Eating healthy doesn’t mean having to give up all your favorite foods. Unless you’re on a specific diet or have some medical condition that requires you to seriously change your food intake, there are a lot of small things you can do to modify recipes on your own.

Here is a start on healthy substitutions *

Replace...

margarine/butter (sautéing) with low-fat broth, wine, or teriyaki

margarine/butter (baking) with applesauce, apple butter

margarine/butter (basting) with browning agents: barbecue sauce, teriyaki sauce, Worcestershire sauce, fat free spray butter, Promise in the tub (fat free) or Butter Buds

margarine/butter (spread) with low-sugar preserves, fat-free cream cheese, fatfree spray butter, Promise in the tub fat free or Butter Buds

regular cheese with low-fat or fat-free variety (lots of brands to choose from)

regular salad with dressing Balsamic vinegar, low-fat salad dressing, lemon juice

stuffing with mix fat-free croutons

whole dairy products (sour cream, milk, yogurt, etc.) with low-fat or fat-free dairy products

frosting or icing (cake topping) with canned fruit or chocolate syrup

nuts with crunchy cereal nuggets (i.e. Grape Nuts, fat-free granola, crushed Corn Flakes)

chocolate chips with raisins

regular Jell-O with sugar-free Jell-O

whipped cream with fat-free Cool Whip or evaporated milk

biscuits with low-fat corn muffins, or make your own whole wheat biscuits fat free

frying foods with grilling, poaching, steaming, stir-frying, roasting, microwaving, or baking (dipped in egg beaters and Kelloggs Crumbs)

red meat with legumes and lentils (partial substitutions are ok)

mayonnaise with mustard, salsa, or fat free mayonnaise

whole wheat crackers with melba rounds or lahvosh

whole eggs with egg whites or egg substitute

all purpose flour with ½ of the flour total with whole wheat flour

broth or bouillon with fruit juice or wine

solid fats with vegetable oils

* thanks to Jyl Steinback, bestselling author of fifteen healthy cookbooks, for providing this information .

Things you can eliminate from a recipe without significantly affecting flavour or texture:

Salt. Reduce to a minimum or eliminate completely from most recipes.

Butter or shortening. Most things can be cooked with non-stick spray.

Sugar. Use vanilla extract or cinnamon to give the impression of sweetness.

Syrup. Most syrups are added after the dish is done, to increase flavour or better texture. Either replace with a sugar-free option or avoid completely.

Mayonnaise. You can replace with low-fat mayo if you want, use oil-free dressings, or avoid completely.

Egg Yolks. Unless you have a specific reason for leaving them in (such as coloring), use egg whites only, which contain no fat and no calories.