Eating a healthier diet is one of the top New Year’s resolutions every year. If you want to improve what you eat, does that mean you should give up baking? Actually, it can be just the opposite. Baking at home gives you control over the ingredients in your baked goods, and can be much healthier than choosing store-bought breads, cakes, and cookies.
Here are some simple changes you can make to improve your diet and your health.
Choose whole grains
Whole grains are healthier than more refined grains. Switch from all-purpose flour to whole wheat flour and you increase protein and fiber while decreasing carbs. Swapping whole wheat for white flour cup-for-cup can give you a very different final product. Try trading half of the white flour in your recipe for whole-wheat flour, or use recipes developed for whole wheat flour.
You can also try white wheat flour, which is similar nutritionally to whole wheat flour but lighter in color and taste. There are even special blends of all-purpose flour with higher fiber content. Flourish is one brand. These flours give you more fiber and higher nutrition without changing the final product as much as using whole wheat flour.
Other whole grains, such as oats, rye, and buckwheat, can also be substituted for part of the white flour in bread recipes with good effect. Many people find that they prefer whole grain breads.
Whole grain flours are less successful in cakes and cookies, so choose recipes that call for whole grains when you use them in pastries.
Cut sugar
Sugar is connected with quite a few bad health outcomes. After switching to whole grains, reducing the amount of sugar in your baked goods is the next important change for your health’s sake. The easiest way to reduce the amount of sugar in your baked goods is to choose recipes that call for less sugar. You’ll notice that different recipes for the same item will list different amounts of sugar. Pick less-sweet recipes to begin with and you’ll be sure of a good outcome.
However, you can also adjust your favorite recipes. You can cut up to half of the sugar in baked goods. Most breads can be made with no sweeteners at all. Cakes and cookies can often be made with a bit less sugar than the recipe specifies. Depending on the recipe, you may want to replace the sweetener with applesauce or dried fruit.
Reducing sugar will make your baked goods less sweet, of course, but it can also make them less crisp or tender. Plan on some trial and error as you gradually reduce the amount of sugar in your favorite recipes. Note when the product is less delicious and make a note in your recipe book.
Alternatively, consider sugar substitutes. Some are formulated for baking and can replace sugar directly, a cup for a cup.
Pick healthier fats
Experts don’t all agree on which fats are the best for baking. Olive oil, avocado oil, macadamia oil, or Greek yogurt are the most commonly recommended choices for healthy fats in baking. If you bake cakes with the same recipe, each one using one of those options, the cakes will all taste different. The texture and rise will also be different. So it makes sense to try out different options and see what you enjoy.
As always, using a recipe designed for your ingredients is a good first move. Traditional Mediterranean olive oil cakes are delicious — maybe more delicious than your favorite butter cake recipe made with olive oil instead.
Butter and coconut oil are high in saturated fat, but many experts consider them healthier than margarine and shortening, which are highly processed foods and may contain trans fats. Ask your family doctor if you’re debating these options.
Add nutritious ingredients
You can make cookies with nothing but butter, sugar, and white flour, but they will not be very nutritious. Add dairy products, fruit, nuts, and vegetables to your baked goods to increase the nutritional power.
Click through the post below to find our recipe for Morning Glory Muffins, made with carrots, pineapple, applesauce, yogurt, and almonds. They have high nutritional value and great flavor. Zucchini Bread, applesauce or oatmeal cookies, and fresh fruit pies all have more to offer than the typical baked goods.
With a little thought and maybe a little practice, you can enjoy healthier baked goods and keep your New Year’s resolutions.
