You can make many of your favorite recipes healthier with fat-free and low-fat ingredients. These smart substitutions that cuts down on saturated fats, trans fats, and cholesterol sounds great & healthy.
| When recipe calls for…… | Use this instead…. |
| Whole milk ( 1 cup) | 1 cup fat-free or low-fat milk, plus one tablespoon of liquid vegetable oil |
| Heavy cream ( 1 cup) | 1 cup evaporated skim milk or 1/2 cup plain low-fat cottage cheese |
| Sour cream | Low-fat unsalted cottage cheese plus low-fat or fat-free yogurt, or just use fat-free sour cream |
| Cream cheese | Unsalted low-fat cottage cheese; add a small amount of fat-free milk if needed |
| Butter (1tablespoon) | 3/4th tablespoon liquid vegetable oil |
| Instead of……… | Go for…….. |
| Fried tortilla chips | Baked, low- sodium, tortilla chips |
| Regular potato or corn chips | Low-fat potato chips , reduced sodium version |
| High-fat cookies and crackers | Fat-free or low-fat cookies, crackers |
| Ice cream bars | Frozen fruit bars |
| Pudding made with whole milk | Pudding made with fat-free or low-fat milk |
| Ice cream | Ice milk, fat-free or low-fat yogurt |
| Doughnut | Whole meal toast |
| Instead of….. | Try….. |
| Cream-based soups | Broth-based soups with more vegetables |
| Muffins, croissants | Pita bread, whole-grain rolls |
| Fried chicken sandwich | Grilled chicken sandwich |
| Chicken fried steak | Veggie burger |
| French fries | Baked potato, steamed vegetables |
| Potatoes and gravy | Baked potato |
| Creamy coleslaw | Sauteed vegetables, steamed vegetables |
| Hot fudge sundae or ice cream | Nonfat yogurt, Smoothie |
Along with healthy meals, regular physical activity should also be determined to maintain a healthy weight. Are you still on the couch? Just turn on your favorite music and dance!
