Reader Question: Healthy Substitutes

No, I don't mean sexy temporary teachers.

I recently got this question:
"I have some friends who bake using alternative, healthier ingredients for a similar taste... ex. apple sauce instead of oil and whole grain wheat, etc, etc. I'd be really interested in a post about other alternatives like this if you know about them."

Here are a few suggestions:

• Applesauce for oil in just about any baked good
• To cut down on calories or sugar, replace half with splenda or stevia. I don't typically recommend this because I'm not a huge fan of sugar substitutes. But it's a nice tip for the diabetic.
• Instead of sugar, use honey. However, do remember that honey is still sugar and has calories. But you typically need less of it, comparatively. It is not a one-to-one substitution. And also remember that very young children should not eat honey.
• Instead of mayo or sour cream, use plain greek yogurt. It can be used to make a ranch dip, or as a topping, or in any recipe that you would use mayo or sour cream. You will cut down on a LOT of fat and calories and add protein.
• You can bake and cook with wheat flour instead of white flour. But it will affect the items. So you might want to try it in a few different recipes to see if you like the end result and flavor. You can also do half whole wheat and half refined/white flour.
• Nufchatel cheese sounds fancy, but it is low-fat cream cheese. If you've ever bought cream cheese labeled low fat, you've bought nufchatel. It works just the same as the full fat version but with less calories and fat, duh. And it tastes about the same. Stay away from fat free cream cheese though. It tastes horrible and has a ton of added junk. This is generally true of fat free items. They often have MORE preservatives and chemicals than the "unhealthy" full fat item. But low fat choices typically just have some fat removed and taste just as good.
  
• Instead of instant oatmeal, try using regular oats or steel cut oats. The package will give you cooking instructions, which may vary. It may take longer, but these are much better for you.
  
• Brown rice for white rice is always a good choice. But it isn't a free pass to gobble down a full Pei Wei serving of it. It has more fiber and will make you feel full longer. It does take longer to prepare if you buy it au natural. But you can buy the instant versions or it even comes in steamable frozen bags.
  

I think that's all I have for ya right now. But I'm sure more will come to me!

Thanks for the question!