Adapting Recipes to Create Healthier Options

I recently came across an article from the Mayo Clinic newsletter about making healthier choices when preparing recipes.  While I don’t agree with everything the Mayo proposes (such as using skim milk or removing coconut or nuts from recipes), I thought the idea of revamping recipes to make them healthier was a great one—so I’ve adapted the original article and included some of my own suggestions as well. 

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Setting out to follow a healthier diet can be a challenge, especially when new or unusual foods aren’t already a staple part of your menus.

Part of the challenge, too, is adapting existing recipes so that they incorporate new and healthier ingredients.  Here are some tips for revamping your recipes to make them better for your health while still tasting great. 

        1. Use whole foods whenever possible.

• Whole grains contain a full spectrum of vitamins and minerals you won’t find in refined products, and they also offer a great fibre content.  Whole wheat, spelt or kamut pasta can be used instead of regular pasta without really changing the overall flavor or texture of a recipe.  Similarly, brown rice can be used instead of white rice (and brown basmati rice cooks up just as quickly as white).  Or try some more interesting grains instead of rice or pasta—quinoa, millet, or buckwheat are all great with pasta sauces or in pilafs.


• Similarly, whole fruits and vegetables are often preferable to juices. A whole orange offers nutrients not available in the juice alone (such as herpedin, a flavonoid found in the white pith but not in the juice), while orange juice on its own contains concentrated sugars that, in large amounts, can be just as unhealthy as added sugar. 

2.  Reduce the overall fat or substitute healthier fat.

• Try to keep saturated fat intake low, and lower overall fat intake to no more than 30% of total calories. Reducing the fat in a recipe by 1/4 to 1/2 the suggested amount can usually be accomplished fairly easily without greatly changing the final results.
• Use fruit purees (such as unsweetened applesauce, prunes, or banana) instead of up to half the fat in baking.
• When sautéing onions or mixed vegetables, add water to a nonstick frypan and cook the veggies that way (be sure to keep the heat at medium or below for nonstick pans); then drizzle olive oil over top once the veggies are cooked.  Alternately, sauté vegetables in some chicken or vegetable broth.
• Use soymilk or other nondairy milks instead of cow’s milk in soups or on cereals; use yogurt or silken tofu instead of cream in desserts. 

3.  Reduce the sugar or use healthier substitutions.

4.  Increase the amount of vegetables and fruits already in recipes.

• If a soup or stew recipe calls for 1 cup of veggies, I usually double that amount.  It rarely changes the overall texture or appeal of the recipe, and I know I’m getting more vitamins, minerals, antioxidants and fibre that way.
• Sneak veggies and/or legumes into existing recipes:  puree greens or beans and add to spaghetti sauces; drop a handful of chopped mixed greens into omellettes, soups or stews; use pureed sweet vegetables (roasted carrots, sweet potato, beets, squashes or parsnip, for instance) and mix into mashed potatoes (or mash up and serve on their own!).
• Freeze smooth fruits like banana, mango, or peaches and then whir in a food processor to create a sugar-free sorbet; they can also be dipped in chocolate sauce for a great “fondue” that kids will love.

     5. Change the preparation method if possible.

• Even if a recipe calls for frying, you can almost always find a healthier way to prepare the same thing (see sauté idea, above).  Similarly, traditionally low-fat cooking methods such as braising, broiling, grilling or steaming will offer great flavor without adding extra fat. For instance, roasting meats or vegetables in broth or juice creates a delicious, healthy alternative to the high-fat versions.

     6. If all else fails, indulge a little!

In his book, Eating for Optimum Health, Andrew Weil tells a story of a man who was so intent on following a totally “healthy” diet that he forfeited many opportunities to socialize with friends over the dinner table and improve his overall well-being through laughter, supportive relationships, and the pleasure of others’ company.  Worrying about the foods he ate actually contributed in a negative way to his overall well—being (perhaps more so than eating a little of the “bad” foods would have done).

He concluded by saying that when “food is blessed by being shared, by being eaten in fellowship amidst conversation and laughter. . . all food is ‘health’ food.”   

Berating yourself for a small indulgence won’t improve your health, psychologically or physically. Rather than feeling guilty for eating some foods, consider how you eat them.  A positive context, in which you appreciate and enjoy the food, is a first step.

Also, as the Mayo Clinic article points out, sometimes “No matter how much you reduce, switch or omit ingredients, some recipes may still be too high in sugar, fat or salt. In these cases, reduce the amount of that food you eat.”  In other words, if you do choose to indulge in special foods, try to  keep your portions small, and be sure that you’re eating high-quality foods, even if they are calorie-dense. 

To my mind, a small piece of “real” chocolate cheesecake (made with full-fat, organic cream cheese, high-quality dark chocolate, and so on) is far superior to a regular portion of a calorie-reduced alternative made with “lite” cream cheese (which often contains chemical fillers and hydrogenated fats) or artificial sweeteners such as aspartame or Splenda. 

Unless you’ve got extreme dietary restrictions due to specific illnesses, it’s usually better to stick with what’s real rather than what’s artificial. Remember the 90/10 rule:  if you follow a healthful, whole-foods diet 90% of the time, you can afford to indulge the other 10% of the time!   

Eating healthfully needn’t be stressful or difficult.  Small changes over time will improve your diet overall, and before you know it, transforming recipes will become second nature.

 The original Mayo Clinic article can be found at http://www.mayoclinic.com/health/healthy-recipes/NU00584