HOUSTON – If you decided to bake more in the new year, but you don’t want to derail your diet plans, there are many better-for-you ingredients that can give your recipes a healthier update.
Registered nutritionist Jenny Ingram, a personal training area lead for Life Time, shared some of her easy baking swaps you need to try,
1. Flour:
“Coconut flour is a great alternative and it’s a good source of healthy fats. Other options can be grain flours and bean flours,” said Ingram.
“Not all flour alternatives are a one-to-one substitute for all-purpose flour, so be sure to look at the package instructions or do a quick Google search on the ingredient to find the right swap ratio,” she said.
2. Sugar
“Raw honey or monk fruit are great natural options as sugar alternatives. Pure maple syrup is another tasty and natural substitute. Just make sure you’re buying pure maple syrup vs. artificial versions made with corn syrup. Other options are molasses and stevia,” said Ingram.
3. Vegetable oils and butter
“Unsweetened applesauce, olive oil, or coconut oil can be much healthier alternatives. For any recipe calling for butter, I always recommend grass-fed butter to my clients at Life Time as it contains more conjugated linoleic acid, which helps to fight inflammation and may help you burn more fat. Ghee is another great alternative to regular butter,” said Ingram.
4. Milk chocolate
“Instead of milk chocolate, you can swap that out for dark chocolate chips to add in more antioxidants,” she recommended.
Ingram also shared an easy treat recipe you can do at home that includes easy and healthier substitutions.
APPLE PIE PROTEIN BITES
Ingredients:
-1 1/2 cup almond flour
-4 scoops of vanilla Whey Protein
-2 tbs. maple syrup
-1 tbs. cinnamon
-1 tsp. nutmeg
-1/4 cup almond butter
-1/2 cup unsweetened applesauce
Directions:
Mix it all into a bowl, place it in the fridge for 30 minutes and then form balls with your hands.
“If you’re looking for recipe inspiration right now, I highly recommend people check out our Life Time Digital app – it has a ton of great recipe ideas and content all laid out for you,” said Ingram.
To connect with Ingram, click here.