Easy Ingredient Swaps That Reduce Calories

Research shows most adults gain some weight over the holidays. It’s hard not to when we spend more time indoors throughout the winter and attend plenty of festive gatherings. Thankfully, there are ways you can still enjoy your favorite meals and help avoid the weight gain. There are healthy ingredient substitutes for your meals that offer similar flavors and are lower in calories and fat. Try cooking with these for a healthier dish:

1. Light cream cheese
   You’ll save around 296 calories and 44 grams of fat in an 8-ounce serving compared to regular cream cheese.


2. Fat-free sour cream
   A 16-ounce container has about 474 calories and 95 grams of fat less than regular sour cream.


3. Reduced-fat cheese
   An 8-ounce package contains about 279 calories and 36 grams of fat less than regular cheese.


4. Use half real eggs and half egg-substitute
   You’ll keep the taste, but you’ll cut 90 calories, 10 grams of fat and 500 milligrams of cholesterol found in 4 eggs.


5. Turkey sausage or turkey bacon
   12 ounces of turkey sausage are about 347 calories and 42 grams of fat less than normal sausage.


6. Mix light mayonnaise and sour cream
   Half a cup of light mayo and half a cup of sour cream comes in around 1,058 calories and 136 grams of fat less than 1 cup of normal mayonnaise.


7. Skinless chicken breast
   Compared to 3 ounces of skin-on chicken thigh, you’ll eat 70 fewer calories and 10 grams less fat


8. Fat-free half-and-half
   Use this instead of liquid cream and you’ll shave off 40 calories and 7 grams of fat per ¼ cup serving.


9. Less oil when frying
   Use 2 teaspoons less oil when frying and you’ll save 80 calories and 9 grams of fat per serving.

If you’re looking at other ways to keep your weight in check through the winter, you can get nutritional counseling with telehealth starting in 2020. Connect with a licensed dietician on your phone, tablet or computer to develop a personalized meal plan and get your questions answered.