Guest Blog: Simple substitutions for healthier holiday food

Today's guest blog post is written by Vanessa Bautista, Dietetic Intern with Oakwood University.  Thanks for sharing with us, Vanessa!

Vanessa with Martha Stewart

A week ago, I was beyond delighted to meet Martha Stewart at Macy’s South Coast Plaza.  Martha Stewart and her deputy food editor of Martha Stewart Living, Sarah Carey, teamed up to create a seafood stew.  After they made their version of the dish crew members passed out a pre-made version.  Not surprisingly, the stew that everyone tried was not the actual stew that Martha made.  During the question and answers segment an audience member pointed out that the version the audience received was somewhat spicier then what the recipe had call for and asked what the difference was.  Martha’s response was that there might have been a little more pepper added to the audience recipe sample. And that’s when it happened.  It dawned on me. “Not all recipes are the same!”  So I decided to gather up all my guts and wits and ask, “Since the recipe taste a little bit different, could I try the stew that you made?”  Martha Stewart’s version turned out to be much better!  Besides getting to tell you about this exciting experience, the fact still remains that not all recipes are created equal.  Sure, we all have our family favorites like Uncle Danny’s surprisingly sweet-sweet potatoes. But this thanksgiving and even Christmas I dare you to get creative like Martha Stewart but in a healthy way.  I have spent way too many holidays watching the ones I love gain weight and try to lose it.  Because of this, I have actually tried many ingredient substitutions not only during the holidays but also throughout the year.  So this holiday season do yourself and your family a favor.  Try some of these amazing substitutes to reduce sugar and fat and increase the nutrient and phytochemical composition in your holiday dishes.  And who knows, you might create a new healthy holiday favorite!  Now that’s a good thing!

Original Ingredient:	Substitute:	Health Benefit:
Milk Chocolate	All or half of recipe for 70% cocoa or higher dark chocolate	More flavonoids (a heart protecting antioxidant) higher cocoa content the better
Iceberg Lettuce	Romaine lettuce in salads	More folate, vitamin A, potassium and vitamin C than iceberg variety
1 Cup All-Purpose flour	½ whole wheat in recipes	Increases fiber content in recipes
Sour cream	Greek yogurt on baked potatoes or dip recipes	More protein and calcium and less saturated fat
1 Full Cup of regular sugar	½ Cup of regular sugar in baked goods recipes	50% reduction in sugar in recipe
2 Tablespoons butter	1-1/2 Tablespoons Extra light tasting olive oil for sautéing	Lower in cholesterol and saturated fat
1 Cup butter	¾ Cups extra light tasting olive oil for baked goods such as cookies	Lower in cholesterol and saturated fat

A good thing!