How do I Lighten Up Recipes for Heart Health?

Hi Jamie,

Thank you!   Shoshanna

Hi Shoshanna,

I love that you are running such a healthy household! As we have an in-house expert on this very subject I will defer to her. My dear friend and personal coach – nutritionist and dietitian Tamar Genger MA, RD.

Thanks, Jamie. 

Hi Shoshanna! 

This is a great question, and I am grateful to have the chance to answer you. You are lucky that many of Jamie’s recipes are heart healthy already! 

Try Jamie’s Brown Rice with Peas (filled with whole grains) and her vegetarian slow cooker recipes (bursting with beans and vegetables), but to get the most variety of healthy recipes including a no margarine, all whole grain hamantashen, join our Fresh Families meal plan ..  There you will get over 300 healthy recipes all with complete nutrition information and all heart healthy. Plus, weekly menus and shopping lists to make life a little bit easier.   

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To answer your question on how to lighten other recipes like those with margarine or butter, the best option is to substitute oil for some (or all) of the fat, but it can be tricky, so it is best to find recipes that have already been tested this way. 

You can easily replace whole wheat flour for white flour in most bread, cakes, and cookie dough, just note that the more whole wheat flour you use the more it will affect the texture. 

Have realistic expectations.  Any time you make changes to a recipe, the taste and texture will be affected. Margarine (or butter) gives a flakiness that may not be possible with oil, but that doesn’t mean it won’t still be delicious. 

Cooking is a compromise – between time, taste, budget… and ingredients. Here are a few “heart smart” suggestions you might want to consider:

• In creamy dips, use low fat or non-fat yogurt, sour cream or mayonnaise.
• Reduced fat or evaporated fat-free milk can substitute for cream in recipes such as quiches.
• Egg whites can replace some of the whole eggs in a recipe (2 egg whites for 1 egg).
• Reduced fat cheese can be substituted for the whole milk variety.
• For meat, choose leaner cuts of beef, such as round roast or first cut brisket, and trim any excess fat. For poultry, go skinless.
• Decrease sugar in a recipe and/or substitute with Splenda or Truvia.
• Try to bake rather than fry potatoes and chicken.
• Watch your sodium! Replace some of the salt with fresh herbs or a seasoning blend. Use low or no salt added canned products such as vegetables, sauces, broths.
• Make your own bread crumbs from day-old whole wheat bread, it is cheaper than store-bought, plus it is a source of whole grains with less sodium.
• Finally, practice portion control. Eating too much of anything is never a good thing.

For the best selection of delicious, easy, tested healthy recipes join our Fresh Family.