Chapter 6: Tips for Food Preparation and Cooking 109
✓ Cheese: We don’t recommend fat-free cheese, because it lacks flavor and
doesn’t melt, but low-fat cheese is a good substitution idea. If a recipe
calls for 1 cup of cheddar cheese, substitute with low-fat cheddar, or use
just a half cup of a sharper cheese with stronger flavor.✓ Sour cream and cream cheese: These foods are generally used as
garnishes or in small amounts, so fat-free versions work fine.If you’re changing a recipe that has been a family favorite, change one
ingredient at a time. Making too many changes at one time may change the
final product so much that it ends up inedible!Saving calories and cutting the fat
One of the easiest ways to make your food healthier and reduce calories is
by reducing or substituting the high-fat ingredients. A little bit of fat carries a
bunch of calories. Remember that:✓ 1 gram protein = 4 calories
✓ 1 gram carbohydrate = 4 calories
✓ 1 gram fat = 9 calories
You can substitute many high-fat regular ingredients with lower-fat versions
or similar products. Use the handy list below to help you out.Sour cream substitutes:✓ Plain nonfat Greek yogurt
✓ Fat-free sour cream
Cheese substitutes:✓ Low-fat, skim-milk cheese
✓ Cheese with less than 5 grams of fat per ounce
Ricotta cheese substitutes:✓ Low-fat or nonfat cottage cheese
✓ Part-skim or nonfat ricotta cheese
Milk/cream substitutes:✓ 1 percent or nonfat milk
✓ Fat-free half-and-half