MSU Extension Nutrition

High-fat and high-calorie ingredient substitution suggestions

When the recipe calls for…

Use…

Cooking with butter, stick margarine, lard, bacon, or bacon fat

Soft, tub margarine (first ingredient on food label is liquid vegetable oil), apple sauce, nontropical vegetable oils, such as corn canola, olive and more.

Baking with butter or oil

Applesauce, mashed banana

Deep frying with oils/fats

Air fry, bake, grill, or roast with only minimal additions of a vegetable or olive oil.

Sour cream

Plain low-fat yogurt or non-fat yogurt, light or fat–free sour cream or blend low fat cottage cheese with lemon juice (1 teaspoon lemon juice for every half cup of cheese), flavor it with herbs such as dill, parsley, oregano, garlic or thyme

Whole milk

Skim, 2%, 1%, or ½% low fat milk

Cream

Low-fat or Greek yogurt thinned with reduce fat milk

Full fat cheeses

Low-fat or fat-free cheeses

Beef or pork

Skinless chicken or turkey, lean cuts, and sometimes vegetarian/vegan options

Mayonnaise

Low-fat or fat free mayonnaise or whipped salad dressing, or plain low-fat yogurt

Salad dressings

Low-fat or nonfat versions, or make a simple vinaigrette with pantry staples by combining 2 tablespoons of olive oil, 1 tablespoon red wine vinegar and 1 tablespoon lemon juice.

Whole egg

Two egg whites or ¼ cup egg substitute, applesauce, aquafaba, or the liquid of a can of beans, 1 tablespoon of ground flax seeds and 3 tablespoons of water for 1 egg equivalent

Nuts in baked goods

Reduce the amount by half and toast them to strengthen the flavor

Pastry crust

Graham cracker crust or, in a pinch, frozen reduced calorie pie shell. See substitutions above for possible butter substitutions in the crust.

Sodium reduction and salt substitution suggestions

When the recipe calls for…

Use…

Salt (ordinary table salt, which is sodium chloride)

· Potassium salt (potassium chloride) sold as lite salt (50% less sodium) or salt substitute (sodium free). Read here for more information about benefits or special conditions to ask your doctor about.

· Salts that have larger grains, such as sea salt and kosher salt. These do not have less sodium, but they do pack more flavor for the volume, so you can half the amount of salt you use (1/2 teaspoon if the recipe calls for 1 teaspoon).     

Canned products

Try to buy fresh or frozen (or dried in the case of pastas) to avoid added salt and control how much salt you add to a dish. You can also look for canned or packaged vegetables, beans, or other food items labeled "low sodium," "reduced sodium," or "no salt added" when available. If there is added salt, then halve the salt you normally add to a recipe.

Processed meats (cured, salted, smoked, or otherwise processed)

Use fresh poultry, fish or meat

Flavorings (spice mixes, soy sauce, parmesan cheese, dressings, sauce mixes)

Reduced or low-sodium options are often still salty enough that you don’t need to add any additional salt to your meal. Otherwise, cut down use of those ingredients and enhance flavor with garlic, lemon juice or zest, fresh herbs and salt-free seasoning mixes.