Healthy substitutions or the real deal?

[Lostvalleyguy]

I like to make healthy food. Often I will substitute one ingredient for another in order to make a healthier version of the food I am cooking. More often than not, however, my healthier version isn't quite as appealing as the original. Some healthy versions of food I have tried are a completely different product while other fall into the functional category: edible, healthy but only in an emergency.

I am now tending to cook foods the way they were intended (yes that may mean white flour). While these are less healthy, I save them for rare occasions. instead of making something unhealthy better, I prefer to start with something that starts healthier to begin with. Are you a substituter?

 

[SatNavSaysStraightOn]

I often substitute out smaller quantities rather than the entire lot of white flour, so if a recipe calls for 8oz of white flour, then I will add 7oz of white flour and 1oz of hemp flour (very tasty) or 1oz of wholemeal flour. I will also vary this amount depending on how the variation works out.

I almost always switch out white sugar for brown and often will substitute white or golden caste sugar for soft brown sugar preferably dark soft brown sugar rather than light soft brown sugar.

Other substitutions tend to be a what is available, so if I don't have any black beans for my black bean brownie recipes (aka black turtle beans) I will use red kidney beans or even black eyed beans (aka black eyed peas).

In humus recipes I often substitute chickpeas with other beans for a touch of variation and many soup recipes can be switched without any issues.
Some of my pate recipes call for butter beans (aka great northern beans) and I often change those for something else for a little variation. Usually it works out fine, though not always!

 

[sillylucy]

I always substitute to make a dish healthier. I love to bake and sometimes recipes ask for a lot of butter. I don't need all of that butter. I add apple sauce or only use half of the amount of butter to make it light.

 

[crimsonghost747]

I substitute a lot of ingredient just because I love experimenting. It's not always a healthy substitute, but more than often it is.
I enjoy the experimenting and once in a while you do find something that fits in really well. I also play a lot with the amount of different ingredients I put in my food, in fact I never measure them I just go by gut feeling.

 

[yossup]

Healthy substitutions can sometimes work but if you are a true food connoisseur, you'd know that finding a TRUE substitution is almost impossible most of the time. Hence I don't try to cheat with healthier substitutes. Rather, I simply just eat smaller portions. Just copy the french!

 

[firelily99]

I substitute a lot of ingredient just because I love experimenting. It's not always a healthy substitute, but more than often it is.
I enjoy the experimenting and once in a while you do find something that fits in really well. I also play a lot with the amount of different ingredients I put in my food, in fact I never measure them I just go by gut feeling.

I like to experiment too and I am constantly doctoring recipes. I will generally make a recipe as called for at least once but after that its game on!

 

[Ellyn]

It depends. Some ingredients can't be substituted or left out, because of culinary properties that only they have. I remember one episode of Top Chef that showed the disastrous consequences of substituting sugar for Splenda in baking what looked like meringue cookies.

Usually, though, I can get the gist of it: why, other than the salty or fatty or sugary ingredients, why a meal would be good. Usually it's going to be the texture, or the creative way that the flavors are lumped in together, and in those cases something can be substituted.

Other times, after getting the "gist" of the dish, I can make so many substitutions that...it's like starting out with something healthy to begin with, it becomes a whole new dish.

 

[dustysmommy2013]

I make balanced meals of a protein, starch, and a vegetable. As long as I am still eating my fruits and vegetables (and getting my exercise in), I don't see the harm in making everything else the way it was intended. When I want to eat healthy, I make healthy meals such as baked chicken, salads, or lean pork chops. I make these kind of meals several times a week. When I'm not in the mood to eat so healthy, I make pizza, pasta, and tacos and I make them the way they were intended to be made. As far as baked goods go, I don't mess with those. Desserts are supposed to be chocolatey and sugary and indulgent so I have no problem making them that way!

 

[Jade]

I rarely use substitutes, and whenever I do, it's usually just to cut down on the richness and not really for health reasons. I find that portioning my servings is a lot more effective in keeping healthy because whenever I use substitutes, it just ends up not making me satisfied and thus keeps my cravings around. Whereas if I allow myself to give in but just have it in moderation, I'm able to get satisfied enough to be able to forget about my cravings.