Simple Swaps

Improving heart health doesn’t have to mean completely changing what you eat. With simple ingredient substitutions, it’s easier than you think to enjoy the recipes you love and lower your intake of saturated and trans fats.

Basic Substitution Tips
• Choose fats and oils wisely when baking or cooking. Limit the amount of saturated fat (butter, shortening, and lard) and choose unsaturated types — such as vegetable oils and soft, non-hydrogenated spreads, like Promise® — that are low in saturated fat and contain no trans fat.
• Replace up to one-third of the oil called for in salad dressings and marinades with an equal amount of broth, frozen fruit juice concentrate or strong tea, or vegetable purées.
• Substitute fiber-rich foods such as beans for meat in dishes like lasagna, or try replacing one-third of the ground beef in a recipe with bulgur (cracked wheat kernels) soaked in water or cooked brown lentils.
• Add vegetables and fruit to recipes (try apricots and zucchini in muffins, and spinach or eggplant in egg dishes) to boost fiber.

The Secret to Swapping
The secret to successful substitution in your recipes is experimentation. Be sure to write down what you've substituted and how much. If the flavor doesn’t work for you the first time, don’t be afraid to try different variations.

 Recipe calls for: Substitute:
 butter soft, non-hydrogenated spread that is low in
 saturated fat
 whole milk skim or 1% milk
 cream 2% or evaporated milk
 eggs 2 egg whites for every whole egg
 sour cream 1% or fat-free sour cream
 mayonnaise light mayonnaise
 oil for sautéing water, broth, or tomato juice
 1 lb (500g) ground
 beef		 1/2 lb (250g) extra lean ground beef plus
 14 oz (398 ml) can cooked lentils or beans
 cream cheese low-fat pressed cottage cheese
 chocolate chips raisins or dried fruit for half or all the chips
FOOD GUIDE ARTICLES
• Stocking a Heart Healthy Kitchen
• Simple Swaps
• Healthy Snack Attacks
• Powerful Superfoods
• Brown Bagging it the Healthy Way
RELATED ARTICLES
• Fat and Cholesterol 101
• All About Plant Sterols
• 10 Habits of Highly Heart Healthy People

Promise® SuperShots® for cholesterol and Spreads
Foods containing at least 0.4g per serving of plant sterols eaten twice a day with meals for a total daily intake of at least 0.8 g, as part of a low saturated fat, low trans fat and low cholesterol diet, may reduce the risk of heart disease. A serving of Promise® SuperShots® provides 2.0g plant sterols. A serving of Promise activ® Spreads provides 1.0g plant sterols.

Promise® SuperShots® for blood pressure is a good source of potassium and low in sodium. Diets containing foods that are good sources of potassium and low in sodium may reduce the risk of high blood pressure and stroke

Promise® Buttery Spreads
Promise® Buttery Spread can help maintain a healthy heart when eaten instead of butter or margarine, as part of a diet low in saturated fat, trans fat and cholesterol. Promise® Buttery Spread contains 8g total fat and 1.5g saturated fat per serving. It can be used in the preparation of heart healthy recipes when substituted for butter or margarine.

The Promise® website is intended to provide general information for healthy people. If you have heart disease or related conditions, (such as diabetes, obesity or high blood pressure) or if you have questions about your heart health or your health in general, please see your doctor.