A Guide To Healthy Substitutions & Replacements!


By: Stella Juarez

Looking to modify a family recipe? Keep this taped inside a kitchen cabinet for a handy reminder of all the creative things you can do to make your favorite foods healthier.

INSTEAD OF...
TRY...

Beef- 70-85 % Lean Ground or Chuck

92% or leaner ground beef or 92% or leaner ground turkey or buffalo -check label-not all ground turkey is lean!



Bread Crumbs - as breading or when called for to mix with meat

Unprocessed bran flakes + mixed with oat lour, crushed all bran cereal flakes, oat flour, or oatmeal



Butter

Butter Replacement Product, Butter Buds, imitation butter flavor extract

Cheese

Reduce amount and use part skim mozzarella or reduced fat/non-fat cheese

Chicken - Whole Bird or Dark Meat

Boneless, skinless chicken breast or breast of turkey

Egg - 1 Whole -2 egg whites

Flour - White Oat Flour, 100% Whole Wheat Flour, soy flour

Gravy -Omit or thin with water to aus jus consistency

Kool- Aid or Juice Crystal Light

Milk - in cereal Vanilla or strawberry protein powder mixed with water

Milk- Whole, in cooking or baking Non-fat or low-fat milk or just water

Oatmeal - Flavored Packets Natural oats & chopped fruit or sugar free preserves

Oil - in baking Equal amount of unsweetened applesauce or 3:1 ratio of ground flaxseed meal to oil

Oil - in cooking Omit or try reducing by ½ or 2/3

Oil - when sautéing Wine, broth, lemon, lime, apple, or orange juice

Salt Garlic, chile, onion, or lemon

Sour Cream Fat-free plain yogurt or non-fat sour cream

Soy Sauce Reduced-sodium soy or reduced-sodium chicken, beef, or vegetable broth, liquid aminos

Sugar - Brown

Diabetic/sugar-free pancake syrup or artificial brown sweetener (made by Sugar Twin)

Sugar - White

Artificial sweetener of choice or 1 teaspoon mashed banana per tablespoon sugar being replaced

Syrup - Pancake or Maple Syrup

Sugar free (diabetic) pancake syrup. In cereal, try artificial sweetener and a few drops of maple extract

Syrup - Chocolate Cocoa powder and artificial sweetener to taste

Syrups- Flavored (used in coffee)

Sugar-free syrup or artificial sweetener to taste and a few drops vanilla extract or other extract of choice