If you are going to be doing a lot of holiday baking, you may consider some of these ingredient modifications and substitutions to keep cookies, breads, and muffins from having quite as big of an impact on your waistline. I use these substitutions on a daily basis, and very rarely do my pickiest eaters even notice!
Breads:
- Substitute all-purpose (AP) flour with 1/2 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour and 1/2 100% Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
- Substitute granulated sugar with raw cane sugar
Muffins & Cookies:
- Substitute AP flour with 100% Whole Wheat Pastry Flour
- Substitute granulated sugar with raw cane sugar
Shopping Tips:
- Raw cane sugar is sometimes referred to as "turbinado sugar" or "Sugar in the Raw"
- 100% Stone Ground Whole Wheat Flour can be found in nearly any grocery store, Wal Mart or Target
- 100% Whole Wheat Pastry Flour is a little bit harder to find but can almost always be found at Tom Thumb, Central Market, or Whole Foods
Why can this battle the bulge?
These substitutions are more natural versions of what everyday recipes call for. They are less processed and refined. This ultimately means that your body has to do more work to digest them, which usually results in less fat storage in your body. While cookies will never really be "good" for you, some slight alterations in their make up can make an impact, especially if these habits are incorporated for the long term.
For more information on these and other healthy substitutions, I recommend a book called "Sugar Busters!" Sugar Busters! isn't so much a diet as it is a lifestyle.
"Sugar Busters! Cut Sugar to Trim Fat"
Enjoy!
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Great tips! Do you ever use agave nectar as a sugar substitute?
ReplyDeleteHi Camille. Thank you for your feedback!
ReplyDeleteI have never tried agave nectar as a substitute, but I have read that it is metabolized more slowly by the body. Remember that if you choose to substitute agave nectar for sugar, subtract 25% of what the recipe calls for.
Other options I have read about but have not yet tried are:
- Date sugar (not really sugar but ground up dates) I am told is an excellent substitute for brown sugar in baking. It is also a 1 for 1 substitution that is metabolized slower by the body.
- Stevia, which comes from a South African herb, is available in powders and liquid forms and is completely natural. 1 teaspoon of Stevia is equivalent in sweetness to 1 cup of sugar. Be careful - it is very sweet and using too much can leave a bitter aftertaste!
I'll be sure to let you know what my results are as I continue to try new and more nutritional alternatives.
Good luck!
Yay! Now I won't have to call you every time I bake bread to ask what the ratio is! Thanks for posting this!!
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