Heart Healthy Holiday Substitutions
Note: "Fat" in the charts below refers to saturated fat.
Dairy
| Instead of: |
Portion |
Fat (g) |
Use: |
Fat (g) |
| Butter (1) |
1 Tbsp |
7 |
Vegetable oil, broth |
0.5 |
| Cream |
2 Tbsp |
7 |
Evaporated skim milk, fat free half-and-half |
0 |
| Cream cheese |
2 Tbsp |
6.5 |
Light cream cheese |
3.5 |
| Egg nog |
1/2 cup |
5.5 |
Fat free egg nog |
0 |
| Half and half |
2 Tbsp |
2 |
Fat free half and half |
0 |
| Ice cream |
1/2 cup |
6 |
Frozen yogurt |
1.5 |
| Sour cream |
2 Tbsp |
3 |
Fat free sour cream |
0 |
| Whipped cream |
2 Tbsp |
3 |
Fat free whipped cream |
0 |
| Whole milk |
1 cup |
5 |
Skim milk |
0 |
| Totals: |
|
45.5 |
|
5.0 |
(1) For baking recipes use trans-free margarine and reduce amount by half. Substitute apple sauce or baby food prunes.
For finishing vegetables, use butter-flavored spray. For mashed potatoes and stuffing, decrease fat by 50% and use a light, trans-free margarine.
Meat/Poultry
| Instead of: |
Portion |
Fat (g) |
Use: |
Fat (g) |
| Bacon |
3 slices |
3 |
Turkey bacon (1) |
1.5 |
| Gravy |
1/4 cup |
14 |
Defatted gravy |
1.0 |
| Beef, prime rib (2) |
3 ounces |
12 |
Beef tenderloin, fat trimmed |
3.0 |
| Beef, T-bone |
3 ounces |
7 |
Beef tenderloin, fat trimmed |
3.0 |
| Turkey, dark with skin |
3 ounces |
7 |
Turkey breast, no skin |
0.7 |
| Sausage |
3 ounces |
9 |
Vegetarian sausage (1) |
0.3 |
| Totals: |
|
52 |
|
9.7 |
(1) Read the label, nutrition facts vary by brand.
(2) Restaurant portions are often triple this amount so saturated fat could go to 36 ounces per portion!
Note: For heart-healthier cooking, you should limit animal protein and emphasize more on whole grains, beans, soy protein, fish (baked-not fried), fruits and grains i your meals; think of meat as a condiment and use less per serving. A 3-ounce serving
of meat looks like the size of a deck of cards.
Miscellaneous
| Instead of: |
Portion |
Fat (g) |
Use: |
Fat (g) |
| Coconut |
1 ounce |
6.5 |
Toasted pecans or almonds |
1.5 |
| Hydrogenated shortening (1) |
1 Tbsp |
3 |
Vegetable oil or trans-free margarine |
0.2 |
| Whole eggs |
2 |
3 |
Egg white or nonfat egg substitute |
0 |
(1) This product is hydrogenated and contains additional trans-fat that is not listed on the label with saturated fat.
