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Healthy Cooking Tips

Posted: Jan. 1, 2008

Try these suggestions to lower the fat and calories in meals and snacks.

• Cook with low-fat methods such as baking, broiling, boiling or microwaving rather than frying.
• Choose low-fat or fat-free dairy products, salad dressings, mayonnaise and other condiments.
• Serve fruit instead of cookies or ice cream for dessert.
• Add salsa to baked potatoes instead of butter or sour cream.
• Eat fruits canned in their own juice rather than syrup.

Use these substitutions when you cook or bake:
1 cup cream=1 cup evaporated fat-free milk

1 cup butter, margarine or oil=1/2 cup apple butter or applesauce

1 egg=2 egg whites or 1/4 cup egg substitute

Pastry dough=Graham cracker crumb crust

Butter, margarine, or vegetable oil for sautéing=Cooking spray, chicken broth, or a small amount of olive oil

Bacon=Lean turkey bacon

Ground beef=Extra lean ground beef or ground turkey breast

Sour cream=Fat-free sour cream

1 cup chocolate chips=1/4 to 1/2 cup mini chocolate chips

1 cup sugar=3/4 cup sugar (this works with most everything except yeast breads)

1 cup mayonnaise=1 cup reduced-fat or fat-free mayonnaise

1 cup whole milk=1 cup fat-free milk

1 cup cream cheese=1/2 cup ricotta cheese pureed with 1/2 cup fat-free cream cheese

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