Low Calorie Recipes: Food Substitutions

Food Flips for Weight Loss

Give your favorite fatty foods and drinks a makeover and turn them into diet-friendly meals
By Stephanie Breakstone prevention
 

Creamy Tomato Soup

Flip out: Heavy cream, regular chicken broth

Flip in: 2% milk, white beans, low-sodium chicken broth

Calorie savings: 140

Simmer it! Combine two 14.5 oz cans low-sodium chicken broth, one 28 oz can crushed tomatoes, and several bay leaves in medium saucepan over medium heat. In small bowl, mash 1 c rinsed and drained cannellini beans with the back of a spoon and set aside. When soup bubbles, stir in 1 c 2% milk and reduce heat to low. Season to taste with a little salt and freshly ground black pepper and simmer about 15 minutes, stirring occasionally. Remove and discard bay leaves and stir in mashed beans. In small batches, puree soup in a blender. Serves 4.

How to cut calories: Traditional tomato soup gets its characteristic rich flavor and thick texture from heavy cream, which also boosts its calories. By using 2% milk instead of heavy cream, we nearly eliminated the soup's saturated fat content. The mashed beans do double duty: Their starches swell in the hot liquid, making the soup thick and hearty, and they boost the fiber—one serving supplies about one-quarter of your daily requirement. Switching from regular chicken broth to the reduced-fat, low-sodium type lowers sodium by 298 mg.

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