Simple Substitutions Can Make Anything Healthier
Milk & Milk Products
| Instead Of... |
Use... |
| Whole milk |
Low-fat (1%) or Fat-free (skim) milk |
| Whole milk yogurt |
Low-fat or fat-free yogurt |
| Whole milk cheeses |
Low-fat, 2%, or part-skim cheeses |
| Regular cottage cheese |
Low-fat or fat-free cottage cheese |
| Sour cream |
Low-fat sour cream or plain yogurt
Try salsa on baked potatoes
|
| Regular cream cheese |
Neufchatel or light cream cheese |
| Regular margarine or butter |
Low-fat, soft tub margarines, whipped butter |
| Evaporated whole milk |
Evaporated skim milk |
Grains
| Instead Of... |
Use... |
| White bread or pasta |
Whole-grain bread or pasta |
| White rice |
Brown rice |
| Pasta with creamy sauces, sausage, or cheese |
Pasta with red sauce (marinara) or vegetables (primavera) |
Meat, Fish, Poultry
| Instead Of... |
Use... |
| Cold cuts or high-fat lunch meats (bologna, salami, pastrami) |
Lean roast beef, turkey, or ham |
| Bacon or sausage |
Canadian bacon or lean ham |
| Oil-packed tuna |
Water-packed tuna |
| Regular ground beef |
At least "90 percent lean," ground round, or lean ground turkey |
| Poultry with skin; dark meat |
Poultry without skin; white meat
|
| Beef - chuck, rib, or brisket |
Beef - round steaks and roasts (round eye, top round, bottom round, round tip), top loin, top sirloin, and chuck shoulder and arm roasts |
| Frozen breaded fish or fried fish |
Un-breaded fish or shellfish |
| 1 Whole egg |
2 egg whites or _ cup egg substitute |
Condiments
| Instead Of... |
Use... |
| Regular mayonnaise |
Low-fat mayo, mustard, or low-fat plain yogurt |
| Regular salad dressing |
Low-fat salad dressing, lemon juice, or vinegar (plain, herb-flavored, wine, balsamic) |
| Regular maple syrup |
Light maple syrup |
| Guacamole dip or refried beans with lard |
Salsa |
Snacks & Desserts
| Instead Of... |
Use... |
| Ice cream |
Sorbet, sherbet, gelato, or low-fat or fat-free ice cream and frozen yogurt |
| Ice cream bar |
Fudge bar or frozen fruit bar |
| Potato chips |
Air popped or "light" microwave popcorn |
| Fruit juice |
Fresh fruit or fruit canned in syrup or its own juice |
| Chocolate cream pie |
Sugar-free chocolate pudding (made with skim milk), crushed graham cracker, and a small scoop of whipped cream
|
| Chocolate chip cookie |
Vanilla wafers, gingersnaps, fig bars, or animal crackers |
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