Making Recipes Healthier
Modify your favourite recipes by:
- reducing or removing certain ingredients, for example fat, sugar or salt
- substituting ingredients for healthier ones
- changing the cooking method.
Try some of the modifications outlined in the following table.
| Food Item | Substitute |
|---|---|
| Full-cream milk | Skim or low-fat milk |
| Full-cream yoghurt, ice-cream and custard |
Low-fat varieties |
| Cream | Chilled, whipped, reduced-fat evaporated skim milk Low-fat ricotta blended with a little icing sugar, fruit or low-fat milk Low-fat vanilla yoghurt or custard |
| Sour cream or cream cheese | Low-fat natural yoghurt Reduced-fat evaporated milk and lemon juice Ricotta or cottage cheese Reduced-fat cream cheese |
| Cheese | Smaller amounts of stronger-tasting cheese (for example grated parmesan instead of grated tasty) Smaller amounts of reduced-fat varieties |
| Butter, margarine, oils and lard or copha | Mono/polyunsaturated oils and margarines Smaller amounts – use an oil spray or brush Spread margarine thinly or do not use it at all Use stocks, juices or other sauces for sauteing instead of oil Steam or bake instead of frying Halve the fat (oil or margarine) in cakes and sweet recipes – it will not have a significant effect on the final product |
| Mayonnaise and dressings |
Try: |
| Meat | Remove skin and visible fat before cooking Choose lean cuts and buy skinless chicken Reduce amount of meat in a recipe and replace with legumes or vegetables Grill or bake meats instead of frying Avoid crumbing and battering meats Drain fat off mince during cooking |
| Eggs | Use two whites in place of one whole egg |
| Pastry | Use filo pastry instead of shortcrust or puff pastry Choose reduced-fat puff pastry or use less, for example only cover a pie with pastry Make a cooked rice crust – mix cooked rice with egg white and press into pie plate |
| Cakes and biscuits | Use the minimum amount of fat needed for biscuits – 2 tablespoons per cup of flour Add mashed pumpkin, stewed fruit or yoghurt to moisten cakes or muffins Use polyunsaturated or monounsaturated oil or margarine instead of butter Choose scones, pikelets, fruit breads, yeast breads and fruit cakes – they contain less fat Reduce sugar to 1/4 cup per cup of flour when making cakes Use canned or dried fruit or fruit juice instead of sugar to sweeten cakes, sweets or biscuits |
| Sauces and gravies | Use fruit sauce or chutneys Do not use pan juices for gravy Choose low- or reduced-sodium sauces, stock powders, seasoning and gravy powders Use low-fat evaporated milk or low-fat yoghurt for creamy sauces Use reduced-fat cheese or ricotta cheese in white sauces |
| Coconut milk or cream |
Use evaporated low-fat milk plus coconut essence Use low-fat yoghurt with a little desiccated coconut Use a tomato base and just add a dash of reduced coconut milk or powder for flavour |
| To increase fibre | Use plenty of fruit and vegetables – wash and leave unpeeled where possible Use wholegrain breads, cereals, rice and flour Add wholegrain, high-fibre products to recipes, for example grainy bread in bread and butter pudding, seeds or cereal to fruit crumble topping, oats to rissoles, legumes such as kidney beans, lentils or baked beans to mince and other savoury dishes. Add fruit and seeds to cakes and dessert food |
| To reduce sodium (salt) | Do not add salt to water when cooking pasta Do not add salt to sandwich fillings Use low- or reduced-salt sauces, gravies and stocks Flavour with herbs and spices rather than salt Choose garlic and onion powder instead of garlic and onion salt Be careful of seasoning mixes as many are high in sodium |
Hints
- When reducing the fat or sodium content of a dish, try using more herbs, spice or lemon juice to enhance the flavour.
- Stew fruit without sugar and add apple, dried fruit or fruit juice for extra sweetness and cinnamon or cloves for extra flavour.
- Write recipes up on a template that lists ingredients, instructions and costing per serve. A log or diary of whenever the recipe is cooked is also useful on a recipe template.