Got a sweet tooth, but you're trying to eat healthy?

A healthy diet doesn't mean giving up desserts.

While many sweets are high in sugar and inflammatory ingredients, there are healthy alternatives for everything.

I will be showing you simple swaps you can use to make your sweet treats healthier.

Now you will be able to enjoy healthier treats and satisfy your sweet cravings without guilt.

Here are some ingredients you should be swapping and why :

White Flour: Stripped of nutritional value, can spike blood sugar, linked with weight gain & metabolic issues

Refined Sugar: No nutritional value, inflammatory, linked with weight gain & diabetes

Canola Oil/Vegetable Oil: Highly processed, high in omega-6 fatty acids which creates inflammation if consumed in excess

Margarine: Highly processed & made with inflammatory vegetable oils

Shortening: Made with hydrogenated oils, high in calories & fat

Heavy Cream: High in calories and saturated fat

Now lets go over the swaps :

White Flour :

• Whole wheat flour: more nutrients & fiber than white flour, sub with 1:1 ratio

  • Works for all baking recipes

• Gluten-free all purpose flour: more nutrients & fiber than white flour too, but free of gluten, sub 1:1 for white flour

  • Works for all baking recipes

• Oat flour: Higher in nutrients, fiber, and protein than white flour, lower glycemic than wheat flour, use 11/4 cup per 1 cup of white flour

  • Works best for cakes, cookies, muffins, brownies & pie crust

• Almond flour: higher in protein, low carb, gluten-free & keto-friendly, sub with 1:1 ratio

  • Works best for non-yeast treats like cookies, cakes, scones, muffins, brownies, etc.

• Coconut flour: low carb, keto-friendly, high in fiber, use 1/4 cup coconut flour per 1 cup white flour, absorbs moisture so use 1 egg per 1/4 cup coconut flour

  • Use for cakes, cookies, brownies, muffins & pancakes

• Chickpea flour: nutrient-rich and high in protein and fiber, use 1/2 cup of chickpea flour per 1 cup of white flour

  • Works well for cookies, brownies, flatbreads, pancakes & pizza crust

Sugar :

• Coconut sugar: lower glycemic than sugar, sub 1:1 for refined sugar

• Monk fruit extract: sugar-free sweetener, safe for diabetes, 100-250 times sweeter than sugar, sub 1/2 cup monk fruit for 1 cup sugar

• Honey: more calories & sweeter than sugar, contains trace amounts of vitamins & minerals, sub 1/2-2/3 cup honey for 1 cup sugar

• Maple syrup: antioxidants, less calories & lower glycemic than sugar, sub 3/4 cup maple syrup for 1 cup sugar

• Agave syrup: antioxidants, lower glycemic than sugar, sub 2/3 cup of agave for 1 cup sugar

NOTE: When swapping sugar for liquid sweeteners like honey, maple syrup, or agave, adjust the liquid ratio. Decrease the liquid by about 3-4 tbsp per cup of sugar replaced.

Milk Chocolate :

• Dark chocolate: less sugar, more flavor and antioxidants, opt for chocolate that’s at least 70% cacao or cocoa solids

Vegetable Oil / Canola Oil :

• Coconut oil: has MCTs, a type of saturated fat that boosts metabolism, swap 1:1, opt for refined coconut oil for a more neutral flavor

• Greek yogurt: protein-rich, sub 1 cup oil with 3/4 cup Greek yogurt

• Mashed avocado: more nutrients, a good source of healthy fats, swap 1:1

• Unsweetened applesauce: adds fiber, has more nutrients and fewer calories than oil, adds mild sweetness, swap 1:1

• Mashed banana: rich in fiber & nutrients, less calories than oil, adds sweetness, sub 1:1

Shortening :

• Coconut oil: like Crisco, solid at room temp

• Grass-fed butter: more nutrients & higher water content than Crisco

• Ghee: clarified butter w/milk solids removed, a better option than butter if sensitive to lactose

• Vegan butter: more nutrients & lower in saturated fats than other options

Sub 1:1 for all

Margarine or Butter :

• Ghee: lactose-free, sub 1:1

• Vegan butter: plant-based, sub 1:1

• Coconut oil: non-dairy swap, sub 1:1

• Applesauce: sub 1:1, use unsweetened

• Pumpkin puree: use 3/4 cup pumpkin per 1 cup margarine

• Mashed ripe bananas: sub 1:1

Heavy Cream :

• Coconut cream: dairy-free, contains MCTs & lauric acid, which has antimicrobial properties, less cholesterol and total fat than heavy cream, sub 1:1

Sour Cream :

• Full fat Greek yogurt: lower in calories & fat and higher in protein than sour cream

• Almond yogurt: dairy-free, more nutrient-dense than sour cream and dairy yogurt

• Coconut yogurt: dairy-free, more fiber and iron than sour cream & dairy yogurt

Sub 1:1 for all

Cream Cheese :

CREAM CHEESE

• Cottage cheese: lower in fat, calories & cholesterol and higher in protein than cream cheese, use small curd & run through a food processor or blender to smooth texture, use 1:1 as a sub for any baking recipes, including cheesecake!

• Full-fat Greek yogurt: use 1:1 to replace cream cheese in frosting, but not cheesecake

Milk :

MILK

• Unsweetened almond milk: lower in calories and carbs, less protein & fat than dairy milk

• Oat milk: dairy-free, but higher in carbs & calories than dairy milk & other plant milks

• Soy milk: higher in protein than other dairy-free milks, protein content comparable to dairy milk, but less saturated fat

Use 1:1 ratio for all

Tip #1 :

Changing ingredients can affect the flavor and texture of recipes, which may discourage beginners from healthy baking.

If you don't want to fully replace an ingredient, start by swapping half.

For example, use 1/2 cup of butter and 1/2 cup of applesauce instead of a full cup of butter. Gradually increase the substitution.

Tip #2 :

Whole wheat flour has more gluten than white flour. So it can get tough or chewy if you overmix.

To avoid this, if you use whole wheat flour, sift it first before adding. And mix it just enough to combine the ingredients.