We all have our favorite dishes. Ones you grow up loving to eat year after year. Maybe it’s something that mom or grandma used to make that brings back fond memories. Or, perhaps it’s just a meal so tantalizing that it makes your taste buds sing.
Luckily, there are lots of options when it comes to substituting not-so-healthy foods for ones that are better for your body and overall health. Here are a few of them that you can try, letting you enjoy your favorite meals for many years to come without worrying about your waistline in the process:
Butter
Who doesn’t love the creaminess and full-fat texture of butter? Not only does it make sweet treats better, but it is a wonderful topping for baked potatoes (also known as “jackets” depending on where you live), veggies and of course bread.
But, this one ingredient is not near as kind to your arteries as it is to your taste buds. Although some studies suggest that it is better for you than margarine, other studies reveal that it’s equally as bad. Either way, eat too much of it and you’re playing with some serious health issues due to its high level of cholesterol and saturated fat.
If you’re baking a cake, for instance, you can substitute half of the butter with unsweetened applesauce to save yourself a great deal of fat and calories. If you’re up for it and want to make it super healthy, you can substitute the whole amount of butter with applesauce. It makes it a denser cake, but it is also very moist and contains a lot of flavor.
When making cookies, you can substitute half or all of the butter with mashed avocado or bananas. These are also great options if you want to make a dairy free dessert or if you’re just looking for cookies that are extremely soft and chewy. You could also use Greek yogurt and get the same effect (although this option still has dairy if that is your concern).
To make a sweet that uses ingredients like cinnamon and chocolate, you can even substitute prune puree for the butter. Just buy a bottle of it in the baby food aisle and use it as a substitution that is better for your health, not to mention your digestive system.
Veggies don’t have to be drenched in butter to be good, either. A great topping for cabbage and Brussels sprouts is vinegar, whether apple cider or malt. And, if you put some lemon pepper on your broccoli or cauliflower, you won’t miss the butter at all.
Mayo
A lot of recipes call for mayonnaise; especially tasty side dishes like potato salad and tuna macaroni salad. With summer coming up, you’ll see these dishes more and more, so it’s best if you can make a low-fat version so you don’t feel like you’re depriving yourself of the great tastes they have to offer.
Instead of using mayo in the recipes, use low-fat plain Greek yogurt instead. You’ll get the same sort of consistency and flavor without all of the fat. In addition, you’ll get an added dose of protein which will help to keep you fuller longer.
Oil
Some oils are healthier than others. For example, olive oil has been found to be beneficial for your health whereas vegetable oils do more damage than good. Unfortunately, most baking recipes call for the latter, meaning you have to give up the treats you love if you want to stay healthy.
However, there are some ingredients you can use in place of oil in your favorite dishes to make them lower fat and better for your arteries. One of these is unsweetened applesauce. Just as it works as a wonderful substitute for butter, it can also replace the oil in your recipes too.
Another oil-free option is avocado. Although it has a higher fat content than the applesauce, it is a heart healthy fat. It is good for your blood cholesterol and reduces your risk of heart issues and cardiovascular disease.
White flour
Most health experts warn that eating white flour is bad for you. Almost all of the nutritional value has been removed during manufacturing and your body is able to process it so quickly that it often has a negative impact on your blood sugar – causing it to spike and then drop suddenly. The result is an intense high followed by lethargy and a craving for more so you don’t feel as bad.
Just as butter and oil are the key ingredients in a lot of sweets, so too is white flour. In addition, you find it in breads, rolls and other recipes that you’ve been following for ages. That makes this one ingredient extremely difficult to avoid, but it’s not impossible as you still have options.
The best substitute for white flour is wheat flour. It does change the taste and texture just slightly, but you will get used to it and possibly even prefer it over time. If you just can’t bring yourself to change it that much, you can always split the flours half and half. That way you’re still using some white flour, but you’re getting the nutritional advantage of the wheat at the same time.
Pasta
Just as white flour has become a no-no when eating healthily, so too has pasta. The concerns are the same, with the ill effect on the blood sugar and being stripped of most of the nutrients, so it’s recommended that pasta be replaced with healthier alternatives.
You could follow the same advice as with the white flour and choose wheat instead of white. Wheat has more nutrients as well as being more filling.
Another option is to cook up a spaghetti squash and use that as a pasta substitute. It has a similar consistency and takes on the flavor of whatever sauce you use. Just cut it in half, cook it in the oven for 45 minutes and use a fork to remove it from the shell.
You can also make pasta-like ribbons with zucchini. Just use a vegetable peeler or get a mandolin and make the long ribbons. Not only will both of these options cut your consumption of processed carbs, but it will increase your intake of healthy, fiber-rich veggies.
Eating your favorite dishes in a healthy way is possible if you’re willing to make a few concessions. And, although it may seem wrong to mess with a recipe that tastes wonderful just the way it is, wouldn’t it be great to be able to enjoy it more often without guilt? You can if you’re willing to just make a few adjustments such as these.
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