According to the 2015-2020 Dietary Guidelines for Americans, a healthy diet limits the amount of calories people should consume from added sugars and saturated fat. Does that mean no desserts? While many baked goods are a major source of both added sugars and saturated fat, dessert still can be an enjoyable part of a full and well-balanced eating pattern.
Here are some tips from the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics for delicious baked goods with healthier ingredients:
--Watch Portion Size. Keeping portion sizes in check is a primary strategy for healthfully incorporating baked goods into a healthy eating pattern. Make portion control easier by preparing miniature desserts such as mini-cupcakes. Or cut brownies and sheet cakes into two-inch squares and portion cookie dough using a one-tablespoon scoop.
--Ingredients Matter. Use high-quality ingredients for a more flavorful product that will satisfy cravings even with smaller portions. For example, use vanilla beans instead of extract, opt for high-quality chocolate and make sure your spices are fresh for the boldest flavor.
--Incorporate Nutrient-Rich Ingredients. Instead of focusing on what to cut out, why not add something nutritious to your recipe?
--Add a Fruit or Vegetable. Try adding shredded or pureed apple, carrot, banana and pumpkin to recipes to boost nutrients, flavor and moisture. For some recipes, you can use these ingredients to replace some or all of the butter or oil.
--Try a Whole-Grain Flour. White whole-wheat flour can be substituted one-for-one for all-purpose flour in most recipes. You also can replace up to half the all-purpose flour in a recipe with a whole-grain flour without making any major adjustments to the recipe.
--Experiment with Recipes That Use Less-Common Flours. Try experimenting with recipes such as savory pancakes and waffles that call for chickpea flour. Or try recipes with almond flour, which works well for crusts and can be incorporated into dough for a big punch of flavor and added nutrients.
--Use Low-Fat Dairy Products. Use low-fat milk, low-fat buttermilk and low-fat yogurt in baking recipes to contribute protein and calcium. Consider swapping cream cheese frosting, which is high in calories and saturated fat and has minimal nutritional value, for a protein-rich frosting made from Greek yogurt.
--Swap butter for heart-healthy oil. When modifying a favorite recipe, you generally can trade some of the butter for a heart-healthy oil, such as canola oil. Don't replace all of the butter with oil or you'll sacrifice texture. And try simply cutting sugar.
--Simply Cut Sugar. As a general rule, you can reduce sugar in a given recipe by about 25 percent without noticeable differences. For instance, if a recipe calls for 4 tablespoons of sugar, reduce the amount to 3 tablespoons. When reducing sugar, you may need to increase the liquid in a recipe.
There is room for all foods, even baked goods, in a healthy eating pattern. Focus on occasionally enjoying small portions of your favorite treats and experiment with creating healthier versions of favorite recipes for more nutrients in each delicious bite.
Q and A
Q: Is raw milk cheese good for you?
A: Europeans have been eating raw milk cheeses for centuries without much concern about contracting a foodborne illness. Raw milk contains many pathogens. Pathogens found in raw milk such as Listeria, E.coli, salmonella and others can cause severe illness and even death. These pathogens are for the most part killed by pasteurization, a process which does not appreciably change the flavor and nutritional profile of the cheese. In the U.S. a cheese made with raw milk is only considered safe to eat if it has been aged for 60 days, during which time it is believed that the dangerous bacteria will be eliminated. This arbitrarily chosen time limit has not been backed by scientific evidence. Some cheese lovers believe that raw milk cheeses taste better and offer some health benefits, including improved digestion and better tolerance by allergy sufferers. But it is impossible to ensure the safety of cheese made form raw milk. Pregnant women, young children and those with compromised immune systems should not consume any cheese made with raw milk. - Environmental Nutrition.
RECIPE
In keeping with the theme of healthier baking, here is a Basic Banana Bread, from Cooking Light magazine, to try. It includes heart-healthy ground flax seed and fat-free yogurt.
Basic Banana Bread
1 1/2 cups mashed ripe banana
1/3 cup plain fat-free yogurt
5 tablespoons butter, melted
2 large eggs
1/2 cup granulated sugar
1/2 cup packed brown sugar
1 1/2 cups all-purpose flour (about 1 1/2 cups)
1/4 cup ground flaxseed
3/4 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1/2 teaspoon ground cinnamon
1/8 teaspoon ground allspice
Cooking spray
1/3 cup powdered sugar
1 1/2 teaspoons 1percent, low-fat milk
Preheat oven to 350 degrees. Combine first 4 ingredients in a large bowl; beat with a mixer at medium speed. Add granulated and brown sugars; beat until combined. Weigh or lightly spoon flour into dry measuring cups; level with a knife. Combine flour and next 5 ingredients (through ground allspice). Add flour mixture to banana mixture; beat just until blended. Pour batter into a 9 x 5-inch loaf pan coated with cooking spray. Bake at 350 degrees for 55 minutes or until a wooden pick inserted in center comes out clean. Remove from oven; cool 10 minutes in pan on a wire rack. Remove bread from pan; cool completely. Combine powdered sugar and milk, stirring until smooth; drizzle over bread. Makes 1 loaf; 16 slices.
Per serving: 164 calories, 2.9 g protein, 28.3 g carbohydrate, 5.1 g fat, 32 mg cholesterol, 1.5 g fiber, 173 mg sodium.
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