Simple ingredient swaps for healthier meals
Swapping less healthy ingredients with healthier alternatives can improve or change your recipe from red or amber to green. Try some of these ingredient swaps:
Dairy products and alternatives
Red* |
Amber |
Green |
Regular fat
|
→ |
Reduced fat
|
Fat and oils
Red* |
Amber |
Green |
Butter Dairy spreads |
→ |
Margarine |
→ |
Avocado Reduced fat ricotta Cottage cheese |
Palm oil Coconut oil Ghee Lard Copha Shortening |
→ |
Olive oil |
Meat, poultry, fish and nuts
Red* |
Amber |
Green |
Sausages Frankfurts Chorizo |
→ |
Meat or poultry with visible skin or fat |
→ |
Lean, skinless meat or poultry without crumbs or coating |
Sausage mince |
→ |
Regular mince meat |
→ |
Lean mince meat |
Fatty and/or salted processed meats# |
→ |
Reduced fat/salt processed meats# |
→ |
Sliced cooked lean meat or poultry |
Canned tuna or salmon in brine, oil or sauce |
→ |
Canned tuna or salmon in spring water |
||
Smoked salmon |
→ |
Canned salmon in spring water |
||
Deep-fried meat products |
→ |
Crumbed/commercial meat products# |
→ |
Lean, skinless meat products |
Deep-fried tofu |
→ |
Pan-fried marinated tofu |
→ |
Pan-fried plain tofu |
Coated nuts |
→ |
Roasted and/or lightly salted nuts and seeds |
→ |
Raw or dry-roasted unsalted nuts and seeds |
Vegetables
Red* |
Amber |
Green |
Vegetables in oil or brine |
→ |
Fresh, frozen or roasted vegetables (lightly oiled) |
||
Deep-fried potato products |
→ |
Oven-baked potato products# |
→ |
Potato products (chips or wedges) prepared on site |
Fruit
Red* |
Amber |
Green |
Canned fruit in jelly |
→ |
Canned fruit in syrup |
→ |
Canned fruit in natural juice with no added sugar |
→ |
Stewed fruit with added sugar |
→ |
Stewed fruit with no added sugar |
Bread and pastry
Red* |
Amber |
Green |
Focaccia bread |
→ |
Turkish bread, wholemeal and wholegrain bread, rolls or wraps |
||
Regular fat puff and shortcrust pastry |
→ |
Reduced fat puff pastry |
→ |
Filo pastry |
Sauces, dressings and seasonings
Red* |
Amber |
Green |
Regular salt/sugar
|
→ |
Reduced salt/sugar versions |
||
Regular salt/sugar
|
→ |
Reduced salt/sugar versions |
||
Regular fat/salt
|
→ |
Reduced fat/salt versions |
||
→ |
Regular tomato paste |
→ |
Reduced/no added salt tomato paste |
|
Regular fat mayonnaise, aioli or tartare# |
→ |
Reduced fat mayonnaise, aioli or tartare# |
→ |
Reduced fat natural yoghurt mixed with garlic, herbs or lemon juice |
Creamy salad dressing |
→ |
Oil-based salad dressing |
→ |
Citrus or vinegar-based salad dressing |
→ |
Regular salt stock |
→ |
Reduced salt stock |
|
Salt |
→ |
→ |
Herbs and spices with no added salt or sugar |
*if you are a school, you can use FoodChecker to find out if products are red 1 or red 2.
#use FoodChecker to classify products and find healthier alternatives
Copyright © State of Victoria, Australia. Used with permission of the Victorian Department of Health. Reproduction and other uses comprised in the copyright are prohibited without permission.
