Tips for Healthier Substitutes
These lower-calorie alternatives provide new ideas for old favorites. When choosing foods, avoid
those that are high in sugar and fat. Instead, select healthier alternatives with a higher proportion
of vitamins and minerals.
Milk and Milk Products
If you usually buy:
Try these instead:
Whole milk
Fat-free (skim), low-fat (1%), or reduced fat (2%) milk
Ice cream
Sorbet and ices, sherbet, or low-fat or fat-free frozen yogurt
Whipping cream
Imitation whipped cream made with fat-free (skim) milk
Sour cream
Plain low-fat yogurt
Regular cream cheese
Neufchatel or “light” cream cheese, or fat-free cream cheese
Regular cheese (cheddar, Swiss, or jack)
Reduced-calorie or low-calorie processed cheeses. Examples
include: Trader Joe’s low-fat, Laughing Cow Light, Jarlsberg
Lite Swiss, Kraft 2% milk cheese, Sargento reduced-fat,
Tillamook reduced-fat, Baby Bell Light, Cabot 50% reduced-fat,
Weight Watchers cheese
Regular American cheese
Fat-free American cheese
Regular (4%) cottage cheese
Low-fat (1%) or reduced fat (2%) cottage cheese
Whole-milk mozzarella cheese
Part-skim, low-moisture mozzarella cheese
Coffee cream (half and half) or non-dairy
creamer (liquid or powder)
Low-fat (1%) or reduced fat (2%) milk; non-fat dry milk powder;
or fat-free half and half
Cereals, Grains and Pastas
If you usually buy:
Try these instead:
Ramen noodles
Rice or other noodles (spaghetti, macaroni, etc.)
Pasta with white sauce (Alfredo)
Pasta with red sauce (marinara)
Pasta with cheese sauce
Pasta with vegetables (primavera)
Granola
Bran flakes or crispy rice, cooked grits or oatmeal, or reducedfat granola
White rice
Brown rice
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Healthy Express Lesson 3
Meats, Fish and Poultry
If you usually buy:
Try these instead:
Cold cuts or lunch meats (bologna, salami,
liverwurst, etc.)
Low-fat cold cuts (95% to 97% fat-free lunch meats or low-fat
pressed meats)
Regular hot dogs
Reduced-fat hot dogs
Bacon or sausage
Canadian bacon or lean ham
Regular ground beef
Extra-lean ground beef, such as ground round, or ground
turkey (read labels)
Chicken or turkey with skin, duck or goose
Chicken or turkey without skin (white meat)
Oil-packed tuna
Water-packed tuna (rinse to reduce sodium content)
Beef chuck, rib, or brisket
Beef round or loin; trim external fat; choose select grades
Pork (spareribs or untrimmed loin)
Pork tenderloin or trimmed, lean smoked ham
Frozen breaded fish or fried fish
(homemade or commercial)
Unbreaded fish or shellfish, fresh, frozen, or canned in water
Whole eggs
Egg whites or egg substitutes
Frozen TV dinners containing more than
13 grams of fat per serving
Frozen TV dinners containing less than 13 grams fat per
serving and lower in sodium
Chorizo sausage
Turkey sausage, drained well (read label) or vegetarian
sausage made with tofu
Baked Goods
If you usually buy:
Try these instead:
Croissants, brioches, etc.
Hard French rolls or soft brown ‘n serve rolls
Donuts, sweet rolls, scones, or pastries
English muffins, bagels, reduced-fat or fat-free muffins, or fatfree scones
Party crackers
Low-fat, reduced-sodium party crackers, or reduced-sodium
soda crackers
Cake (pound, chocolate or yellow)
Cake (angel food, white, or gingerbread)
Cookies
Fat-free or reduced-fat cookies, such as graham crackers,
ginger snaps, or fig bars; compare calorie levels
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167
Snacks and Sweets
If you usually buy:
Try these instead:
Nuts
Popcorn (air-popped or light microwave), fruits, vegetables
Ice cream, including cones and bars
Frozen yogurt, frozen fruit, or chocolate pudding bars
Custards or puddings made with whole
milk
Puddings made with fat-free milk
Miscellaneous
If you usually buy or make:
Try these instead:
Canned cream soups
Canned broth-based soups (low-sodium)
Homemade gravy with fat drippings and
whole milk or gravy mixes made with milk
Homemade with the fat skimmed off and fat-free milk, or gravy
mixes made with water
Fudge sauce
Chocolate syrup
Guacamole dip or refried beans with lard
Salsa
Adapted from U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (2005). Tips for healthy
substitutes. Washington, DC: U.S. Government Printing Office.
Baking Substitutes
Instead of:
Try these instead:
Sugar
Substitute with Splenda. Use ½ cup of Splenda for every cup of sugar in the
recipe. Check Splenda’s website for specific recommendations on
1
substitutions: http://www.splenda.com/cooking-baking/granulated
Sugar
Reduce sugar by 1/4 to 1/3. Cookies, quick breads, and cakes can be
successfully baked this way. Substitute flour for the omitted sugar. Do not
2
decrease sugar in yeast breads, because sugar feeds the yeast.
Sugar
Use spices rather than sugar. Adding cinnamon, nutmeg, or vanilla to your
2
recipes instead of sugar will mimic sweeteness.
Butter, shortening or oil
Use applesauce, prune or other fruit puree, or plain non-fat yogurt. Replace up
to half of the butter, oil or shortening with any of these ingredients based on the
flavor of the dish. Keep an eye on your dish once it is in the oven as the baking
2
time may decrease up to 25 percent.
Oil
Reduce oil by 1/3. Avoid this method when baking yeast breads or pie crusts.
Solid fats
Use vegetable oils, such as corn, canola, or peanut, instead of solid fats, such
as shortening, lard, or butter. To substitute liquid oil for solid fats, use about 1/4
2
less than in the recipe.
Sour cream
Swap yogurt for sour cream. If the recipe calls for sour cream, add plain low-fat
yogurt in the same amount. Two other acceptable substitutes are buttermilk or
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Healthy Express Lesson 3
3
low-fat cottage cheese blended in a food processor.
Whipped cream
Refrigerate one 13 ounce can of evaporated skim milk overnight. Combine with
4
1 teaspoon of lemon juice and beat until stiff.
Whipped Cream
Combine 1/2 cup of ice-cold water and 1/2 cup non-fat dry milk and whip until it
forms peaks. While still mixing, gradually add 1/2 cup sugar. Finally, add 2
4
tablespoons of lemon juice and stir until well incorporated.
Eggs
Use egg substitute or egg whites. Replace one egg with two egg whites or 1/4
2
cup egg substitute.
Sources Cited
1. McNeil Nutritionals. (2012). Cooking and baking with Splenda® No Calorie Sweetener. Granulated.
Retrieved from http://www.splenda.com/cooking-baking/granulated
2. Brinkman, P., & Syracuse, C. J. (n.d.). Modifying a recipe to be healthier. Columbus, OH: Ohio State
University Extension (Fact Sheet No. HYG-5543-06).
3. The Cooking Inn. (2012). Modify a recipe. Retrieved from http://www.thecookinginn.com/modify.html
4. Garden-Robinson, J. (1999, July). Ingredient substitutions. Fargo, ND: University of North Dakota (Fact
Sheet No. HE-198).
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