Healthy swaps in cooking

| Healthy You | Eating Right

bowl of garbanzo beans, merengue pucks and whipped aquafaba

Try these food substitutions if someone has allergies, food intolerances or a need to cut back on sugar or salt.

Do you or someone in your household need to change your diet for health reasons? Or do you host guests with food allergies or digestive concerns?

Try substituting ingredients that work as well or better.

Cecelia Jacobson, RD, has years of experience creating recipes that help people with allergies or chronic health conditions. Read her tips on cooking at home and see several of her recipes.

You can experiment in your own kitchen. You can also find recipes and cookbooks online with detailed instructions on using healthier ingredients.

Here are some ideas for swaps.

Common foods that cause reactions or concerns for certain conditions

Suggested substitution(s)

Notes

Egg in baked goods

  • ¼ cup silken tofu blended
  • 1 tbsp ground flaxseed meal + 3 tbsp water
  • ½ mashed banana
  • ¼ cup applesauce or puréed fruit
  • ¼ cup cooked oats
  • ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy yogurt
  • 1 egg = 2 Tbs Chia seed + ½ cup water 

Eggs in recipes for baked goods help hold other ingredients together.

Egg as a binding agent in a dish

  • ¼ cup mashed potato or sweet potato
  • ¼ cup cooked oats
  • 2-3 tbsp. tomato paste
  • ½ cup unsweetened non-dairy yogurt
  • 1 egg = 2 Tbs Chia seed + ½ cup water

Eggs in recipes for these dishes help hold other ingredients together.

Egg (cooked)

  • Chickpea flour for omelet
  • Aquafaba (bean liquid) for meringue
  • Tofu “scrambled” 

If eggs are the “focus” of the dish, it might be more challenging to find a substitute that makes it taste like the original.

Cheese sauce

Raw cashews soaked and puréed in blender

This alternative isn’t suitable for someone with nut allergies.

Cow’s milk

Nondairy milk from rice, almond, hemp, soy, oat, etc.

Some of these options won’t work for someone with allergies to soy or nuts.

Wheat (as flour or whole grain)

  • Almond
  • Buckwheat
  • Millet
  • Rice
  • Spelt
  • Tapioca 

While these substitutes are gluten-free, some of these options won’t work for someone with allergies to nuts.   

Cream from dairy sources

  • Aquafaba (liquid from canned beans)
  • Coconut milk
  • Mashed potatoes
  • Puréed garbanzo beans
  • Puréed tofu
  • Raw cashews soaked and puréed
  • Soy milk

Nut and soy options won’t work for someone with those allergies.

Salt

Lemon juice

Dried or powdered forms of any of the following herbs or spices:

  • Basil
  • Chili powder
  • Cumin
  • Garlic
  • Onion
  • Oregano
  • Parsley
  • Rosemary
  • Sage
  • Thyme

If you have high blood pressure, you’ll want to watch your sodium. 

If salt is used, look for the kind with trace minerals and from sources that reduce the chance of micro-plastic pollution.

Sugar

  • Agave syrup
  • Banana
  • Blackstrap molasses
  • Date (sugar, paste or syrup)
  • Honey
  • Maple syrup
  • Monk fruit
  • Stevia (small amount)
  • Unsweetened applesauce

Honey is not suitable for children under 1 year.

Some of these alternative ingredients serve as both sweetener and binder.

Oils for sauteing or in dressings

  • Vegetable stock or any low-sodium stock
  • Water 

Oils for baking

  • Mashed bananas
  • Puréed pumpkins
  • Unsweetened applesauce

You might not be able to replace all the oil in a recipe, but you can often replace at least some of it with an alternative. The ratio of substitution to oil will depend on what you’re making.

 

Ice cream

  • Puréed frozen fruit like bananas and/or strawberries with a few dates.
  • Plus several ice creams that are lactose-free or made with alternative milk options are available in stores.

Some options may not be suitable to those with allergies to the alternatives.

Red meat

  • Mushrooms
  • Beans & other legumes
  • Soy bean products
    • Edamame (soy beans)
    • Tempeh (fermented soy beans)
    • Tofu (condensed soy milk)

While rare, meat allergies may develop from a tick bite.


 

Explore the difference between food allergies and intolerances
portrait of Cecelia Jacobson RD

Cecelia Jacobson RD

Dietitian
Cecelia Jacobson, RD, LD, CDCES, is a registered dietitian and certified diabetes care and education specialist for PeaceHealth in Oregon. She has been providing adult nutrition counseling and diabetes education for more than 15 years. Cecelia also conducts monthly cooking demonstrations, health fairs, and wellness outreach. She is passionate about helping her patients obtain sustainable diet and lifestyle changes in line with their goals. Cecelia grew up near Bellingham, Washington and graduated from Bastyr University. When she is not at work, you can find her outdoors or volunteering. She has ridden Cycle Oregon multiple times on the Candle Lighters, Ride For a Child team. She also loves to camp, hike and tend to her small garden to create culinary experiments at home.

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