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1/05/2005 Most recipes can allow a healthful renovation without adversely affecting the taste or texture of the food. Here are tips on revising your favorite recipes. My last few articles have been about losing weight. If that is your goal, I pray you are having success. Even if weight loss is not your goal, the following could help you to prepare more healthful meals.
My family has some much-loved recipes; I bet yours does, too. We have an all time favorite Christmas cookie recipe, which we make the very first snow of the season. Sometimes we made the cookies in September! Sometimes, holding to tradition, we don’t make these special Christmas cookies until February. How we have enjoyed watching our children pass this tradition on to our own precious grandchildren.
If you desire to make some healthful changes in meals for your family, I suggest that you do NOT look for new recipes. Instead, take out your FAMILY FAVORITES and revise them. Smart thinking and small substitutions can make big differences in many recipes. Often, your family may not notice the difference. Springing a brand new “healthful” recipe on them may get mixed reviews.
Reducing fat in a recipe makes a drastic reduction in calories, as fat is the most calorie-dense food we eat. A full discussion of fat and cholesterol will appear in subsequent articles. Following is a list of possible substitutes for high fat foods:
High Fat Food and Substitutes—
Butter, margarine, shortening in baked goods
SUBSTITUTE: Applesauce for half of required amount. Do not use whipped or tub margarine in place of regular margarine – the product turns out dense and soggy
Creamed soups
SUBSTITUTE: Mashed potato flakes; pureed potatoes or carrots; mashed tofu
Cream
SUBSTITUTE: Evaporated skim milk
Cheeses
SUBSTITUTE: Many low fat cheeses are available; low fat cream cheese, low-fat cottage cheese, etc.
Baked goods
SUBSTITUTE: Applesauce or prune puree for half of fat
Oil-based marinades
SUBSTITUTE: Add to marinade, fruit juice or fat free vegetable broth
Salad dressing
SUBSTITUTE: Fat free or reduced fat dressings; for cream dressings, dilute 1:1 with fat free mayonnaise-type dressings, or tofu
Vegetables
SUBSTITUTE: Cook vegetables with butter flavor and herbs; for mashed potatoes, use low fat milk or soy milk, butter flavoring, and reduced fat sour cream
Concerning the use of sugar, the average United States citizen consumes one hundred and fifty-eight pounds of table sugar (sucrose) per year or just under one-half pound per day. This figure appears to rise each year. The United States Department of Agriculture recommends that a person consuming a diet of 2000 calorie per day take in NO MORE THAN 40 grams of sugar or 10 teaspoons of sugar per day. Ten teaspoons is the amount of sugar in one can of pop.
Do not be confused by all the “sugar free” and “no sugar added” products available. Some of these terms can apply to items with sugar alcohols (polyols) shown on the ingredient list as sorbitol, mannitol, xylitol, erythitol or similar names ending in “itol.” The amount of calories in the sugar alcohols is less than in sucrose and absorbed more slowly, but still provides some calories. Since the sugar alcohols do not change in the mouth to sucrose, sugar alcohols are used in “sugar free” candy and gum. The National Cancer Institute states that there is no scientific evidence that any artificial sweetener approved for use in the United States causes cancer.
I personally have been using “Splenda” and have recommended it’s use for my clients. Splenda’s chemical name is sucralose. It is made out of sucrose, table sugar. However, one part of the sucrose carbon chain has been altered which enhances the sweetness to 600 times the sweetness of sucrose, but causes it to be non-digestible. Therefore, it can be heated like sucrose without reducing it’s sweetening power and the end product is very similar to sugar. This product has been approved for use in the United States, European Union and many other countries. I have not seen evidence that it causes harm; I feel safe in recommending it above sugar and honey. You will have to decide for yourself.
High Sugar Foods and Substitutes—
Baked goods
SUBSTITUTE: Most recipes can have sugar reduced by at least one-third, add more flavoring such as vanilla, cloves or almond, without losing quality; use Splenda on a 1:1 ratio to sugar;
Canned fruit
SUBSTITUTE: Choose fruit canned in own juice or water packed
Syrup
SUBSTITUTE: On pancakes or waffles, use fresh fruit or canned (my husband loves applesauce on his pancakes) or calorie-reduced syrup
Be creative. Evaluate the recipes you make often to find ways to moderate fat and sugar. Fat heightens flavor. Consequently use herbs and spices as flavor enhances. Reduce the sweetness of recipes slowly to train you palate.
Perhaps the one most significant modification to your recipes is to DECREASE PORTION SIZE. Cookies do not need to be enormous. Pies need not be cut in sixths. Entrees like lasagna or macaroni and cheese should cover only a small portion of a plate – leaving the larger portions for vegetables. Serve rich foods on smaller plates garnished with fresh herbs or delicately pared fruit.
Most recipes can allow a healthful renovation without adversely affecting the taste or texture of the food. Make your time honored family favorites healthier. If you find one recipe that just cannot be revised without reducing quality, make this particular dish less often.
Written by: Rose Stoia EdD,RD
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