Healthy Ingredient Substitutions for Cooking Recipes

Cooking healthy can be as simple as trading one ingredient in a recipe for another healthier option. With a little effort you can cut back on fat, calories and salt without compromising taste.

Bacon is one of those ingredients that most people love. You have heard that everything taste better with bacon, right? Instead of using the traditional fat-trimmed, salt-laden traditional cuts of bacon you are used to, try switching out for one of these healthier ingredients: Canadian bacon, turkey bacon, smoked turkey or lean prosciutto (Italian ham).

To prevent sticking, most of us are accustomed to using butter, margarine, shortening or oil. Instead use a cooking spray. There is still fat in it, but you will use much less to cover the pan than with other methods; thus saving you some of the fat.

For dry bread crumbs you can substitute rolled oats or crushed bran cereal. Whole grains are always going to be better for you and bread crumbs are generally made with white bread.

A simple swap can be made when cooking with pasta. Instead of using enriched pasta you simply use whole-wheat pasta. It comes in all varieties of shapes and forms. For one the children will really enjoy, use tri-colored pasta that is flavored with tomatoes or spinach. These red and green pasta will make dinner fun and flavorful.

Another simple substitution is to use fruit canned in water instead of that canned in heavy syrup. Or you can simply use fresh fruit when your recipes call for it versus the canned type.

Ground beef is an ingredient that can be very high in fat content. Try substituting lean ground beef or extra lean. You will see a higher cost for the lower fat meats, but it is worth it in the health benefits. You can also use ground turkey, though this does change the flavor subtly. It is a taste that I have actually come to prefer over the fattier, stronger taste of the ground meat.

Iceberg lettuce is not a high fat or high calorie ingredient but it is basically devoid of any redeeming nutritional value. Substitute a darker green leafy vegetable in it's place. I prefer to make my salads a mix of iceberg lettuce and spinach to give a different color, texture and taste to the dish.

When cooking you should be aware of the seasonings you are using. I remember one day my husband was cooking and he had his spices out. He had garlic salt, steak seasoning and some other spice blend he used and when I looked at it all; every single one of them had salt in them. So we were adding much more salt overall to the meal without ever adding plain old table salt. To remedy this, try using herb-only seasonings, like garlic powder, celery seed, onion flakes or finely chopped garlic, celery or onions.

White rice can easily be traded in for brown rice, wild rice, bulgur or pearl barley. Growing up in the South, white race was a staple in the house. We easily made the switch to brown rice. It has a somewhat firmer texture, but overall it makes a good substitute and is much healthier.

Our final recommendation is to be aware of the canned fish you use. A simple change, like buying your tuna canned in water instead of oil, can make a difference health wise and weight wise. If you are looking to increase your Omega 3 intake, as well as calcium, then you may consider canned pink salmon. It has more of these than canned tuna, canned shrimp, canned blue crab, and canned chunk light tuna.

Resources

Mayo Clinic - Ingredient Substitutions: Make The Switch For Healthier Recipes

Wikianswers - What is tri-color pasta made from?

Alaska Seafood Org - Heart Healthy Omega 3's Chart