarine for regular margarine.
 Mayonnaise  Reduced-calorie mayonnaise-type salad dressing or reduced-calorie, reduced-fat mayonnaise
 Meat as the main ingredient  Three times as many vegetables as meat on pizzas or in casseroles, soups, and stews
 Oil-based marinades  Wine, balsamic vinegar, fruit juice, or fat-free broth
 Salad dressing  Fat-free or reduced-calorie dressing or flavored vinegars
 Soups, sauces, dressings, crackers, or canned meat, fish or vegetables  Low-sodium or reduced-sodium versions
 Soy sauce  Sweet-and-sour sauce, hot mustard sauce, or low-sodium soy sauce
 Syrup  Pureed fruit, such as applesauce, or low-calorie, sugar-free syrup
 Table salt  Herbs, spices, fruit juices, or salt-free seasoning mixes or herb blends
 White bread Whole-wheat bread
 White rice Brown rice, wild rice, bulgur, or pearl barley
 Whole milk

Reduced-fat or fat-free milk

 

Table source: Mayo Clinic (http://www.mayoclinic.com)

(Updated: 11/26/2019)

 


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