Everything that tastes good must be unhealthy - or does it? Generally yes, at least when it comes to baked goods, but it is possible to lower the amount of calories and use more nutritious ingredients.
Reduce Fat
- Most baking margarines and shortenings are high in trans-fat (this depends on where you live - in many European countries the trans-fat content is negligible). Normal margarines can be used in baking if they contain at least 70% fat.
- Often fat can be replaced with canola oil, which is trans-fat free. As oil is 100% fat and margarine is usually 80% fat, so the amount of fat and liquids may need to be adjusted slightly.
- You can often substitute some of the fat with a nut butter. Almond and cashew butter are delicious and healthy options with a milder taste than peanut butter.
- Apple puree can substitute for most or even all of the fat in many recipes. Prune puree works well for chocolate cakes and cookies. Obviously fat substitutes and oil cannot be used if the recipe requires creaming the margarine with sugar.
- Pie crusts tend to be high in fat, but the calories can be reduced by using low-fat sour cream or mashed potatoes for moistness. See lentil pie recipe.
Reduce Sugar
- The amount of sugar can often be lowered by 1/3 or even as much as 1/2, or some of it replaced with stevia or other sweeteners. Sometimes the texture may suffer, though, so experiment in advance before conducting a party!
- Brown sugar is rich in nutrients (the darker the better), making it a healthier choice. Its characteristic flavor goes well in most baked goods.
- Liquid alternatives include honey, molasses and agave syrup - just remember to adjust the total amount of other liquids accordingly. Agave syrup is mostly fructose and has a very low glycemic index.
Increase Fiber
- Some of the wheat flour can often be replaced with more nutritious and fiber-rich alternatives, like graham/whole-wheat flour, spelt flour, oat flour, quinoa flour or the earthy buckwheat flour. Note that this may result in a denser texture. In cookies and pie crusts all wheat flour can usually be replaced with other flours.
- Psyllium husk, sold in the bakery departments of well-equipped grocery stores, is rich in fiber. It is also used to improve the texture of gluten-free baked goods.
- Uncooked oatmeal, oat or wheat bran, other cereals and seeds add fiber and flavor to breads and rolls.
- Grated carrots are great in breads and cakes, but grated beetroot and zucchini can be used too. Some people even report great results from using mashed beans in brownies!
Eggs
- Most people do not need to avoid eggs (unless they want to do it for ethical reasons), but it may be warranted due to allergies and for some people with high cholesterol. Besides commercial egg replacers options include soy flour, mashed bananas, corn starch and soaked flaxseed, if the recipe doesn't require beating the eggs.
Naturally Low-fat Baked Goods
The choice of baked goods makes a big difference. Cinnamon buns and angel food cake are fairly low in fat, but cookies, donuts, puff pastry and phyllo dough are much heavier in fat and calories. A few small pastries may exceed the recommended daily intake of calories! Yeast-leavened dough makes for pies and pastries much lower in calories than traditional crusts.
Buttercream, cream cheese frosting and most other icings are high in fat and sugar. Consider topping baked goods with fruit and berries instead, perhaps with some vanilla sauce. Cheesecakes can be lightened with yoghurt, quark or tofu. Fresh ricotta is fairly low in fat.
Many great fat-free baking recipes can be found at Fat-Free Vegan's website. Some of them are suitable (or adaptable) to gluten-free diet. Just remember that the texture of fat-free baked goods may be different from what you're used to.
See Also
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