wicked fresh living health | wellness | nutrition WINTER 2014 The Skinny On Baking Let’s face it, the cooler weather puts us in the mood for comfort food. While it may be tempting to grab some off the bakery shelf in the grocery store, it’s much healthier for the body and the soul to bake them in your own kitchen. There are also a number of creative ways you can shape up your recipes. Here are some tips for common ingredients: This For That Agave nectar It’s debatable whether this is actually a “better” alternative. While it has a lower glycemic index and you can use less of it for the same sweetness, it does contain a high concentration of fructose. Stevia Stevia is an extremely sweet, non-caloric herb, native to Paraguay. It has been used for centuries as sweetener and flavor enhancer, but only recently in the U.S. Baking Soda Did you know that most baking soda contains aluminum? Aluminum is a common additive in most processed foods and many personal hygiene products like deodorant. So, it must be safe, right? Yes, in certain amounts, but it’s a heavy metal that can accumulate in our bodies over time. Aluminum has been linked to neurological disorders including Alzheimer’s. Make sure to read the label and look for “aluminum-free” varieties. Choosing organic baking soda ensures there is purely bicarbonate of soda, which is what baking soda is intended to be. Flour Many recipes call for All Purpose Flour (APF). For a gluten-free (GF) APF, mix a ratio of 2:1:1 rice flour: tapioca starch: potato starch or look for a premixed version at the grocery store. For extra fiber, consider substituting whole wheat flour, but make sure to add an additional 2TBS-1/4c of liquid ingredient than the recipe calls for. Shortening Shortening is vegetable oil (soy or corn) that is chemically processed to remain somewhat solid at room temperature. It contains a large amount of trans-fat which we now know is worse than saturated fat for heart health. Companies including Crisco, removed (most) trans-fat from their recipes in 2006 when FDA required it be shown on label and last year categorized it as an “illegal food additive”. Unsalted butter is a better alternative to shortening. An even healthier option is Spectrum® organic palm oil. Palm oil is one of few vegetable oils that is highly saturated and semi-solid at room temperature and maintains the properties of shortening. Eggs Choose organic, free range eggs that also have omega-3 fatty acids. Free-range means the chicken was able to roam outside eating grass and getting plenty of exposure to sunlight (hint: vitamin D). INGREDIENT measurement ALTERNATIVE measurement sugar 1 cup agave necar 2/3 cup * *reduce liquid by 1/4 - 1/3c 1 cup stevia 1 tsp baking soda desired organic baking soda desired all purpos flour 1 cup gluten free ( rice flour, tapioca starch), whole wheat 1 cup * *add additional 2tbs - 1/4cup of liquid to recipe shortening 1 cup unsalted butter 1 cup 1 cup organic palm oil 1 cup eggs 1 egg organic eggs 1 egg 1 egg * *as a binder in recipes soy lecithin flax-seed mix unflavored veggie gelatin powder purreed fruits/veggies 1/4 cup whole milk 1 cup fat free milk, yogurt 1/2 cup of ea. mayonnaise, buttermilk, heavy cream 1 cup yogurt 1 cup Milk Choose 1% or skim milk in recipes. If you want to ensure some of the properties the full fat milk provides, replace the milk equivalent with ½ skim milk and ½ yogurt (see the next section). Mayo, Buttermilk or Heavy Cream They offer fat to create the moist texture we love. Buttermilk contains acid which activates baking powder and baking soda. The bad news is they also contain a lot of saturated fat, which is linked to heart disease. The good news is you can cut down or eliminate this fat but replacing some or all of the buttermilk with yogurt. INGREDIENT measurement ALTERNATIVE measurement sugar 1 cup agave necar 2/3 cup * *reduce liquid by 1/4 - 1/3c 1 cup stevia 1 tsp baking soda desired organic baking soda desired all purpos flour 1 cup gluten free ( rice flour, tapioca starch), whole wheat 1 cup * *add additional 2tbs - 1/4cup of liquid to recipe shortening 1 cup unsalted butter 1 cup 1 cup organic palm oil 1 cup eggs 1 egg organic eggs 1 egg 1 egg * *as a binder in recipes soy lecithin flax-seed mix unflavored veggie gelatin powder purreed fruits/veggies 1/4 cup whole milk 1 cup fat free milk, yogurt 1/2 cup of ea. mayonnaise, buttermilk, heavy cream 1 cup yogurt 1 cup