Taste of Home (editor) - Taste of Home Recipe Makeovers

Recipe Makeovers provides a variety of recipes that fit in a healthy lifestyle. Heres how we arrive at the serving-size nutritional information at the end of each recipe.

• Whenever a choice of ingredients is given (such as cup sour cream or plain yogurt), we use the first ingredient in our calculations.
• When a range is given for an ingredient, we calculate using the first amount.
• Only the amount of a marinade absorbed is calculated.
• Optional ingredients are not included in our calculations.
• Sugars provided in the Nutrition Facts represent both added and naturally occurring sugars.

AT-A-GLANCE ICONS

Refer to these 6 icons to easily locate recipes that suit your needs.

= A nutritionally complete power-packed recipe that is a good source of fiber, lean protein and a healthy dose of fruits or vegetables

= Breakfast, lunch, dinner and snack-time options that dont use meat or meat products

= Finished in 30 minutes or less

= Made in a slow cooker

= Made in a pressure cooker

= Made in an air fryer

Were here to help you navigate the options in Taste of Home Recipe Makeovers.

We all love comfort food, but not the fat and calories that go with it. With Taste of Home Recipe Makeovers, you can indulge in all your feel-good favorites, because each recipe has been given a healthy reboot. But what exactly is healthy? We have a lot of factors to consider; research is constantly uncovering new information and science still has a lot to discover about how food and nutrition affect our health. With all this in mind, the editors and dietitians at Taste of Home have created a set of guardrails to help our readers stay on track.

Since the concept of healthy covers a wide spectrum, we take a middle-of-the-road approach at Taste of Home. Organizations that make recommendations rooted in proven science like the USDA, FDA, WHO, NIH plus the American Heart Association, the American Diabetes Association and the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics help guide us.

WHAT HEALTHY IS

The idea that healthy foods should nourish us with vitamins, minerals, protein, fiber and healthy fat is so important that we added a new power-packed icon used throughout Recipe Makeovers. These recipes are made up of multiple healthy ingredients, such as vegetables, fruits, whole grains, lean meats, legumes, low-fat or fat-free dairy, and healthy fats.

WHAT HEALTHY ISNT

The big picture isnt just about whats in our food, but also whats not in our food. Experts widely recommend that we limit saturated fat, trans fat and sodium for optimal health and disease prevention, so we steer away from those in our healthy recipes. At the same time, healthy eating doesnt mean cutting out entire food groups, feeling deprived or eating food that doesnt taste good!

ITS ABOUT BALANCE

Healthy eating is about balance: a recipe thats made mostly of healthy ingredients; a meal thats made up mostly of healthy recipes; a day that includes mostly healthy choices. This will provide us with all the nutrients we need to function our best. Nutritious recipes can include butter and sugar, just as healthy meals can include an indulgent dessertits all about moderation and keeping a healthy big picture in mind.

Use the Test Kitchen-approved dishes inside Recipe Makeovers to help you find your balance. Whether youre looking for a power-packed weeknight dinner, such as , youll find a great combination that works for you and your family.

Happy Cooking,

Peggy Woodward, RDN

Senior Food Editor

These foods may seem like virtuous choices, but they usually arent.

GRANOLA BARS

We usually equate granola with wholesomeness, but it isnt necessarily healthful, especially granola bars. They may contain whole grains and some healthy fats in the form of nuts or seeds, but most bars are packed with added sugar, more like candy than health food. Make your own to control sugar and add good health.

SMOOTHIES

While smoothies may seem like health food in a glass, many arent. In addition to the natural sweetness from fruit, they often have added sugar in the form of fruit juice concentrate, honey or agave nectar. Make your own, leave out the extra sugar, and remember to count the calories from your smoothie in your days intake.

BREAKFAST CEREAL

The cereal aisle has become overrun with sweetened flakes, marshmallows and other ingredients you might find in dessert. Check out the ingredient list; if sugars one of the first, that means its mostly sugar. Look for whole-grain, low-sugar cereal with protein-packed ingredients such as nuts and seeds.

VEGGIE CHIPS

Better than potato chips, right? Well, potatoes are vegetables, too. And just like potato chips, most veggie chips are highly processed, with added fat and salt. Some also have preservatives and artificial colors to give them their vibrant color. If you love them, eat them (a few anyway), but dont think its the same as eating a serving of raw veggies.

AGAVE NECTAR

Syrup from the agave plant sounds too good to be trueand it probably is. While it might be more natural and lower on the glycemic index than some sweeteners, its still heated, processed and full of fructose, and its still added sugar. Treat agave nectar the same way you would any other sweeteneralways use it in moderation.

LOW-FAT FOODS

Processed foods that are marketed as low-fat or fat-free typically have more of what we dont wantadded sugar and processed ingredients to help them taste more like the full-fat versions. Remember that fat isnt off-limits; we need healthy mono- and polyunsaturated fat in our diets to help absorb certain nutrients and provide essential fatty acids.

Start the day right with a breakfast bowl that has it all: health, convenience, comfort and amazing taste.