Scary Recipe Ingredients to Look Out for

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Scary Recipe Ingredients to Look Out for

October 31, 2007

Butter has a bad reputation in the cooking world but the truth is that there are many other cooking ingredients that are just as unhealthy for us as butter. It's scary that many of us don't even bat an eye at when tossing them into our recipes.

To see the scariest recipe ingredients to watch for, just read more

WebMD has compiled a list of the scariest ingredients, healthwise, for your recipes that you should keep an eye out for when you're cooking this holiday season (and beyond):

Ingredient	Common Serving	Calories	Fat (g)	Saturated Fat (g)
Mayonnaise	1/4 cup	396	44	6.5
Bacon grease	2 T	250	28	13
Heavy whipping cream (liquid)	1/4 cup	205	22	14
Puff pastry	2 ounces	312	22	3
Cheese (like cheddar)	2 ounces	228	19	12
Light whipping cream (liquid)	1/4 cup	174	18.5	11.5
Sausage, cooked	2 ounces	209	18	6.1
Bacon	4 strips	150	13	4
Butter	1 T	102	12	7.2
Sour cream	1/4 cup	123	12	7.5
Cheddar cheese, 1 oz	1/4 cup	115	9.4	6
Pie crust, 9-inch deep dish	1/8 slice	115	8	2
Half-and-half	1/4 cup	79	7	4.3

Me, I always scan a recipe for any of these ingredients and if it has 'em, I typically skip it. If I am feeling creative, I'll work with the recipe figuring out ways to cut out the unhealthy stuff. For example, I'll use turkey bacon instead of regular bacon. What do you do? Share the ways you cut out the unhealthy stuff in the comments section below.

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24 Comments

Kristin2783 5 years 29 weeks

MMMM...Sonia that sounds so good!!!

Soniabonya 5 years 29 weeks

Mmmmmm cheese. I had to be a mouse in a past life. I ate an entire block of cheese I got from the farmers market by myself. Cheese, hungarian slamai, bread and wine.... oiye i'm in heaven.

Advah 5 years 29 weeks

I always stay away from fat-free or fake-sugar-full food/drinks. I tend to eat a lot of veg and almost no meat, and I'd rather know what I eat and then have it in moderation instead of eating chemical-full things.I'd rather treat myself to a coke every 4 months and enjoy it, instead of drinking Coke Zero every day!And I have to say I always reduce the sugar and butter/oil proportions from the original recipes; otherwise most of hte time I find the result really rich yuk.

Advah 5 years 29 weeks

I always stay away from fat-free or fake-sugar-full food/drinks. I tend to eat a lot of veg and almost no meat, and I'd rather know what I eat and then have it in moderation instead of eating chemical-full things. I'd rather treat myself to a coke every 4 months and enjoy it, instead of drinking Coke Zero every day! And I have to say I always reduce the sugar and butter/oil proportions from the original recipes; otherwise most of hte time I find the result really rich yuk.

Ginger 5 years 29 weeks

I use Trader Joe's fat free half & half instead of cream for sauces and baking.Amy's makes chicken sausages that are all natural, no nitrates, and lamb casings, so they are entirely pork free. Some great flavors there.Sometimes I use fat free or low fat sour cream or mayo for stuff. The quality of flavor differs greatly by brand.

Ginger 5 years 29 weeks

I use Trader Joe's fat free half & half instead of cream for sauces and baking. Amy's makes chicken sausages that are all natural, no nitrates, and lamb casings, so they are entirely pork free. Some great flavors there. Sometimes I use fat free or low fat sour cream or mayo for stuff. The quality of flavor differs greatly by brand.

kgtg1 5 years 29 weeks

livetolove - I agree! I never have to try to find "healthy" replacements for any of these things :)

pluckyred 5 years 29 weeks

I agree with syako. Furthermore, a lot of "replacement" ingredients are processed or full of chemicals. I'd rather eat real butter than margarine or real cream rather than edible oil product. In fact, any food product that has the word "product" in it or claims something like "10% real juice" (replace the number and "juice" as needed) on the label makes me wary. If it's only fat you're worried about use the lower fat version or use in moderation. Fat itself isn't bad. In fact, we need a certain amount of it. Also, as Syako said, dairy products contain calcium. So, chose your fat products wisely. Maximize the nutrition intake.

shaygo 5 years 29 weeks

fat free half-n-half can be a good replacement for the regular if you are really craving a creamy pasta but don't want to blow the calorie/fat bank. . .turkey bacon is good but so are the veggie bacon strips for a bacon replacement on a blt. and the veggie sausage patties are unbelievably delicious.light mayo works just as well as regular and in terms of sour cream i always go for the light as well or use fat-free plain yogurt so i am getting some good live cultures in there.but cheese, there is simply no replacement for the glory of cheese.

shaygo 5 years 29 weeks

fat free half-n-half can be a good replacement for the regular if you are really craving a creamy pasta but don't want to blow the calorie/fat bank. . . turkey bacon is good but so are the veggie bacon strips for a bacon replacement on a blt. and the veggie sausage patties are unbelievably delicious. light mayo works just as well as regular and in terms of sour cream i always go for the light as well or use fat-free plain yogurt so i am getting some good live cultures in there. but cheese, there is simply no replacement for the glory of cheese.

thatgirljj 5 years 29 weeks

Some of those things I'll substitute or cut in half. Turkey sausage or lower fat pork sausage for regular sausage, sometimes reduced fat cheese if there's a lot of cheese in the dish. And you can normally cut the fat/oil/butter in half without messing up the dish (as long as you're not baking or anything, but it usually works fine if you're just sauteing some veggies). Gah... I can't even imagine keeping bacon grease around the house to add to recipes... YUCK!!!

thatgirljj 5 years 29 weeks

Some of those things I'll substitute or cut in half. Turkey sausage or lower fat pork sausage for regular sausage, sometimes reduced fat cheese if there's a lot of cheese in the dish. And you can normally cut the fat/oil/butter in half without messing up the dish (as long as you're not baking or anything, but it usually works fine if you're just sauteing some veggies).Gah... I can't even imagine keeping bacon grease around the house to add to recipes... YUCK!!!

aimeeb 5 years 29 weeks

Most everything on that list turns my stomach, except on occasion I have a sausage or two (one of the small links) when I have a big b'fast-but that's not all too often.

aimeeb 5 years 29 weeks

Most everything on that list turns my stomach, except on occasion I have a sausage or two (one of the small links) when I have a big b'fast-but that's not all too often.

aimeeb 5 years 29 weeks

Luckily I barely ever use anything on that list. I despise butter. I eat my toast dry and rarely use it, unless I absol HAVE to, and even thenI mostly find substitutes. I can always tell when people bake or cook with a lot of butter, I can't stand it.

aimeeb 5 years 29 weeks

Luckily I barely ever use anything on that list.I despise butter. I eat my toast dry and rarely use it, unless I absol HAVE to, and even thenI mostly find substitutes.I can always tell when people bake or cook with a lot of butter, I can't stand it.

mallow 5 years 29 weeks

How does Coconut milk compare to the other things on this list?

livetolove 5 years 29 weeks

go vegan and you can't slip up :)

kmsteele 5 years 29 weeks

When I read that ingredient list all I could think was, "I haven't had quiche in a long time." That uses 4 of those ingredients: cheese, pie crust, bacon, heavy cream. Delicious.... :)

merav 5 years 29 weeks

I agree syako. Everything in moderation. At least if you are cooking from scratch, you control what you are adding and know that it's not processed. If you eat a healthy and balanced diet and exercise, there is no reason to ban a little butter or cream from your diet!

syako 5 years 29 weeks

Well I think that all these things - in moderation - aren't totally terrible. So if I'm making a soup with 1/4 cup of half and half - and it makes 8 servings - it means I'm only getting 10 calories and less than 1 gram sat fat per serving from the half and half.And something like cheese - which has calcium in it - isn't terrible either.I hate labeling foods as "bad" or "good." If you want to make a recipe that calls for these ingredients, just watch your portions.

syako 5 years 29 weeks

Well I think that all these things - in moderation - aren't totally terrible. So if I'm making a soup with 1/4 cup of half and half - and it makes 8 servings - it means I'm only getting 10 calories and less than 1 gram sat fat per serving from the half and half. And something like cheese - which has calcium in it - isn't terrible either. I hate labeling foods as "bad" or "good." If you want to make a recipe that calls for these ingredients, just watch your portions.

ArmoAngel 5 years 29 weeks

I usually use fatfree yogurt or smushed bananas to replace butter or egg whites for oil for butter and oil.... but now that im testing the vegan lifestle i think i gotta find new ways!

Tutta 5 years 29 weeks

I actually had to doctor a recipe up last night. It was bacon and feta stuffed chicken breasts and I used low-fat feta cheese and turkey bacon. We only eat turkey bacon at our house. It was delicious! Still not super healthy I'm sure but at least I paired it with a cucumber tomato salad instead of pasta!!!

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