It seems like low fat cooking recipes are everywhere - magazines, newspapers, TV entertainment shows, not to mention cooking shows, often advertised as easy and healthy. However, they often require ingredients many people do not typically stock in their pantry. Also, sometimes low fat is replaced with high sugar. Then there are those who are looking for healthy recipes but secretly long for the baked goods they grew up with.
Is it healthy eating or is it love?
Recipes passed down through the generations may have been crafted with love, but many include ingredients which undermine our best efforts to maintain a healthy diet and contribute to obesity and other health issues. The food items with emotional connections tend to be the hardest to break…and you shouldn’t have to. Trying to skip those dishes will only sabotage your weight management efforts because it will leave a void, likely to be filled later with unhealthy choices.
The U.S.D.A. Guide to Eating Healthy
Nothing against Mom and Grandma – it is not that they didn’t care about your health when they included excess butter, sugar, and whole milk. The Food Pyramid was different then. Look at the Dietary Guidelines for Americans today on The Food Pyramid and you will see a greater emphasis on whole grains, vegetables, fruits, low fat/fat free dairy and lean protein for a healthy diet.
Substitution Ingredients to Create Your Own Low Fat Recipes
Try ingredient substitutions in your recipes. Maybe you won’t taste the difference. Even if you do, the sentimental attachments which drew you to these dishes should remain, and you will be passing along healthy low fat recipes down to your children and grandchildren.
How to Convert Traditional Recipes to Easy, Healthy Low Fat Recipes
Replace…
- 1/3 or more of butter or oil in baking with unsweetened applesauce
- 1 cup butter or oil with ½ cup pureed fruit
- amount of oil needed to sauté vegetables with chicken/ vegetable broth or cooking spray
- 1 whole egg with 2 egg whites OR 3 T prepared liquid egg whites OR 2 tsp canned dry egg whites + 2T water
- crumbled bacon with equal proportions of chopped sun-dried tomatoes
- 1 oz baking chocolate with 3 T unsweetened cocoa powder (can add 1T oil)
- heavy cream, in baking, with equal proportions of evaporated skim or low fat milk (can add some dry milk powder)
- heavy cream, in amount needed to thicken soup, with prepared instant mashed potatoes
- whole milk with equal proportions of skim, 1%, or 2% milk OR combination of fat-free milk plus fat-free yogurt
- sour cream or mayonnaise with equal proportions of plain low-fat or nonfat yogurt
Creating Your Own Style of Low Fat Cooking Contributes to Healthy Eating
There is no need to break those ties with the foods you grew to know as comforting. Whether it is a holiday recipe or a simple breakfast for one, try some of the healthy substitutions above and create your own. Experiment – eating healthy should be an adventure, not a punishment. Your digestive and cardiovascular system will love you for it – Enjoy!
Gail Kaufman - Gail has a B.B.A. and is currently a Mobility Consultant for a global relocation company.
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