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Fats are an easy substitute, but there are several different types of fat and each has different substitutions. For example, in most cases olive oil can be substituted for unhealthy oils and fats, such as bacon grease. Olive oil does contain fat, but it contains healthy monounsaturated and polyunsaturated fats. According to the Harvard School of Public Learning, these types of fats lower disease risk.
Butter can be a bit tricky. When choosing between butter and margarine, margarine is only a healthy substitute for butter if it has zero grams of trans-fat and doesn't contain partially hydrogenated oils. According to the Mayo Clinic website, margarines that contain trans-fat can actually be more harmful than the saturated fats found in butter.
When baking, recipes sometimes don't even need fat. The fat usually is there to keep baked goods moist. Instead of using harmful fats, apple sauce, fat-free yogurt and fat-free sour cream make great substitutes. If a recipe depends on the flavor of butter, whipped butter may make a good substitution, especially those that contain olive oil. These substitutions are lower in saturated fat but still add great flavor to baked goods. Just remember that in most cases, tub margarine will not work for baked goods because it contains too much liquid. -
The CDC states that two-thirds of Americans should consume around 1,500 mg of sodium per day. Unfortunately, many Americans consume two times as much sodium. While cutting processed foods from your diet will lower the amount of sodium consumed, there are ways to lower sodium in homemade foods as well. The easiest way to cut sodium and maintain flavor is to use herbs and spices. Homemade spice blends add wonderful flavor without adding excessive amounts of sodium. Be careful of store bought spice blends though because they can contain large amounts of sodium.
Another way to add flavor is to use citrus juices. Fresh lemon, lime and even orange juice can add wonderful flavor, especially to grilled meats. They also pair perfectly with certain spices and herbs. With a bit of experimentation, cooks can create delicious flavor blends that are low in sodium. - Look at the label of many processed foods and it will not only list loads of sodium, but many products are also loaded with refined sugar. Even when preparing foods at home, too much sugar can be consumed. An easy way to cut sugar from your diet is to choose sugar substitutes, but many sugar substitutes can be unhealthy. Another option is to incorporate natural sugars into recipes. For example, fresh fruit is a healthy way to sweeten recipes. Even tomato sauce can be sweetened with a fruit puree rather than refined sugar.
- Lean red meat is healthy. It contains protein, iron and B vitamins. As with most things in life though, too much red meat can be a bad thing. A great way to reduce the amount of red meat in your diet is to choose lean poultry instead. Ground turkey and chicken breast are a lean substitute to ground beef. Best of all, it's hard to tell the difference between ground beef and poultry when making chili, soups and other flavorful dishes.
