recipe makeovers 101: three steps to healthier meals

If food doesn’t taste good, it won’t be eaten—it’s as simple as that. Fortunately, there are many ways to cut down on the calories you don’t want without sacrificing flavor. It’s also easy to add extra nutrients by adding more fruits, vegetables, and whole grains. Use the tips below to achieve great taste—with a lot fewer calories—in your own recipes.

Step 1: Increase the vegetables, fruits, and whole grains.

• Start your day by making fruit smoothies for the entire family.
• Add fresh or dried fruits, such as banana slices, blueberries, or raisins to your cereal instead of sugar.
• Eat one salad a day.
• Add fresh or dried fruits, such as chopped apples, raisins, prunes, kiwi, or orange sections to green leafy salads instead of high-calorie salad dressings.
• Add dried fruits or frozen vegetables, such as peas and carrots, to rice, quinoa, or other grain-based dishes.
• Add chopped carrots, broccoli, or a mix of your favorite vegetables to soups, salads, and casseroles.
• Add your favorite canned beans to soups, stews, and salads. However, drain the beans and rinse with water to reduce the sodium content.
• Substitute whole wheat flour for up to half (or more) of the white flour called for in a recipe.
• Add ¼ cup bran or quick-cooking oatmeal to meatloaves or casseroles.
• Make muffins using oatmeal, bran, or whole wheat flour.
• Use whole cornmeal when making cornbread.

Step 2: Lower the amount of calories.

The best ways to reduce calories are to look for ways to cut down on fat and sugar. Try these tips:

• Instead of frying, try baking, broiling, grilling, or sautéing by using nonstick cooking spray or a small amount of oil.
• Use evaporated (skim or whole) milk or sour cream instead of heavy cream in sauces and soups.
• Use a purée of cooked potatoes, onion, and celery instead of cream or half-and-half as a creamy base for soups.
• Use reduced-fat cheese when possible: low-fat cottage cheese, Neufchâtel (instead of cream cheese), part-skim mozzarella, and reduced-fat sharp cheddar.
• To warm tortillas, do not fry them in oil. Instead, use a hot pan without oil, the microwave oven, or even the regular oven.
• To make flavorful refried beans, use a well-spiced sofrito instead of pork lard as a base.
• In baked goods, reduce the fat by ¼ (if a recipe calls for 1 cup of oil, use 3/4 cup). You can also reduce the sugar by ¼.
• If making sweet breads, such as banana bread, zucchini bread, or pan dulce, cut the oil in half and replace with an equal amount of applesauce, mashed banana, or even canned pumpkin.
• If a recipe calls for nuts, use half the amount but toast the nuts (whole, not chopped)—this step intensifies the flavor and saves on calories.
• Replace half the eggs with egg whites, using two egg whites per egg. (If a recipe calls for two eggs, use one egg and two egg whites.)

Step 3: Cut back on high-fat meats.

• Use leaner cuts of meat: look for the words “lean,” “loin,” or “round” in the name.
• Use ground turkey breast in place of ground beef.
• Trim all visible fat before cooking.
• Remove the skin of poultry and put the spices directly on the meat. Only leave the skin on when grilling poultry to keep it moist.