Recipe Rehab

Healthy
Substitution
Chart

Check out this substitution chart for examples of healthy substitutes created by Colorado Center for Health and Wellness chief dietitians Holly Wyatt, MD and Kim Gorman.

Less Fat	Replace butter, margarine and oils with equal amounts of applesauce or other fruit puree	Saves 5 g fat per tsp.	Although we need some fat in our diets, too many of the “bad” fats, particularly saturated and trans fats, promote elevated “bad” cholesterol, increasing our risk of heart disease. Fats are also the ingredients with the highest calories per serving contributing to the excess calorie intake that promotes obesity.
	Spray non-stick pan with vegetable spray instead of using oil	Saves 5 g fat per tsp.
	Make yogurt cheese from lowfat or fat-free plain yogurt and use in place of sour cream, cream cheese and mayonnaise	Saves 7 g fat per tbsp.
	Try lowfat or fat-free mayonnaise and salad dressings in place of regular mayonnaise and dressings	Saves 7 g fat per tbsp.
	Use evaporated skim milk in place of whole milk or cream	Saves 5-14 g fat per 1⁄2 cup
	Use 2 egg whites for 1 whole egg	Saves 5 g fat per egg
Less Sugar	Replace 1⁄4 of the sugar in cookies, bars and cakes with an equal amount of nonfat dry milk	Saves 50 g sugar	Refined sugars, found in table sugar and regular soda, add extra calories but few additional nutrients making them a leading cause of cavities as well as contributing to our obesity epidemic.
Less Sugar	Substitute 1⁄2 cup Splenda for 1 cup sugar	Saves 200 g sugar
More Phytonutrition	Add berries to cereal, yogurt, frozen yogurt or have as a dessert	Adds flavonoids	Contributing to the brilliant colors of fruits and vegetables, flavonoids act as potent antioxidants that help reduce naturally occurring cell damage and may help lower cholesterol.
	Add tomatoes to salads, sandwiches, soups and mixed dishes	Adds lycopene	A type of carotenoid, this antioxidant has been linked in some studies to a reduced risk of some cancers, eye damage and heart disease.
	Add dark green leaves (spinach, mustard, turnip) and carrots to salads, sandwiches and soups	Adds carotenoids	Responsible for the brilliant yellow, orange and red colors in vegetables and fruits, these compounds also act as antioxidants, protecting cells from damage and promoting healthy cell growth.
	Add cruciferous vegetables (broccoli, cauliflower, cabbage, Brussels sprouts, bok choy, kale) to casseroles, salads and side dishes	Adds isothiocyanates & indoles	These act to increase the activity of some enzymes in the body that may help inhibit cancer cell growth as well as help eliminate old and unhealthy cells.
Cooking Methods	Oven Fry: coat item with fat-free mayonnaise or yogurt cheese instead of egg/flour dip, roll in bread crumbs, spritz both sides with spray margarine or olive oil spritzer	Adds flavonoids	Contributing to the brilliant colors of fruits and vegetables, flavonoids act as potent antioxidants that help reduce naturally occurring cell damage and may help lower cholesterol.
	Sautee: start with onions/garlic/peppers in broth instead of oil	Adds lycopene	A type of carotenoid, this antioxidant has been linked in some studies to a reduced risk of some cancers, eye damage and heart disease.
	Marinade: use fat-free salad dressings with an acid, like lemon/lime juice, instead of oil mixtures	Adds carotenoids	Responsible for the brilliant yellow, orange and red colors in vegetables and fruits, these compounds also act as antioxidants, protecting cells from damage and promoting healthy cell growth.
	Baking, Broiling, Grilling, and Steaming are terrific ways to prepare foods without adding fat	Adds isothiocyanates & indoles	These act to increase the activity of some enzymes in the body that may help inhibit cancer cell growth as well as help eliminate old and unhealthy cells.

Recipe modification is a technique used in the kitchen to not only reduce dietary calories, sodium, fats and sugars but to also improve the quality of nutrition. The most important tip is to approach a recipe change in a step-wise fashion. For instance, it might be your goal to reduce the fat in your beef stroganoff recipe. If you are currently using regular sour cream, try using a reduced-fat the next time. Then, you might choose to mix the reduced-fat with the fat-free until you and your family transition fully into the taste of using 100% fat-free sour cream. Likewise, when increasing the vegetable content in casseroles or soups, add more volume each time you prepare the recipe.

Recipe Rehab:
Chocolate Beet Cupcakes

By adding nutrient-rich beets, we can have a sumptuous treat at less than 100 calories!

Ingredients:

Cupcakes
1 cup roasted beet purée
¼ cup vegetable oil
½ cup applesauce
3 packets stevia
¼ cup brown sugar
2 eggs
¼ cup skim milk
1 cup flour
½ cup coco powder
1 tsp baking powder
¼ tsp salt

Frosting
1 cup heavy cream
2 tsp espresso powder
¼ cup butter
8 oz chocolate
2 eggs

Preparation:

For the Cupcakes: Combine beet puree, oil, applesauce, eggs & milk. In a separate bowl combine stevia, brown sugar, flour, coco powder, baking powder & salt. Mix the two together and distribute into a non-stick mini muffin tin. Bake at 350 degrees for 12 minutes or until a toothpick comes out clean

For the Frosting: Wisk together cream and espresso powder. Combine cream, butter & chocolate in a double boiler until completely melted and smooth. Wisk in eggs and refrigerate until set. Frost cupcakes.

Yields 24 mini cupcakes