Uloop Blog ? 4 Substitutes for Healthy Cooking

One unhealthy ingredient can completely ruin an otherwise diet-friendly meal. Looking to cut some extra calories or grams of fat out of your favorite recipes? Try some of these easy ingredient substitutes to make your dish that much more healthy!

Spaghetti Squash instead of Pasta
This is a substitute that I couldn?t believe I hadn?t heard of sooner. If you?re craving Italian food but don?t want to ruin your diet, consider cooking up this vegetable instead. A spaghetti squash is a variety of a winter squash that when cooked, the inside strands of the squash fall away like spaghetti. This is great to replace any sort of pasta or use it as a side vegetable dish if you?re sick of your usual broccoli and carrots.

Spaghetti squash by Vegan Feast Catering via Flickr.com

Spaghetti squash is significantly lower in calories than regular pasta. A cup of spaghetti squash has 42 calories while 1 cup of cooked pasta has 221 calories. Another great health benefit of replacing pasta with this vegetable is the amount of carbohydrates. If you are considering a low-carb diet, using spaghetti squash for your ?Italian? meal could save you a little over 30 grams of carbohydrates per cup.

You can find this squash at your local grocery store in the fresh produce section. To cook this squash, preheat your oven to 350 degree Fahrenheit and then simply pop in your squash for 1 hour and 15 minutes. After cooking, cut your squash in half longways and let it sit for a few minutes to avoid getting burned. Remove the seeds, scrape down the side of the squash to get the ?noodles?, and then serve with your choice of sauce and veggies!

Pro tip: If you don?t want to wait over an hour for your squash to cook, cut the squash in half longways, remove the seeds, and place in the oven at 350 degrees Fahrenheit for 30 to 40 minutes instead.

Greek Yogurt instead of Sour Cream
Don?t cringe just yet. The first time I heard this ingredient trade I thought there was absolutely no way I would dip a quesadilla in yogurt or put it on top of an otherwise perfect baked potato, but I was pleasantly surprised! It tastes eerily similar to sour cream and doesn?t take away any flavor from your actual meal.

On average, Greek yogurt has 65 calories and 5g of fat in 1/4 cup while sour cream has 120 calories and 10g of fat for the same amount. That?s knocking off almost half the fat and calories for one serving! Not only does Greek yogurt beat out sour cream in calories, cholesterol, protein, and fiber, it also has probiotics, which is great for your digestion. Not a bad trade!

Pro tip: When serving Greek Yogurt on hot meals, wait 2-3 minutes after cooking to add the yogurt on top to avoid curdling.

Almond milk by triathletefood via Flickr.com

Almond Milk instead of Coffee Creamer
This alternative is the second best health wise to drinking your coffee black (which if you can stand, more power to you!). Many people don?t realize that adding creamer to your drink every morning quickly adds up to be a lot of extra unnecessary calories. This substitution comes in at about 35 calories per cup and possesses high levels of omega-6 fatty acids, which are essential for maintaining healthy body tissues.

Almond milk is also a great alternative for vegans, as almond milk contains no animal products. This also means this milk has zero cholesterol and zero saturated fats.

Pro tip: If you get bored of just using plain almond milk in your morning cup of joe, switch it up and buy the chocolate or vanilla flavored variation of this product.

Mustard instead of Mayonnaise in Tuna
Trying out this substitution was initially a bit of an accident. I didn?t have any mayo on hand so I thought I?d take a risk and use Ketchup?s best friend instead. It turned out to be a delicious accident! This ingredient switch-out allows you to no longer feel guilty for smothering extra calories into your tuna salad or sandwich.

While mustard obviously has a distinctly different taste than mayo, it?s a great healthy alternative if you?re willing to ditch the ?traditional? tuna taste. Mustard has little added fat and under 5 calories a serving, while mayonnaise has nearly 100 calories in a teaspoon and is loaded with fat. Mustard has a tangy flavor that sticks out in dishes after only adding a small amount, while it seems that you need a boatful of mayonnaise to effectually taste it. It?s undeniable that mustard is the healthier choice here.

Pro tip: If you?re looking to add a little spice to your tuna recipe, use dijon mustard instead of the original yellow to give it a little kick!

Do your body a favor and try out these healthy substitutes next time you whip up a meal. Cutting calories doesn?t mean you have to cut the taste along with it!

Source: http://blog.uloop.com/2012/fsu/4-ingredient-substitutes-for-healthy-cooking/27474/

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