This article is written by a student writer from the Her Campus at Northeastern chapter.

Welcome to day 2 of the Healthy Baking Experiment! While you were having fun trying out those not so traditional ingredients in your sweets I was compiling today’s tips for healthy baking. The theme of today is all about replacements! This is the key to healthy baking, taking those traditionally used ingredients and replacing them with something more nutritious. But remember, this doesn’t mean you have to replace the taste. The best part of these replacement options is that there are so many of them. You may not like them all but keep trying till you discover something you like. Just making one replacement per recipe will make a big difference. So start experimenting!

Replacements:

1. Replace flour with…

Whole Wheat Flour– It’s pretty well known that whole-wheat flour is healthier than regular white flour. But why? Whole Wheat Flour is higher in dietary fibers and vitamins; it helps regulate your blood sugar, and its less processed. However, because of its thicker texture use less flour than the recipe calls for so the dough isn’t too thick.
Oats– if you don’t like the texture or taste of whole wheat flour you can use oats in 2 ways. First you can leave them as is, or you can pulverize them with a food processor and make flour with them. When pulverized they virtually have the same texture as white flour except with more nutritional value. Oat flour decreases cholesterol, high in fiber, and is a heart healthy ingredient.

2. Replace butter with…

Applesauce– Is the perfect fat free way of replacing butter in your recipes. Not only is it lower in calories but also it’s high in fiber and Vitamin C, which is great for your immune system. However, applesauce makes cookies more cake-like then chewy so its best used in breads, cakes, and muffins rather than cookies and brownies—unless you prefer it cakey! This is also a great way to make your baked good dairy free. Note, you can also replace oil with it.
Greek Yogurt– This only really works when you replace some of the butter, but not all of it. With this in mind, replacing even half of the butter in a recipe is extremely beneficial in lowering the calories and fat. You can also use Greek yogurt to replace oil and eggs in your recipe. If you didn’t already know, Greek yogurt is a power food! In addition to being high in calcium, potassium, protein, and zinc, it’s a probiotic. Probiotics are great for you digestion and immune system!
Banana– Banana’s was already the greatest fruit ever, and when I found out about this my obsession was solidified. Just mash up the bananas and replace the butter with the same amount of mashed bananas. It’s that simple, but be warned your recipe will probably have a banana taste (double win right?). I could go on and on and list the benefits of banana’s but I think this article sums it up pretty perfectly: http://foodmatters.tv/articles-1/25-powerful-reasons-to-eat-bananas

3. Replace sugar with…

Fruit– Trying to cut back on sugar? Replacing sugar with fruit, which has natural sugar in it, is a magical trick. Overripe fruit, like bananas and apples can be mashed up and provide a great source of sugar. Also try pureeing dates and figs as a sugar replacement. You’re baked good will probably take on the taste of the fruit (which isn’t so bad!) and it may not be as sweet. If you really have a sweet tooth you can try replacing half of the sugar in the recipe with a fruit and keeping the other half!
Maple Syrup– I personally love this trick because you get that delicious maple taste! Although replacing maple syrup won’t do much to change the calories in a recipe (unless you are using low-Cal maple syrup). However, real maple syrup is has tons of antioxidants. For example, the zinc in Maple Syrup is good for your heart and the combination of zinc and manganese helps support a healthy immune system.

4. Replace milk with…

Almond Milk or Soy Milk– Here’s one you dairy-free friends are already probably extremely familiar with. Yes, there are a ton of dairy-free milks out there, but my two favorites are Soy and Almond milk. But here’s the big question: which one is better for you? Both are good for you, it just depends on what you are looking for. Almond milk is lower in calories but has a higher fat content. Soy Milk has more protein in it, which is very important for you vegetarians and vegans. Both are high in fiber and beneficial vitamins. For those who are used to regular milk, when you first try almond or soy it tastes very different. Don’t let that fool you, when baking you can hardly taste the difference and if you use the sweetened versions of these drinks you can even reduce some of the sugar in the recipe already. Warning the sweetened versions are higher in sugar and calories (but taste delicious!).

Sources:

http://www.webmd.com/digestive-disorders/features/what-are-probiotics

http://www.webmd.com/diet/features/best-foods-you-are-not-eating?page=2

http://www.fitsugar.com/How-Replace-Butter-When-Baking-21875486

http://greatist.com/health/healthy-baking-recipe-substitutions-infographic

http://www.livestrong.com/article/432982-how-to-replace-butter-with-banana-in-baking/

http://greatist.com/health/30-sugar-substitutes-any-and-every-possible-situation

http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=115
http://www.fitday.com/fitness-articles/nutrition/healthy-eating/almond-milk-vs-soy-milk-which-is-better-for-you.html#b