Northern Family
Healthy Southern Cooking Modifications
Here are some quick and simple tips for healthy Southern cooking modifications!
1) Replace fatty oils such as canola, sunflower and peanut oil with a more heart-healthy olive oil.
2) Use organic whole-wheat flour for batters instead of bleached white flour.
3) Instead of using heavy cream or buttermilk for biscuits or batters, reach for skim or nonfat milk.
4) When baking Southern pies or cakes, try substituting honey in place of sugar and applesauce instead of butter.
5) Always bake instead of fry. For example: When making "fried chicken," de-skin the chicken, coat in organic whole wheat flour and whole grain bread crumbs, and bake instead of frying.
6) For cornbread, replace oil with nonfat plain yogurt and instead of coating with butter, try adding honey.
7) When preparing Southern meals, you will want to use fresh vegetables and avoid store-bought items that are filled with preservatives. You should also concentrate on making items from scratch. Canned biscuits, cake mixes, and canned vegetables are not part of Southern cooking. This allows you to use fresh whole-grain products instead of bleached processed flour with preservatives.
8) Try using crushed nuts instead of processed bread crumbs in your dishes.
9) Choose Southern dishes that are automatically healthier, like collard greens and okra instead of mac and cheese and corn bread.
