10 Recipe Lightening Commandments
1. In most bakery recipes (muffins, cakes, cookies, coffee cakes, brownies, nut breads, etc.) you can substitute whole-wheat for half the white flour called for. Compared to 1/4 cup of white flour, each 1/4 cup of whole-wheat flour adds 3.5 grams of fiber and various phytochemicals, and doubles the amount of magnesium and selenium. The extra fiber helps slow digestion and increase fullness.
2. In most bakery recipes, you can replace half of the sugar with Splenda (or a similar artificial sweetener). This cuts the calories from sugar in half, saving you 48 calories per tablespoon of sugar you replace.
Jodee’s note: try just cutting the sugar by ¼ to ½ cup.
3. In egg dishes (quiches, frittatas, omelets, breakfast casseroles), you can use egg substitute in place of half the eggs. In other words, if the recipe calls for 6 eggs, you would blend 3 whole eggs with 3/4 cup egg substitute (1/4 cup of egg substitute replaces each egg). You can replace half the eggs in bakery recipes with egg substitute as well. By replacing one large egg with 1/4 cup egg substitute, you'll shave 45 calories, 5 grams of fat, 1.6 grams of saturated fat, and 213 milligrams of cholesterol.
Jodee’s note: replace one whole egg with 2 egg whites, fluffed.
4. In many bakery recipes, you can cut the fat ingredient (butter, margarine, shortening, or oil) in half. In other words, if a cake recipe calls for 1 cup of butter or margarine, you can usually use 1/2 cup instead. Remember to replace the missing fat with a similar amount of a moist but healthful ingredient (fat-free sour cream, orange juice, low-fat yogurt, applesauce, etc.) This change cuts both fat and calories, since each gram of fat translates into 9 calories as opposed to 4 per gram for protein or carbohydrate.
Jodee’s note: No sugar added applesauce is an excellent replacement for liquid oils.
5. Cook with reduced-fat or fat-free products when available -- and when they taste good. Try fat-free sour cream, reduced-fat cheeses, light cream cheese, light mayonnaise, reduced-fat or light sausage, less-fat turkey bacon, light salad dressings, and light or low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt. Many cut calories and saturated fat along with total fat. A few fat-free products are in my arsenal as well: fat-free sour cream and half-and-half, chicken broth, wine, strong coffee, fruit purees, and fruit juice. These foods add moisture, and sometimes flavor, to recipes where you aren't using a lot of fatty ingredients.
Jodee’s note: WHEN THEY TASTE GOOD is essential. Some nonfat dairy product water down your recipes.
6. Never deep-fry when you can oven-fry or pan-fry with a lot less oil. Choose canola oil or olive oil, and use about 1/2 teaspoon per serving (depending on the item). When you pan-fry or oven-fry in a controlled amount of oil, you can cut a lot of the fat and calories your food would soak up if it were submerged in hot oil. For every tablespoon of oil you cut, you'll save 120 calories and 13.5 grams of fat.
7. Use whole grains in your recipes whenever possible. We've already talked about whole-wheat flour, but you can also substitute brown rice for white rice, add barley to stews and casseroles, and look for recipes that call for oats. Whole grains offer fiber to fill you up, along with a plethora of health benefits.
8. Extra ingredients and embellishments can often be removed or cut in half. If a recipe calls for chocolate chips, you can use less. If it calls for dotting your casserole or pie with butter, you can skip this step. In a cake recipe, you can use half the original amount of frosting (in a double-layer cake, just frost the top and middle and forget the sides). And in some cakes, bars, and cookies, you can skip the frosting in favor of a light sprinkling of powdered sugar. Using 2 tablespoons of frosting instead of 4 will shave 130 calories, 4.5 grams of fat, and 2 grams of saturated fat. Each tablespoon of chocolate chips you skip cuts the calories by 50 per serving, the fat by 3 grams, and the saturated fat by almost 2 grams.
9. Use top-quality ingredients when possible. Start with the best-tasting, freshest ingredients you can find. For example, I use fresh garlic (I buy it already minced in jars) and fresh herbs when I can -- they usually have more flavor than the dried. Use extra-fresh fish, the sharpest reduced-fat cheddar cheese, and so on. All this means your lighter dish will be more likely to pass muster with the masses!
10. Switch to "smart fat" ingredients when possible. Certain fats, when used in moderation, actually have health benefits! Omega-3 fatty acids (found in fish and some plant foods like canola oil and ground flaxseed), as well as oils that contain monounsaturated fats (like olive and canola oil) and foods high in monounsaturated fats (like avocado and almonds) may help protect against heart disease. In recipes, you often have a choice of which oil or margarine to use, or you can choose to add fish instead of red meat. When a recipe calls for melted butter or margarine, you can often substitute canola or olive oil.
Benefits of Vitamin B6
This is an important vitamin to those who are trying to trim down and reshape. It is a water-soluble vitamin, which means it travels through the bloodstream and what is not used is eliminated through urine. Therefore, you need a continuous supply of this vitamin in your system for it to be effective.
It is recommended that women consume 1.6 mg of B6 each day (men need approximately 2 mg). Research shows that taking high doses of B6 can be dangerous. Pregnant or nursing women should stick to the recommended dosage. Others should not exceed 250 mg/day. Taking B6 in equal portions with other B vitamins also helps alleviate the risk of consuming a toxic dose, which can lead to nerve damage.
Vitamin B6 is a busy little bee in your system. It is known to be a part of 100 chemical reactions in your body PER MINUTE! Benefits of this vitamin include converting protein to energy and aiding in brain function. In conjunction with B12, it can decrease levels of homocysteine, an amino acid associated with increased risk of heart attack. It assists in reducing water retention, and improving tendonitis. For those of us looking to lose those pounds, it’s important to note how vitamin B6 plays an active role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Vitamins need not be consumed in pill form only. The more vitamins you can extract from food sources, the better you will be. When you consume these healthy foods, you are partaking in a healthy, low calorie diet as well as gaining the nutrients you need. Sources of vitamin B6 include poultry, pork, fish, eggs, oats, whole grains, bananas, and nuts.
As this series on vitamins continues, take a moment to check your supplements. Look for the daily dosage and make sure you are consuming enough of a certain vitamin to ensure optimal health and results.
Benefits of Vitamin B12
Vitamin B12 is known as an energy vitamin. This fact alone is a good enough reason to consume this vitamin while trying to lose weight. When we reduce our calorie intake, we are in essence reducing our energy intake. "Dieting" can often lead to fatigue and furthermore diet discouragement.
In addition to providing us with energy, B12 speeds up our metabolism. Vitamin B12 is a major player in the game of weight loss. So if you're in the game right now to shed some pounds, be sure B12 is on the field (sorry...sitting here with dear hubby watching the Super Bowl).
Vitamin B12 also helps reduce depression and fight stress - yeah, pass the bottle please! Vitamin B12 is available to some in the form of injections. This is typically for those who suffer from fatigue syndrome and need the vitamin directly inserted into their system or for vegans as B12 is not found in fruits and vegetables. For most of us, consumption of B12 through our multi-vitamin and daily food intake should be sufficient. You do not need a large amount of this vitamin; however, it is not easily absorbed by the body. You will find B12 in foods such as meats, poultry, milk and other dairy products, eggs, and fish.
Benefits of Vitamin C
Tis' the season to cough, sneeze, and be infected with millions of unwanted guests we call germs! You've probably heard that you should pop that Vitamin C to prevent these germs from taking you! That's somewhat true...Vitamin C has been shown to alleviate some of the early symptoms of the common cold, but not treat it. That doesn't mean you should not take this vitamin - it packs powerful benefits for your body!
Vitamin C is a water-soluble vitamin which means you can't reach a toxic level of ingestion. The excess vitamin will just come out in your urine. It is recommended (RDA) that you take 60-90 mg/day. Men should take more as well as smokers because smoking depletes Vitamin C levels in the body.
Vitamin C is found in citrus fruits such as oranges, limes, and grapefruit, and vegetables including tomatoes, green pepper, potatoes and many others. Vitamin C is easily damaged during the food preparation stage, such as during chopping, exposure to air, cooking, boiling, and being submerged in water. The amount of Vitamin C in most foods is high enough that you will still receive adequate levels even after food prep.
So, what is the greatest benefit of Vitamin C? If you want beautiful skin, take your vitamin C! It is vital to the production of collagen. Collagen is the most abundant of the fibers that compose connective tissue. This connective tissue gives our body its form and supports our organs. You have collagen in your skin (which we hear about the most on advertisements), bone, teeth, tendons, ligaments, and cartilage. Vitamin C also aides in the treament of iron deficiency anemia.
Benefits of Vitamin B6
This is an important vitamin to those who are trying to trim down and reshape. It is a water-soluble vitamin, which means it travels through the bloodstream and what is not used is eliminated through urine. Therefore, you need a continuous supply of this vitamin in your system for it to be effective.
It is recommended that women consume 1.6 mg of B6 each day (men need approximately 2 mg). Research shows that taking high doses of B6 can be dangerous. Pregnant or nursing women should stick to the recommended dosage. Others should not exceed 250 mg/day. Taking B6 in equal portions with other B vitamins also helps alleviate the risk of consuming a toxic dose, which can lead to nerve damage.
Vitamin B6 is a busy little bee in your system. It is known to be a part of 100 chemical reactions in your body PER MINUTE! Benefits of this vitamin include converting protein to energy and aiding in brain function. In conjunction with B12, it can decrease levels of homocysteine, an amino acid associated with increased risk of heart attack. It assists in reducing water retention, and improving tendonitis. For those of us looking to lose those pounds, it’s important to note how vitamin B6 plays an active role in the metabolism of carbohydrates, proteins, and fats.
Vitamins need not be consumed in pill form only. The more vitamins you can extract from food sources, the better you will be. When you consume these healthy foods, you are partaking in a healthy, low calorie diet as well as gaining the nutrients you need. Sources of vitamin B6 include poultry, pork, fish, eggs, oats, whole grains, bananas, and nuts.
As this series on vitamins continues, take a moment to check your supplements. Look for the daily dosage and make sure you are consuming enough of a certain vitamin to ensure optimal health and results.