Looking to modify a family recipe? Keep this taped inside a kitchen cabinet for a handy reminder of all the creative things you can do to make your favorite foods healthier.
INSTEAD OF ...... TRY.......
Beef- 70-85 % Lean Ground or Chuck 
92% or leaner ground beef or 92% or leaner ground turkey or buffalo -check label-not all ground turkey is lean!
Bread Crumbs - as breading Unprocessed bran flakes + mixed with oat flour, crushed all or when called for to mix with meat bran cereal flakes, oat flour, or oatmeal
Butter Butter Replacement Product, Butter Buds, imitation butter flavor extract
Cheese Reduce amount and use part skim mozzarella or reduced fat/non-fat cheese
Chicken – Whole Bird or Dark Meat Boneless, skinless chicken breast or breast of turkey
Egg - 1 Whole 2 egg whites
Flour - White Oat Flour, 100% Whole Wheat Flour, soy flour
Gravy Omit or thin with water to aus jus consistency
Kool- Aid or Juice Crystal Light, sugar-free kool-aid or lemon water with 1 packet Splenda
Milk - in cereal Vanilla or strawberry protein powder mixed with water
Milk- Whole, in cooking or baking Non-fat or low-fat milk or just water
Oatmeal – Flavored Packets Natural oats & chopped fruit or sugar free preserves
Oil - in baking Equal amount of unsweetened applesauce or 3:1 ratio of ground flaxseed meal to oil
Oil - in cooking Omit or try reducing by ½ or 2/3
Oil - when sautéing Wine, broth, lemon, lime, apple, or orange juice
Salt Garlic, chile, onion, or lemon
Sour Cream Fat-free plain yogurt or non-fat sour cream
Soy Sauce Reduced-sodium soy or reduced-sodium chicken, beef, or vegetable broth, liquid aminos
Sugar – Brown Diabetic/sugar-free pancake syrup or artificial brown sweetener (made by Sugar Twin)
Sugar - White Artificial sweetener of choice or 1 teaspoon mashed banana per tablespoon sugar being replaced
Syrup - Pancake or Maple Syrup Sugar free (diabetic) pancake syrup. In cereal, try artificial sweetener and a few drops of maple extract
Syrup - Chocolate Cocoa powder and artificial sweetener to taste
Syrups- Flavored (used in coffee) Sugar-free syrup or artificial sweetener to taste and a few drops vanilla extract or other extract of choice
Reprinted from:
"Stella's Kitchen: Creative Cooking for Fun, Flavor, & a Lean Strong Body" by Stella Juarez ©2003
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