Boost Your Baking Skills With These Healthier Options
Okay, show of hands. How many of you have stuck to your 'new year, new me' health regiments? Good on you. If you've had any degree of success, you won't want to slow down now. It's not as hard as people make out to change up our eating and exercise habits. It just takes some determination and willpower. Where it's not so easy to keep on top of the healthy options, though, is when it comes to baking.
We all love to get down and dirty in the kitchen, and every so often, it's a whole lot of fun to bake up a couple of sweet treats. Whether it's cakes and cookies, or a fresh loaf of bread. There's something to be said about the pride that you are overcome with after successfully creating something to that scale. The things we rustle up when we're baking, though, aren't always the healthiest, are they?
Here are a couple of neat little substitutions you can use to make even the sweetest tooth that little bit lighter.
Cream of the Crop
One of the worst sources of saturated fats in baking is from the use of cream. And believe me, it doesn't do our arteries any favours. While you can and should enjoy freshly whipped cream as a treat every now and then, try to cut down. When a recipe calls for cream, you could substitute it for some natural yogurt instead. Likewise with eggs. Take a page out of the vegan cookbook, and replace eggs with bananas to get your desired consistency.
Make Your Food Go Further
There is nothing wrong with the occasional treat in moderation. When you're faced with a batch of freshly baked brownies, though, the temptation to gorge them all in one sitting is overwhelming. Limiting your intake of these unhealthy foods is paramount to our health. You can make things last much longer by mixing it up. Cut a smaller slice of brownie and serve it with a dollop of natural yogurt and a handful of fresh red cherries. It's delicious, and you'll fill up with more of the good stuff than the bad.
Trick Your Treat
When we bake, it's often full of things that are detrimental to our health. Chief amongst them is refined sugar. It's thought that those little white granules are largely responsible for the soaring obesity rates. Not to mention its contribution to diabetes and tooth decay. There are plenty of sources of natural sweeteners. Instead of loading up on sugar, try a splash of vanilla extract or grated raw beetroot.