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2003 Volunteer Leader Training Guide
The Recipe Makeover Altering Recipes for Better Health

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Introduction

To become healthier, many people are reducing their intake of sugar, fat, saturated fat, cholesterol and calories. They are also adding fiber to their diets. You don’t have to give up your favorite recipes, but you may need to adapt them to this new, healthy way of eating. Beginning cooks are taught to follow recipe directions exactly in order to get the expected result. Sometimes, however, the product is not as healthy as it should be. When that’s true, you can choose to make the recipe less often, serve smaller portions or experiment with changing the recipe to make it healthier.

Some recipes, such as casseroles and soups, are more flexible than others. A cookie recipe is more adaptable than a cake recipe. Recipes for most baked products can be altered, but recipes for products such as pickles, jellies and most candies should not be changed.

As with any experiment, changing a recipe involves some risk. You may not like the flavor or texture of the modified version. Food scientists have guidelines for making changes, but you should first decide if the recipe is worth the time and effort to revise. Your decision should depend on your current eating patterns, health status and potential risk for health problems linked to diet.

Target Audience

• EHC leaders

• 4-H volunteer leaders

• 4-H teen leaders

• Other adult audiences

Objectives

• Know when to alter a recipe.

• Understand the functions of ingredients in a recipe.

• Develop skills to successfully alter ingredients in a recipe.

Major Teaching Points

• Why Should You Modify a Recipe?

• When Should a Recipe Be Modified?

• How Do You Modify a Recipe?

• Modifying Recipes

• Putting It Into Practice

Suggestions for Teaching the Lesson

Before the class:

1. Review the lesson introduction and study the major teaching points.
2. Make copies of Activity 1, The Skinny on Fat, [Answer Key] to use as an ice breaker.
3. Choose either Activity 2 [Answer Key] or Activity 3 and make copies for each participant.
4. Make copies of Handout 1, Revise a Recipe Guidelines, for each participant.
5. For additional information on revising recipes, read FSHED87.

Outline for Teaching Lesson

Why Should You Modify a Recipe?

The new Dietary Guidelines for Americans encourage eating a diet low in fat and moderate in sugar and salt. The link between diet and health is important. Food alone cannot make you healthy, but good eating habits based on variety and moderation can help keep you healthy and even improve your health. The United States Department of Agriculture and Health and Human Services have suggested the following Dietary Guidelines for Americans:

Aim for fitness.
Build a healthy base.
Choose sensibly.

Aim for fitness

• Aim for a healthy weight.

• Be physically active each day.

Build a healthy base

• Let the Pyramid guide your food choices.

• Choose a variety of grains daily, especially whole grains.

• Choose a variety of fruits and vegetables daily.

• Keep food safe to eat.

Choose sensibly

• Choose a diet that is low in saturated fat and cholesterol and moderate in total fat.

• Choose beverages and foods to moderate your intake of sugars.

• Choose and prepare foods with less salt.

• If you drink alcoholic beverages, do so in moderation.

Most of us could benefit by altering or modifying what we already eat. One way to modify our diet is to make adjustments in the amounts and types of ingredients in recipes so that the end result is just as satisfying but fits better within the Dietary Guidelines for Americans. Just because a recipe calls for a specific ingredient doesn’t mean that ingredient must be used. Favorite recipes can be modified to make them more nutritious or lower in fat or sugar by reducing or substituting ingredients that are more acceptable. Keep in mind that recipes are only guidelines -- not rules -- for preparing food. Don’t be afraid to experiment.

Instead of modifying your existing recipes, you can also find other recipes that are similar to yours but have less fat or sugar and more nutritious ingredients. Another way to control the amounts of fat and sugar you consume is to reduce the amount of food you eat.

When Should You Modify a Recipe?

Keep in mind not all recipes need to be modified or altered. Before tampering with your favorite family recipes consider these questions.

1. Is the recipe high in fat, sugar or salt? - Baked products that are rich, extremely tender or look and feel oily are more likely to be high in fat. If in doubt, compare the recipe to these proportions typically used in baked products.

If your recipe uses the higher amount (or more) and you prepare the food often, consider making changes to reduce both fat and calories.

2. How often do you eat the dish? - If you make a certain dish only once or twice a year or for special occasions, it is not as important to modify that recipe as it is for foods you eat more frequently. For example, it’s more important to cut down on the fat in your weekly tuna fish salad sandwich than it is to cut down on the fat in your birthday cake.

3. How much of the food do you eat? - Sometimes the best way to modify your intake of a certain food is to eat less of it. Decreasing the quantity you eat may be more satisfying than decreasing the quality. For example, many people prefer to eat less of a real jam or jelly than to eat the regular amount of a low-sugar jam. Or if you really enjoy a traditional pie crust, perhaps you are better off using a standard recipe and making a one-crust pie or a lower-fat filling or eating a smaller piece.

How Do You Modify a Recipe?

There are many places to locate information on changing or altering recipes. The library is a good place to start. Check the books and magazines that feature healthy cooking ideas. If you have access to the Internet, do a search for healthy recipes or healthy cooking tips. Chances are you will find a healthier version of your recipe.

Another easy solution is to substitute a low-fat or low-salt alternative for one or more of the ingredients. Experiment with low-salt and reduced-fat products. Check the sodium and fat content on canned soups, sour cream, mayonnaise, cheese and convenience mixes.

Food scientists have found that most people either don’t notice much difference or accept the difference that results when these changes are made:

• Reduce fat by one-third.

• Reduce sugar by one-third.

• Omit salt or reduce by one-half.

• Replace one egg with two egg whites.

Before altering or modifying your recipe, define your dietary goal. If you want to cut calories, you need to know which ingredients add the most calories. If you want to cut fat, sugar, sodium or to increase fiber, you need to identify the ingredients that contain these components.

Calories: Fat is the most concentrated source of calories. Each gram of fat supplies nine calories, compared with four calories per gram of protein or carbohydrate and seven calories per gram of alcohol. Reducing the amount of fat in a recipe is the most effective way to cut calories.

Fat: Fatty acids are the basic chemical units in fat. They are either saturated, monounsaturated or polyunsaturated. All fats in foods are mixtures of these fatty acids.

Saturated fats are found in the largest proportions in fats of animal origin, such as whole milk, cream, cheese, butter, meat and poultry. They also occur in large amounts in coconut oil and palm kernel oil.

Monounsaturated fats are found in large amounts in olive and peanut oil, as well as in many margarines and solid shortenings.

Polyunsaturated fats are found in the largest proportions in fats of plant origin such as liquid vegetable oils (safflower, sunflower, corn, cottonseed and soybean), and margarines and salad dressings are made from them.

Cholesterol is a fat-like substance found in only foods of the animal origin. Significant sources include egg yolks, organ meats, butter, cream, cheese and whole milk.

Sugar comes in many forms including white, brown, honey, corn syrup, molasses and maple syrup.

Sodium is found in salt (salt is 40 percent sodium); leavening agents (baking soda and baking powder); monosodium glutamate (MSG); condiments such as soy sauce, bouillon, pickles and olives; cured meats; many canned vegetables and frozen dinners; and most cheeses, sauces, soups and salad dressings.

Fiber is found in whole grain breads and cereals, dry beans and peas, nuts and seeds, fruits and vegetables, especially those with edible skins or seeds.

Once you have identified the ingredient(s) in your recipe you want to modify, you can:

1. Eliminate it completely or
2. Reduce the amount or
3. Substitute a more nutritionally acceptable ingredient.

To choose the best approach for modifying your recipe, it’s helpful to have a general idea of the function of the ingredient and what will happen if you modify it.

Fat: Shortening, cooking oil, butter and margarine make baked products tender and rich. They also help retain freshness and serve to blend and distribute flavorings. When butter is used, it gives a special flavor to the final product.

Sugar: Although primarily added for sweetening, sugar has additional functions. Because it caramelizes with heat, sugar helps the product brown during baking. It also increases the tenderness of the product.

Honey, corn syrup and molasses are sugars and can be substituted for granulated sugar. However, the amount of liquid used must also be adjusted. As a guideline, try reducing the liquid by 1/4 cup.

Eggs: Egg yolks bring about even distribution of fat in batters and doughs. They promote tenderness and a fine texture. The egg proteins, along with gluten, form the structure of the product.

Salt: The major function of salt in baked products is to add and enhance flavor. In yeast breads, it helps control the action of the yeast, thus improving the texture. Salt is a preservative in cured meats and in brined vegetables such as pickles and sauerkraut.

Putting It Into Practice

Allow participants an opportunity to revise some recipes. Select either Activity 2 or 3, or if time permits let them do both.

One Last Reminder: Successful experimentation requires some basic record keeping. Write down the specific changes you make, as well as your reactions to the final product so you’ll know what to try next time or if you are satisfied with changes and no other changes are necessary.

Easter H.Tucker, Family and Consumer Science Specialist

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