Lighten up your eating this spring

By: Julie Whittington | Mooresville Tribune
Published: March 22, 2009

This spring, instead of making your usual ultra-rich recipes, try improving on their nutritional values with a few simple techniques.

For instance, by lightening dessert recipes, you can make them less over-indulgent and sometimes even healthful. By modifying recipes for rich (high fat, high sodium, heavily processed) entrees, you can increase your overall intake of beneficial nutrients, while lessening the intake of the foods that are unhealthy for your heart and other body systems. In doing so, you can decrease your risk of chronic diseases, but also improve on your own relationship with food and your body. The goal is to nourish your body with foods that are flavorful, balanced, nutritious and promote a sense of wellness.

So, next time you make a recipe, see if you can use any of the following methods to improve on its nutritional benefits:

+ Use egg whites or egg beaters instead of whole eggs (2 egg whites or ¼ cup egg beaters replace one whole egg);

+ Replace oil with applesauce or jar fruit baby food (such as bananas or pears) in baked goods like brownies;

+ Replace oil with ground flaxseed in baked goods;

+ Use plain or vanilla yogurt instead of oil (or replace half) in baked goods like quick breads and brownies;

+ Eliminate the use of too many added oils and salt when making rice, pasta and couscous;

+ Use panko (Japanese) or homemade whole grain breadcrumbs, rather than traditional processed American versions. Panko breadcrumbs often have less sodium, fat and calories than traditional breadcrumbs;

+ Increase your intake of vegetables by incorporating more of them into recipes. For instance, don't just make regular lasagna. Make it with lean meat (or do a vegetarian version), whole grain lasagna noodles, low-fat ricotta and plenty of vegetables in it like mushrooms, onions, spinach, squash and carrots. Then, instead of making a thick layer of full-fat cheese on top, sprinkle grated fresh mozzarella and parmesan on each serving;

+ Use pureed vegetables instead of cream to thicken soups;

+ Use beans or tofu as your protein source sometimes, rather than animal proteins;

+ When you choose animal proteins, choose lean versions. For instance, try making burgers with ground chicken, turkey breast or 97 percent lean beef;

+ Reduce the amount of sugar in recipes. For instance, if it calls for 1 cup of sugar in a pie, reduce to ¾ cup. Or, if you make your own ice cream, use less sugar for a delicious taste and less empty calories;

+ Use more flavorful cheeses in recipes, thus allowing yourself to use less total cheese. For instance, make Caesar salad with low-fat dressing and whole grain croutons. After you plate the salad, top with a little freshly grated Parmesan, Romano, Asiago or Parmesan Reggiano cheese. You will enjoy the wonderful flavors without having added a large amount of cheese into the salad mix;

+ Use low-fat dairy (i.e. milk, yogurt and cheese) instead of whole-fat versions;

+ Make salad dressings with soft silken tofu or yogurt to thicken them, rather than oil. Try blending the following in a blender: 1 cup plain yogurt, ½ cup raspberries, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar and 2 teaspoons sugar. Makes about 1 cup of dressing, or eight 2-tablespoon servings; and

+ Buy less-processed foods and more whole and natural foods.