A guide to healthier ingredient substitutions

Eating nutrient-rich meals might be easier — and more satisfying — than you think. Simple ingredient substitutions can reduce salt and saturated fat and boost fiber. The flavor stays.

Mayo Clinic experts recommend a few ingredient swaps to give your recipes a healthy boost.

Instead of:

• Bread crumbs: Use rolled oats or crushed bran cereal.
• Baking with butter, margarine, shortening or oil: Use applesauce or prune puree for half of the butter called required. You can also use shortenings formulated for baking. Make sure they have 0 grams of trans fats.
• Cooking with butter, margarine or shortening to prevent sticking: Use cooking spray or nonstick pans.
• Canned meat, fish, vegetables and soups: Use low- or reduced-sodium versions.
• Cream: Use fat-free half-and-half or evaporated skim milk.
• Croutons or tortilla strips on a salad: Add crunch with unsalted nuts or seeds.
• Full-fat cream cheese: Choose fat-free or low-fat cream cheese, Neufchatel cheese, or pureed low-fat cottage cheese.
• Eggs: Use two egg whites or 1/4 cup of egg substitute for each whole egg.
• All-purpose flour: Use whole-wheat flour for half the flour called for in baked goods.
• Ground beef: Use extra-lean or lean ground beef, ground chicken, or turkey breast.
• Mayonnaise: Use reduced-calorie, reduced-fat mayonnaise in recipes. As a spread on a sandwich, try hummus, mashed avocado or mustard.
• Meat: Substitute vegetables or beans for half the meat called for in casseroles, soups and stews.
• Evaporated milk: Use evaporated skim milk.
• Whole milk: Use reduced-fat or fat-free milk.
• White pasta: Use whole-wheat pasta or "zoodles" (zucchini noodles).
• White rice: Use brown rice, wild rice, bulgur wheat or cauliflower rice.
• Seasoning salt like garlic, celery or onion salt: Use herb-only seasonings like garlic powder, celery seed, onion flakes, celery, garlic or onions.
• Sour cream: Reduce the fat with fat-free or low-fat sour cream or plain low-fat or fat-free yogurt.