Do you want to eat according to your goals but not give up your favorite dishes? Then simply adapt the recipes! In this guide, we'll tell you how to sensibly substitute ingredients when cooking + baking – for more protein, less fat, sugar & calories, with unsurpassed enjoyment. 😋
Fewer calories, more nutrients
Calorie-reduced and nutrient-optimized cooking & baking is the key for anyone who wants to enjoy their favorite dishes while achieving their fitness goals. By cleverly swapping sugar, wheat flour, butter, cream & co. for more nutrient-dense, lower-calorie alternatives, you can eat healthier without sacrificing taste.
1. Which sweeteners to use to replace sugar?
Replacing sugar is worthwhile because you can save a lot of calories here! But finding the right sugar substitute can be a bit tricky. While there are plenty of them – such as xylitol, sucralose, stevia, erythritol (to name just a few) – not all are equally suitable for replacing sugar in your baking recipe.
Some sugar substitutes are even criticized: studies question their health safety (e.g. xylitol). In addition, when choosing the right sugar substitute, in addition to safety, sweetness and volume must also be taken into account. Does it all sound pretty complicated? Don't worry, we have exactly the information you need.
- Erythritol is a calorie-free (!!) sugar alcohol with about 70% of the sweetness of conventional sugar. So for the sweetness of 100g of sugar, you need about 130g of erythritol. A great way to save a whopping 387 calories per 100g of replaced sugar and still achieve the required volume in the recipe when baking. For many, however, pure erythritol comes with a cool aftertaste.
- Stevia is derived from a plant and is extremely sweet – about 300 times sweeter than sugar. Only 20g of pure stevia extract are needed to replace 200g of sugar. This is problematic when baking, as you won't get the required volume in relation to the other ingredients.
Your perfect choice for replacing sugar: 👉 No More Sugar
- The perfect blend: Erythritol and stevia combined create a sugar substitute that provides full sweetness to your dishes without adding calories or an unpleasant aftertaste.
- Versatile: Whether in pastries, coffee or porridge – No More Sugar fits everywhere – thanks to the combined properties of erythritol and stevia, especially in your baking recipes.
- So easy! No adjustments necessary: With our No More Sugar, you can replace sugar 1:1 – and save all sugar calories, i.e., 387 calories per 100g of replaced sugar.
More flavor for your recipes: 👉 Chunky Flavour
- Sweetness and aroma: 3 g Chunky Flavour have the sweetness of about 50 g of sugar.
- Something for every taste: Whether chocolatey, fruity, classic – with or without chunks: There's something for everyone here!
- Versatile : Whether in desserts, pastries, coffee, yogurt, quark or porridge – Chunky Flavour fits everywhere.
- Small adjustment needed: Chunky is not suitable as a 1:1 sugar substitute in some recipes, as the necessary volume in the recipe may otherwise be missing. Our recommendation: Replace part of the sugar with No More Sugar (see above) and the other part with Chunky Flavour.
2. What to replace flour with?
Replacing flour can also be worthwhile, especially if you eat low-carb (e.g., ketogenic).
- Protein-rich baking: Instead of flour, you can use protein powder to increase the protein content of your baked goods while reducing the carbohydrate content. If you replace flour with sweetened protein powder, you can also omit some of the sugar in the recipe.
- Adapt your recipe accordingly: Since protein powder has different baking properties than flour, you should not substitute it 1:1. Instead, replace 25% of the flour quantity with protein powder and add a moist ingredient such as some applesauce.
Your perfect choice for replacing flour: 👉 More Protein
- High-quality protein powder: More Protein combines whey and casein protein for optimal muscle supply, ideal for diets and health-conscious bakers. With up to 25g of protein per serving.
- Also vegan: More Vegan Protein combines high-quality plant-based protein sources (pea protein isolate, pumpkin seed protein (roasted), sunflower protein) and convinces with a super creamy taste and up to 22g of protein per serving.
3. Replacing butter when baking
Butter has 717 calories per 100g, making it the biggest calorie bomb in your baking recipes. Replacing butter is therefore particularly useful if you are aiming for a low-fat and low-calorie diet. However, butter, with its properties, is also particularly important for the consistency and taste of your baked creations - and therefore not so easy to replace.
Some swear by quark to replace butter. But this is only useful up to a certain amount and can quickly result in hard, dry or even soggy cookies. The properties of quark differ significantly from those of butter. The same applies to applesauce or other fruit purees.
Reduced-fat margarine or reduced-fat butter are significantly better, but for many, they come with a loss of taste. Our recommendation is therefore different.
- Harness the power of nuts: Nut butter is a great alternative to butter. It not only brings valuable proteins into your baked goods, but also a delicious nutty note and additional nutrients.
- Nutrient boost and calorie saving: Nut butter also contains fat, but these are the "good", unsaturated fats that your body needs. In addition, depending on the nut butter, you can save up to 129 kcal per 100g.
- Only slight adjustments needed: With nut butter, you can replace butter 1:1. However, the dough may become a little runnier. So it makes sense to use less liquid than indicated in the recipe.
Your perfect choice for replacing butter: 👉 Foodist Nut Butter
- More than just a substitute: Foodist Nut Butter not only brings healthy fats and proteins into your baked goods, but also helps you save calories and supply your body with important nutrients.
- Go nuts: With our variety, no wish remains unfulfilled.
- Variety of flavors: The different Nut Butter varieties also bring special flavor notes to your creations.
4. Replace cooking cream for low-fat creaminess
Cooking cream, with approx. 20% fat, is a real calorie bomb in favorite recipes like pasta, casseroles & co. But it also provides a creamy consistency and is therefore not so easy to replace.
Many opt for low-fat alternatives like low-fat milk or plant-based alternatives like oat or soy cream. But these don't achieve the same consistency and can slightly alter the taste.
Your perfect choice for replacing cream: 👉 More Protein Cream
- Mixed with low-fat milk, you get a creamy, protein-rich alternative with full flavor and a wonderful consistency.
- The use of More Protein Cream also offers significant advantages in terms of calorie and fat content. While 100 ml of conventional cooking cream with 15% fat contains only 2.9 g of protein but 15 g of fat, the same amount of More Protein Cream, mixed with low-fat milk, contains a full 34 g of protein and only 4.2 g of fat.
- So you enjoy your favorite pasta – and save the calories of the protein side dish, because the sauce is the protein side dish.
5. Enjoy dressings & sauces low in calories
Sauces and dressings are often underestimated calorie traps. Many conventional varieties contain large amounts of sugar and fat, which quickly add up.
Some try to make their dressings lighter with yogurt or vinegar-oil combinations, but the taste often suffers.
Your perfect choice for replacing sauces + dressings: 👉 Light Gourmet Sauces
- The Light Gourmet Sauces offer the perfect solution: they contain up to 95% less sugar, 80% fewer calories and 70% less fat than conventional sauces.
- They also come without the colorant titanium dioxide, which is frequently added to other light products and which has been classified as unsafe by the EFSA.
- Easily add more flavor to your salads, bowls, and main courses.
