When you are on a low calorie diet, you will want to find recipes for foods that are low in calories. Yet, sometimes, you'll find something that you really would like to eat but it will have something in it that is high calorie. Can you still make it? How can you get around those tricky situations? To help you, there are a number of substitutions that you can easily use in most recipes to get all of the flavor and texture of the recipe you are looking for but with a whole lot less calories. Low calorie fat diets may be an alternative.

If you would like something cold but ice cream is just too rich in calories, consider low or non fat frozen yogurt. To replace whole milk, substitute it with skim milk. Look for reduced fat cheeses instead of standard cheese for a large deduction in calories, fat and sodium. For cakes and pies that are too calorie rich, look for something less rich such as angel food cake or sorbet with all of the sweetness you crave.

Pudding...sugar free pudding, even better is gelatin

Potato Chips...pretzels.

Doughnuts...go for bagels

That is just for taste. If you are looking for substitutions for ingredients in your favorite recipes, you can often find these too. Look for low fat foods instead of whole fat. When considering no fat foods, you'll find a real difference in the taste and often the texture of the food. Instead, take a few extra calories and take in the low fat foods.

You can also look at your oils. Extra virgin olive oil has a lot of good fats in it and is very good for your heart. Use this instead of vegetable oil. You'll find that margarine is a better choice over butter too. A good quality product won't taste bad either.

There are a number of other ways that you can handle the foods you eat. Look at the ingredients in your favorite recipe. Ask yourself what you can replace in that recipe that may be lower calorie than something already there. You may find that there are even some of the best flavors in these reduced calorie foods. Finally, don't feel that you have to spend a lot of money to be on a low calorie diet. Some of the best foods for you are whole vegetables and fruits.