Cass Regional Medical Center | Wellness Matters | Spring 2019

Wellness Matters | Spring 2019 7 Calling all bakers Healthy doesn’t have to be boring with these baking ideas Go ahead. Have your cake and eat it too—without guilt. Baked goodies do have a place in a healthy diet. That’s if you sneak in these tweaks for better-for-you treats. And no, you won’t be sacrificing flavor. 1. Get stingy with sugar. Try reducing the amount of sugar in a recipe by one-quarter to one-third. Chances are, you won’t notice the difference. 2. Make over muffins and quick breads. You can usually cut saturated fat and calories by trading applesauce for the oil in recipes. 3. Be fussy about flour. In most recipes you can use fiber-rich whole- wheat flour in place of all-purpose flour. You might also experiment with almond flour, which works well for crusts. It adds nutrients and a big burst of flavor. 4. Dial down dairy fat. Stick to low- fat milk, yogurt and buttermilk—not the full-fat versions. Grease pans with nonstick cooking oil, not butter. And consider swapping cream- cheese frosting, which is loaded with saturated fat and low in nutrients, for a protein-rich frosting made from Greek yogurt. 5. Add good stuff. Boost nutrients by adding shredded or pureed apples, carrots or bananas to recipes. 6. Scale back. For calorie control, keep portion sizes modest. That’s easier if you cut brownies and sheet cakes, for instance, into 2-inch squares and dish out cookie dough in 1-tablespoon scoops. Sources: Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics; American Heart Association Whole-wheat banana bread Makes 1 loaf, about 10 slices. HAVEA TASTE OF guilt-free heaven Directions w w Preheat oven to 375 degrees. Spray a 9-by-5-by-2 1 ⁄ 2 -inch loaf pan with cooking spray. w w In small bowl, combine topping ingredients. Set aside. w w In large bowl, whisk together flours, remaining sugar, baking powder and salt to combine. w w In another small bowl, mash bananas. Mix in eggs, buttermilk and oil. w w Stir wet ingredients into dry ones, mixing just until combined. Pour batter into prepared pan. Sprinkle topping evenly over batter. w w Bake until knife inserted into center of bread comes out clean—45 to 50 minutes. Do not worry if some bits of topping get very dark. w w Let loaf rest in pan 10 minutes. Turn out onto baking rack to cool completely. Serve or wrap in foil and use later. This bread keeps 4 to 5 days and freezes well. Nutrition information Serving size: 1 slice. Amount per serving: 229 calories, 3g fat, <1g saturated fat, 46g carbohydrates, 6g protein, 3g dietary fiber, 201mg sodium. Source: American Institute for Cancer Research Ingredients Topping 1 ⁄ 2 banana, chopped 1 ⁄ 2 cup rolled oats (not quick- cooking or instant) 1 ⁄ 4 cup light brown sugar Bread 1 cup whole-wheat flour 1 cup all-purpose flour 1 ⁄ 2 cup light brown sugar 2 teaspoons baking powder 1 ⁄ 4 teaspoon salt 2 ripe medium bananas 2 eggs, lightly beaten 1 cup low-fat buttermilk 1 tablespoon canola oil