Easy Cooking Substitutions

If you enjoy cooking and baking but don't quite enjoy what it's doing to your body weight, there are some easy substitutions that you can use to make your recipes lower in calories, lower in fat, lower in carbohydrates, or some combination of the above.

While there will be certain recipes where you won't be able to sub the ingredients and maintain the proper taste, for many, it's very easily done.

Here are some suggestions to get you started.

Applesauce for Oil or Butter

One simple way to reduce both the fat and calories is to replace half or all of the oil or butter with non-sweetened applesauce.

While this usually will adjust the flavor slightly - it will give off a more ‘apple-like' taste, for most baking this is welcomed.

If applesauce is not your preference, there are now many different flavors of fruit sauce that are available.

Try and select one that does not contain added sugars however, to maintain the good nutrition profile.

Protein Powder for Flour

If you're on a low carb diet, you may think all baked goods should be off limits.

This is not the case.

Protein powder can work very well subbed in for part or all of the flour in some cases.

One thing to be sure of is that you are still using proper amounts of baking soda and baking powder, as this will help to ensure it rises and bakes properly.

Furthermore, a ‘casein' type of protein will often work better in baking recipes, so choose your protein powder wisely.

Chicken Broth for Oil

When it comes to stir-fries, there generally is no problem with using some olive oil as there are many positive health benefits to this.

But, when you are watching your calorie intake and actively trying to lose weight, you do need to be mindful of how much you are using.

If you're finding that you need more moisture in your stir-fry but would prefer not to use any more olive oil, try chicken broth instead.

It has a nice flavoring as well, further reducing the amount of sauce-additives you need to be using.

Cocoa for Chocolate

If you're recipe calls for pieces of chocolate melted in to give a chocolate flavor, consider using cocoa with some artificial sweetener added instead.

The calories and fat will be a great deal lower but you will still get the chocolate taste you're craving.

Another idea here again is to add some chocolate protein powder to the recipe, which will normally work fine as well.

Ground Oats for Flour

Finally, the last option to consider if you're simply looking to improve the nutritional profile of the recipe is replacing flour with ground oats. To prepare this, simply place your regular oats in the blender for a couple of seconds until a very fine consistency is reached.

So, next time you're doing some baking, give these ideas some consideration. Small changes can mean big results when it comes to your total calorie and fat intake for the day.