Food substitutions

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crosbylee
crosbylee Posts: 3,450 Member
in Health and Weight Loss
Working on tweaking some recipes in my box and wondering if any of you out there have food substituions that you use regularly that work. Like replacements for butter, cream, some pastas, rice this type of thing.

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  • juggernaut1974
    juggernaut1974 Posts: 6,212 Member
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    Plain greek yogurt vs. sour cream

    That's about the only one I do regularly
  • SuggaD
    SuggaD Posts: 1,369 Member
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    Butter....if baking, applesauce. Pasta....I just don't eat that much pasta. It's not a calorie thing for me though. I prefer sweet potatoes, spaghetti squash, quinoa, rice, and veggies.
  • zdyb23456
    zdyb23456 Posts: 1,706 Member
    edited January 2015
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    I never use cream - I always use half and half instead.

    I try to skip using added oils/butters as long as I'm not baking. I use non-stick skillets and almost never add the recommended tablespoon or so of oil to prevent sticking.

    edited to add: I usually sub lighter versions for cream cheese, ricotta, and sour cream. no one can tell the difference.

    same with light mayo - no one can tell the difference, esp. if it's in a recipe.

  • sseqwnp
    sseqwnp Posts: 327 Member
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    I replace butter with half butter and half olive oil
  • erickirb
    erickirb Posts: 12,293 Member
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    sseqwnp wrote: »
    I replace butter with half butter and half olive oil

    What does that do for calories? or is there some other reason you do that?
  • jstout365
    jstout365 Posts: 1,686 Member
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    I'll use greek yogurt in place of heavy cream in some soups and similar recipes. I've done the applesauce for butter in baking as well. Most of the time I just bake what I want and make room in my calories and macros for the treat. I will also make them into smaller portions if I can....like make 8 little mini cheesecakes or loaves of bread instead of one big one. That way I can freeze portions and not feel like I have to eat the whole thing in a short amount of time. Cookies are the same way. I will make a batch, weigh out single cookies into little balls and then freeze them. Then I can have one or two warm and fresh without having another dozen calling my name.
  • kommodevaran
    kommodevaran Posts: 17,890 Member
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    No, no substitutions, I just eat some foods in smaller amounts and/or less frequently.
  • sseqwnp
    sseqwnp Posts: 327 Member
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    erickirb wrote: »
    sseqwnp wrote: »
    I replace butter with half butter and half olive oil

    What does that do for calories? or is there some other reason you do that?

    I believe it does nothing for calories. Started doing it after a bunch of nagging from a doctor to incorporate more" heart healthy" fats into my diet.
  • AlisonH729
    AlisonH729 Posts: 558 Member
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    kommodevaran wrote: »
    No, no substitutions, I just eat some foods in smaller amounts and/or less frequently.

    I agree. But sometimes this just isn't fun. Like pasta. A 'suggested serving' of pasta doesn't do it, not for me anyway. So I mix zucchini noodles with spaghetti. Still hits the 'spot' without blowing your calories out of the water. Mac & cheese is another good example. So even though I don't make it often, when I do use butternut squash to add some substance to the sauce so it doesn't have to be so heavy & cheesy.

    These are more variations than substitutions I suppose. If I sub its usually just for something that might have a little more going for it nutritionally. Since subbing things like sweet potatoes for white, or quinoa for rice aren't really saving me much calorie wise.
  • crosbylee
    crosbylee Posts: 3,450 Member
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    Good suggestions all. Every bit of information is helpful.

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