6 ways to lighten up your baking

Source: Web exclusive, September 2010

Cora Coady, our Vichy Best Health Challenge winner, loves to bake. So registered dietitian Sue Mah advised she try these tips to the boost nutrition and cut calories in her baking:

‘ Use unsweetened applesauce to replace up to half the butter or margarine in a recipe.

‘ Try substituting whole-wheat flour or buckwheat flour for half of the white flour.

‘ Toast nuts first to bring out their flavour. That way you can use less, which shaves off fat and calories.

‘ Substitute two egg whites for one egg.

‘ Make fruit crisps instead of fruit pies (since pastry is high in fat), using only half of the butter called for in the topping.

‘ Use puréed fruit and veggies to add moisture and fibre without the fat. (Cora uses puréed butternut squash to bake her own squash bread. Way to go, Cora!)