If you are currently trying to lose weight, or you are just interested in living a healthier lifestyle, then you probably have noticed that many recipes are not suited to the health conscious individual.
There are, however, many ways that you can reduce the fat and calorie content of a recipe by substituting or even eliminating the fat, oils, and sugar in the recipe. You will find that recipe alterations will require some trial and error. Here are some tips to help get you started:
Cooking and Frying
Instead of using regular sour cream, cheese, mayonnaise, or yogurt in a recipe, try using reduced fat or nonfat versions. Yogurt is also a healthy alternative to sour cream in many recipes.Keep in mind that fat-free cheeses in particular do not melt as well as reduced fat cheeses. This is where some experimenting comes into play. You may be able to use fat free cheese in a casserole, but it will not stand up as well in a sauce. For recipes that call for sugar, try reducing the amount of sugar by 25 percent. Note: Reducing the amount of sugar in recipes for cakes, breads, and cookies could affect the texture or volume of the final product.
Baking
There are a number of ways you can reduce the fat content in your favorite cookies, breads, and cakes.
In some recipes you can eliminate the butter or oil completely and use applesauce as a substitute. This works well in many muffin and quick bread recipes. Start by substituting just half the fat with applesauce and see how it turns out. If the recipe calls for 1/2 cup butter or oil, then use 1/4 cup applesauce and 1/4 cup butter or oil instead. You can also use mashed banana instead of the applesauce. For something different, in quick breads, try substituting grated zucchini for half the fat in the recipe.
If you are watching your cholesterol, or you just want to reduce the fat in a recipe, then you can substitute two egg whites for each egg called for in the recipe. The fat in an egg is in the yolk, so eliminating the yolk also eliminates the fat. It is possible to replace the sugar in the recipe with a noncalorie sugar substitute like Splenda. In general, sugar substitutes can be used in equal amounts to replace sugar.
When you are using margarine or butter in a recipe, do not substitute light or diet margarines. Diet margarines will cause your baked goods to have less volume. Instead of using reduced fat margarine, try using less regular margarine or butter in your recipe instead.
Meats
Use cooking sprays instead of oil or butter when browning and cooking meats.
When cooking ground beef, there is an easy way to eliminate a lot of the fat that usually remains even after you try to remove it all from the pan. After you have cooked the meat, drain it and place it on a plate. Blot the meat with paper towels and then place it in a colander and rinse it with hot water.
Try replacing ground beef with ground turkey. Ground turkey contains much less fat than ground beef. If you do not like the taste of the ground turkey, then mix the two meats together half and half of each.
Use turkey bacon rather than pork bacon. Turkey bacon is actually quite good. You will even be able to get your kids to eat it. Because there is a lot less fat in turkey bacon, you will also have much less fat to drain off while cooking.
In a casserole or meat sauce, try replacing 1/4 of the ground meat with chopped beans or lentils or cooked brown rice. You have just lowered the fat content and raised the fiber content of your recipe.
Use tuna packed with water instead of oil.
There are many ways you can alter recipes to change the recipe’s fat or calorie content. Start by experimenting with your favorite recipes, and in no time your old favorite recipes will have new healthy lower calorie alternatives.
Dr Ritu is a qualified doctor, and certified nutritionist with over 13 years of experience in public and private healthcare. She provides diet reviews and helps men and women make the right decisions when it comes to slimming aids. Check out the latest capsiplex consumer feedback on one of her recent product reviews.
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