Although there are lots of delicious low fat recipes out there, very often we prefer to stick with our family favourites.
Thankfully though, making your favourite meals healthier isn’t all that difficult.
You can modify most recipes simply by reducing the amount of fat, salt and sugar they contain, and increasing the fibre content.
Today’s challenge is to make your favourite recipe healthier
The main thing to consider is the overall balance of your meals, it is possible to eat some foods that are higher in fat and sugar, and still be eating a healthy diet, just keep a check on your portion size.
Here are 15 healthy ingredient substitutions:
#1 Use fats and oils which are high in monounsaturates, such as olive oil, or canola oil.
#2 Use low fat dairy products, such as skimmed or semi-skimmed milk, reduced fat cheeses and low fat yoghurts.
#3 Light crème fraiche can be used as a replacement for cream in savoury sauces, or served hot or cold with dessert.
#4 Use light fromage frais in desserts and dips in place of cream or Greek yoghurt.
#5 Go for a smaller amount of grated, strong flavoured cheese in recipes that call for cheddar cheese.
#6 Reduce the amount of salt you use in cooking, and at the table, instead add flavour to dishes using lemon juice, herbs, spices or mustard.
#7 Replace some of the meat in recipes with pulses such as peas, beans or lentils, or extra veggies.
#8 Where possible grill, bake, poach, steam, microwave or boil foods, rather than frying them, or cooking with added fat.
#9 Substitute coconut milk for canned evaporated skimmed milk, or low fat natural yoghurt mixed with 1-2 tablespoons of desiccated coconut.
#10 Replace cream with evaporated skimmed milk, or low fat natural yoghurt for sauces; or ricotta cheese with one tablespoon of sugar for sweet dishes.
#11 Use ricotta cheese blended with a small amount of caster sugar and vanilla essence rather than cream cheese.
#12 For shortcrust pastry use filo pastry, and line only the bottom or the top of the pie.
#13 Use cottage cheese or ricotta cheese blended with lemon juice rather than sour cream.
#14 Some cake and dessert recipes will work out fine with less sugar than the recipe calls for. If liked you can sweeten with dried fruit in place of the sugar.
#15 Use half wholemeal flour, half plain flour in recipes that call for all plain flour. You can also add oats to cookies, and crumbles to increase the fibre content.
Check out this post on healthy recipe substitutions.
How will you make your favourite recipe healthier today?
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Some fantastic tips there Mel. I use quite a few of the substitutes you recommend but cheese is my big downfall. I love the stuff and can never put just a small amount in my cheese sauce.
Tom Parker – Free Fitness Tips’s last blog post..From Vitamin A to Vitamin E: 40+ Vitamin Rich Foods
Hi Tom,
Cheese is one of my favourites too! Have you tried to use a reduced fat version, or perhaps using a mature cheese so that you can use less but get the same flavour?
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