By Chelsea Morrow
We all have health and fitness goals, whether it be reaching our ideal weight, defining our abs or simply feeling better in our own skin. And, we all know eating our favorite treats is not going to get us there.
This leaves us staring at the cookie jar while we angrily rip away at our celery sticks, attempting to stay disciplined. It’s a serious struggle! How are we supposed to enjoy our lives with a constant battle going on inside our heads?
Guess what? Being healthy does not equal deprivation, and deprivation certainly does not equal being healthy! Instead, you can fuel your fitness goals while continuing to enjoy your favorite treats.
The key to establishing lifelong healthy eating habits is finding the right balance. Rather than depriving yourself of foods you love, learn how to incorporate nourishing ingredients into them. With our best healthy baking substitutions, healthy never tasted so good!
Swap avocado for butter
Take in a fraction of the calories and nourish your body with a better source of fat by using our favorite healthy baking substitution! Swapping butter for avocado is easy by simply using half a cup of avocado for every one cup of butter your recipe calls for.
Benefits of avocado: Avocados are an amazing superfood and should be included in your diet for overall vitality! From boosting your weight loss, digestion, and vitamin absorption to promoting healthy skin and hair, why wouldn’t you make the swap?
Swap honey for sugar
Processed sugar (white sugar) is our enemy and is highly addictive. It not only increases our body fat but also heightens are appetite and sugar cravings. Ditch sugar now by making this awesome healthy baking swap! According to Kitchn, there are a few rules to follow. For every 1 cup of sugar your recipe calls for, use ½ cup honey instead. Slightly reduce the amount of liquids added to compensate for honey’s wet consistency. For best results, add ¼ tsp. of baking soda for every cup of honey added.
Benefits of honey: Enjoy honey and reap the benefits! Honey boosts your energy and memory, wards off infections and allergies, clears your skin and helps you sleep. Although honey has amazing health benefits, it should still be consumed in moderation.
Swap unsweetened applesauce for oil
Just because it says vegetable doesn’t mean it’s healthy. Vegetable oil is chemically altered, heavily processed and linked to heart disease, cancer, diabetes and obesity. No thank you! Say goodbye to vegetable oil and hello to unsweetened applesauce. Easily make this healthy baking substitution by using a 1:1 ratio when baking.
Benefits of apples: The abundant health benefits of apples help you and your body function flawlessly. Eating apples helps you ramp up your weight loss and digestion, as well as increase your intake of fiber, antioxidants, vitamin c and other essential vitamins and minerals.
Swap flaxseeds for eggs
Take a break from animal products and turn your recipe vegan by using flax eggs. Make a flax egg by combining one tbsp. ground flaxseeds with three tbsp. hot water and let sit for five minutes. One flax egg is equivalent to one egg.
Benefits of flaxseeds: Feel fuller with flaxseeds! They are filled with fiber and expand in your stomach, leading to a decrease in your appetite. They also are an amazing source of omega-3 fatty acid, helping your muscles recover and get stronger.
Swap almond flour for white flour
Avoid unwanted body fat by making almond flour a staple in your baking! White flour is heavily processed, stripped of all vitamins, nutrients and fiber, leading it to be absorbed directly into your bloodstream. This rampantly spikes your blood sugar causing an increase in fat storage. Yikes! Let’s make this healthy baking substitution by using a 1:1 ratio. For best results, add in an extra egg (or flax egg!).
Benefits of almond flour: The best benefit of almond flour: It is gluten free! Not sold yet? It is also protein packed, low carb, and an amazing source of dietary fat (helping you burn more fat!).
Swap cacao nibs for chocolate chips
Cacao nibs are chocolate chips in their natural state, raw and much less processed. While chocolate chips are packed with toxic ingredients, cacao nibs are overloaded with numerous health benefits. Enjoy the wonderful crunch and rich dark chocolate flavor of cacao nibs, guilt free.
Also, try swapping cacao powder for cocoa powder.
Use cacao nibs and cacao powder interchangeably for chocolate chips and cocoa powder when baking.
Benefits of cacao: Need an energy booster and mood enhancer? Eat cacao! This superfood will also increase your fat burning, stabilize your blood sugar and provide you with important antioxidants.
Swap coconut cream for heavy cream
Coconut cream and heavy cream contain the same amount of fat, so why bother making this healthy baking substitution? Not all fats are created equal and while coconut cream boosts fat burning, heavy cream initiates fat storage. Make the swap by refrigerating a can of coconut cream and use as if it were heavy cream.
Can’t find coconut cream? Easily make your own! Refrigerate a can of full-fat coconut milk overnight, drain the separated coconut water and scoop out the remaining cream.
Benefits of coconut cream: Enjoy coconut cream, not only for the delicious taste, but also for the numerous benefits. Coconut cream replenishes electrolytes, improves digestion, raises energy levels, builds muscle and burns fat!
Enjoy the foods you love and stop depriving yourself now! With these healthy baking substitutions, easily turn all your favorite baking treats into nutrient-dense superfoods!
Learn more about developing a healthier diet here.
Chelsea Morrow is a certified personal trainer and yoga instructor. After a six-year career as a professional figure skater, she now works at Burn Boot Camp HQ on the Marketing team and is passionate about educating all of Burn Nation about fitness, nutrition, and a positive mindset. Chelsea is also the author and mastermind behind The Blueprint, Burn Boot Camp’s weekly newsletter. She loves doing yoga, meditating, rock climbing, her dog Yogi, and eating Mexican food.