We all have indulgent foods that we love and if you just tweak them with a few ingredients they can still be a delicious dish, but healthier for you. Like any other knockoff, it looks good – but it’s not the original. These knockoffs are tasty, real-life solutions that you can do any day.
Here are smart swaps for carbs (starches), fats and sugars.
CARBS (STARCHES)
These knockoffs cut calories and increase the nutrient density of your meals. You’ll typically save between 100 and 200 calories, depending on your portion size. While this may sound modest, these are foods we eat daily or very often, so the calories add up. Cutting just 100 calories a day can translate into 10 pounds a year!
Instead of lasagna noodles:
Try: Zucchini squash slices
Instead of angel hair spaghetti:
Try: Spaghetti squash with marinara sauce
Instead of potatoes:
Try: Parsnips
Take some of the starch out of mashed potatoes by partially substituting mashed parsnips or cauliflower or a blend.
Even if you substitute whole wheat pasta for a more nutritious meal, you wouldn’t be cutting the calories. And replacing the starch with colorful veggies boosts vitamin and mineral content. It’s not a hidden benefit, either!
FATS
Everybody wants to cut down on fats. Start with a heart-healthy fat instead of an artery-clogging one. There are two ways to be healthier when it comes to fat intake -- replace animal fats like butter (or any product that comes from a cow) for vegetable oils such as canola or olive oil.
A rule of thumb: The softer the fat (liquid being the ultimate), the lower the saturated fat content. Then you reduce the fat, but still have the flavor and trim the calories. Because fat is the most flavorful of the macro-nutrients, you want to find the “sweet spot” of heart-healthy fat while cutting down on the total amount of fat. That’s good for both health and weight control.
Instead of sour cream/mayonnaise
Try: Buttermilk
Sour cream and mayo are two frequently used ingredients for making dips and salad dressings. Low-fat buttermilk has the tanginess of mayo and thickness, but is lower in calories and still has the mouth feel and flavor you want.
Buttermilk Salad Dressing
1 cup low fat buttermilk (1%)
1/4 cup light mayonnaise
1/2 cup low-fat Greek yogurt
Coarse salt, to taste (1/2 - 1 tsp)
1 tsp black pepper
1 heaping teaspoon chopped fresh dill
Instead of cream
Try: Evaporated milk
A knockoff of creamy soup is a vegetable puree soup, like the one found at Trader Joe’s (tomato or squash that comes in a box). Add evaporated milk as a substitute for cream or add potato flakes as a thickener. Three tablespoons per serving is about 150 calories, with about 5 grams of fat per tablespoon.
Instead of cream
Try: Potato flakes
Oil/Butter Knockoff
Instead of butter
Try: Greek yogurt
Cut down on the fat in cake or brownies with Greek yogurt. Use either whole milk or 2%, not fat-free. The yogurt cuts down on the oil in the recipe and adds the texture needed in baked goods. The yogurt also adds a little milk sugar.
SUGAR
Instead of frosting
Try: Marshmallow fluff
Commercial frostings are little sugar bombs. A great sugar knockoff is marshmallow fluff. It’s tasty and has 75% less sugar than frosting – and no fat! 2 tablespoons of marshmallow fluff have 40 calories, compared to frosting with 140 calories.
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