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 1. In most bakery recipes (muffins, cakes, cookies, coffee cakes, brownies, nut breads, etc.) you can substitute whole-wheat for half the white flour called for. Compared to 1/4 cup of white flour, each 1/4 cup of whole-wheat flour adds 3.5 grams of fiber and various phytochemicals, and doubles the amount of magnesium and selenium. The extra fiber helps slow digestion and increase fullness.
2. In most bakery recipes, you can replace half of the sugar with Splenda (or a similar artificial sweetener). This cuts the calories from sugar in half, saving you 48 calories per tablespoon of sugar you replace. 3. In egg dishes (quiches, frittatas, omelets, breakfast casseroles), you can use egg substitute in place of half the eggs. In other words, if the recipe calls for 6 eggs, you would blend 3 whole eggs with 3/4 cup egg substitute (1/4 cup of egg substitute replaces each egg). You can replace half the eggs in bakery recipes with egg substitute as well. By replacing one large egg with 1/4 cup egg substitute, you'll shave 45 calories, 5 grams of fat, 1.6 grams of saturated fat, and 213 milligrams of cholesterol. 4. In many bakery recipes, you can cut the fat ingredient (butter, margarine, shortening, or oil) in half. In other words, if a cake recipe calls for 1 cup of butter or margarine, you can usually use 1/2 cup instead. Remember to replace the missing fat with a similar amount of a moist but healthful ingredient (fat-free sour cream, orange juice, low-fat yogurt, applesauce, etc.) This change cuts both fat and calories, since each gram of fat translates into 9 calories as opposed to 4 per gram for protein or carbohydrate. 5. Cook with reduced-fat or fat-free products when available -- and when they taste good. Try fat-free sour cream, reduced-fat cheeses, light cream cheese, light mayonnaise, reduced-fat or light sausage, less-fat turkey bacon, light salad dressings, and light or low-fat ice cream or frozen yogurt. Many cut calories and saturated fat along with total fat. A few fat-free products are in my arsenal as well: fat-free sour cream and half-and-half, chicken broth, wine, strong coffee, fruit purees, and fruit juice. These foods add moisture, and sometimes flavor, to recipes where you aren't using a lot of fatty ingredients. |
A nutrition and weight management professional, Fran is the director of Lifestyle Consulting in Austin, Texas. She has worked exclusively in the health and wellness industry for over thirty years and is an ACSM-certified health/fitness instructor, an ACE-certified lifestyle and weight management consultant, an IDEA master trainer, a Cooper-certified wellness coach, and a cancer exercise specialist. Fran received her B.A. from Washington University in St. Louis, and her M.A. in Behavioral Sciences from the University of Chicago and is the author of two books, Dining Lite in Austin and The Lifestyle Cookbook. 
I found this great list in the September issue of Self Magazine and thought I would share it with you.
Sweet potatoes are considered one of the most nutritious foods you can eat! They contain tons of Vitamin A (in the form of beta carotene; the deeper-orange the color of their flesh, the more of this antioxidant they provide), Vitamin C and fiber plus manganese, copper, Vitamin B6 and potassium -- all for about 100-150 calories per medium potato (with the skin on).
Here is a great article from WebMD that I wanted to share with all of the JumpSnap Nation readers - hope you enjoy it and learn something. 
I came across this great article by R. Morgan Griffin (WebMD) about dietary deficiencies and I wanted to share it with you because it appears that even the most conscientious eaters may have dietary deficiencies.
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