Do you love cooking?

Is your love for cooking causing havoc with your diet?

Well fear not because we will show you the way to a healthier happier you without giving up the cooking you love to do. We all have a favorite dish and some people take as much pleasure out of the cooking as they do the eating. If you are one of these people read on.

The very first thing we need to address is your recipe. Recipes are the road map to making a successful dish but they are loaded with potholes and road blocks along the way. Let's start with the easy stuff, substitutions, use only half of the eggs when baking and substitute low calorie cholesterol free egg substitute for the other half. You cannot replace all of the eggs as the yolk acts as an emulsifier to make your cakes fluffy and your custards creamy. Use olive oil for frying and browning to cut down on saturated fats. You should always substitute low fat milk for whole and most recipes taste just fine with only half the salt. Apple sauces can be a good low fat sweetener in baking but don't cut out all of the sugar or you will end up with a doughy mess. Sugar bonds with the flour to help it rise into a light and fluffy cake instead of a ball of play dough.

The second part of cooking to save your diet is shop smart. Buy whole grains such as brown rice and whole wheat breads as they are loaded with good carbs and fiber verses white breads and rice which have all of the good stuff removed and are left with nothing but bad carbs and empty calories. Skip the margarine and buy healthy spread or for sandwiches switch to a mustard or even a low fat salad dressing can be a better choice. Set aside one or more days a week to go meatless. Vegetarian cooking can be cheaper and a whole lot of fun. While we are talking about vegetables let's not forget our fruits. From a fresh bowl of fruit in the morning to a delicious fruit tart or sorbet in the evening fruit can be a great way to introduce new flavors. The next time someone asks you "Is your love for cooking causing havoc with your diet?" You can say not anymore.