Simple Low Calorie/Fat Substitutions
Here are a few suggestions for simple changes you can make in your daily diet that can add up to big savings around your waistline. Take little steps. If you can't imagine coffee without cream; try it with less, or use half cream and half milk.
Remember: Every little bit helps!

In your coffee:
Instead of: Two teaspoons sugar (30 calories)
Try: Two teaspoons sugar-free sweetener (0 calories)

Instead of: Two tablespoons half-and-half (40 calories)
Try: Two tablespoons reduced-fat milk (15 calories)

On a sandwich:
Instead of: One tablespoon mayonnaise (100 calories)
Try: One tablespoon low-fat mayonnaise (50 calories) or One tablespoon mustard (15 calories)

On a bagel:
Instead of: 2-teaspoons butter (72 calories) or 2-teaspoons stick margarine (66 calories)
Try: Two teaspoons cream cheese (33 calories) or Two teaspoons nonfat cream cheese (25 calories) or Two teaspoons all-fruit jam (35 calories)

On a salad:
Instead of: One tablespoon creamy dressing (80 calories)
Try: One tablespoon vinaigrette dressing (40 calories) or One tablespoon fat-free dressing (10 calories)

Sweet snacks:
Instead of: One candy bar (150 calories per oz.)
Try: One granola bar (110 calories per oz.) or One banana (26 calories per ounce)

Salty snacks:
Instead of: potato chips (140 calories per oz.)
Try: Baked chips or pretzels (110 calories per oz.) or unbuttered popcorn (80 calories per oz.)

Healthy Subsitutions

If you use... Try this instead... Cream Evaporated Milk Evaporated skim milk Whipped Cream Chilled, whipped evaporated skim milk Nondairy whipped topping made from polyunsaturated fat Sour Cream Plain low-fat yogurt 1/2 cup cottage cheese blended with 1-1/2 tsp. lemon juice Fat-free sour cream Whole milk Skim, 1-percent or 2-percent milk Ice cream Low-fat or nonfat ice cream Frozen low-fat or nonfat yogurt Frozen fruit juice products Sorbet Ground beef Extra lean ground beef Lean ground turkey or chicken Bacon Canadian bacon or Turkey Bacon Lean ham Sausage Lean ground turkey 95% fat-free sausage Whole Egg Two egg whites 1/4 cup cholesterol-free liquid egg product 1 egg white plus 2 teaspoons oil One egg yolk = One egg white One egg (as thickener) = 1 tablespoon flour Mayonnaise & Salad Dressing Low-fat or fat-free mayonnaise Whipped salad dressing Plain low-fat yogurt combined with low-fat cottage cheese Low-calorie commercial dressings Homemade dressing made with unsaturated oils, water, and vinegar or lemon juice Nuts Dried fruit such as raisins, chopped dried apricots or dried cranberries Cream Soup Broth-based or skim milk-based soups Chocolate 1 ounce baking chocolate = 3 tablespoons cocoa powder and 1 tablespoon oil Butter, Lard, and Other Saturated Fat (coconut oil, palm oil) Soft tub margarine (first ingredient on food label listed as liquid vegetable oil)* Corn, cottonseed, olive, rapeseed (canola), safflower, sesame, soybean or sunflower oil NOTE: *When cooking, it is better not to substitute reduced-fat margarine or corn oil spreads for regular butter and margarine unless a recipe has been specifically developed for their use. Their increased water content can make a substantial difference in the food's taste, appearance and texture.