Sensational Substitutions for ...

Cooking and Baking Make Your Favorite Foods Diet-Friendly -- By Becky Hand, Licensed & Registered DietitianNew Year’s Resolutions…always made and often broken.

Is your motivation waning? Are you already feeling deprived because your favorite recipes are off limits? Making meals count is important. Meals should be satisfying, good tasting, pleasing to the eye, nutritious, and have a texture that is pleasing to your palate. Otherwise, you WILL feel deprived. The good news? It is easy to modify some of your favorite recipes by using the sensational substitutions listed below. You don’t have to eat a sparse and boring "diet meal" any longer.

Cooking Substitutions

Instead of…	Try…
1 Cup Cream	1 Cup Evaporated Milk
Cream to thicken Soups	Pureed Potatoes or Vegetables
Oil-based Marinades	Citrus Juice or Flavored Vinegar
Stick Margarine	Small amounts of Olive oil, Canola oil, or Broth
2 ounces of Mild Cheddar Cheese	1 ounce Reduced-fat Sharp Cheddar Cheese
White Rice	Brown rice, Bulgur, Kasha, Quinoa, Whole Wheat Couscous
Meat or Poultry for Stir Fry	Tofu (Extra Firm, Cubed) or more Vegetables
Ground Meat	Ground Turkey Breast; Finely Chopped Vegetables with Less Meat; Crumbled Tofu, Tempeh, or Soy Crumbles; Beans

Baking Substitutions

Instead of…	Try…
1/2 Cup Oil, Butter or Margarine	1/4 Cup Applesauce + 1/4 Cup Canola Oil, Butter, or Margarine
1 Egg	2 Egg Whites
Sweetened Condensed Milk	Nonfat Sweetened Condensed Milk
Evaporated Milk	Evaporated Skim Milk
1 Cup Chocolate Chips	1/2 Cup Mini Chocolate Chips, Chopped Dried Fruit, or Chopped Nuts
Frosting	Sliced Fresh Fruit with a dusting of Powdered Sugar
Sour Cream	Nonfat Sour Cream, Low fat Sour Cream, Pureed Low Fat Cottage Cheese
Whole Milk	Skim Milk
Cream Cheese	Low Fat Cream Cheese
Sugar	Artificial sweetener for some or all (follow manufacturer’s directions); 1/4 to 1/2 Less Sugar in the recipe