Sweet Escapes for a Healthier You

It's pretty clear here at Vega: we like good food and we love when good food is good for you too. During the holidays, however, sweets and treats abound, making it tricky to stay on track. You've done the Vega Breakfast Challenge, Thrive in 30, got up-to-date on dietary ways to boost your immunity, so we offer yet another fun challenge. We challenge you to a recipe re-do! Take a family favorite goodie and create a healthier version with a few simple steps.

Swap

Many a traditional recipe calls for lots of sugar, so start by reducing the amount you add by a quarter, then go for half—nobody will be the wiser. Better yet, switch that refined sugar to sugar in the raw or turbinado. Even better still is to try a more natural sweetener like honey or pure maple syrup using the chart below.

Reduce

To reduce fat (and boost nutrients) use pureed prunes (great with chocolate), applesauce, or apple butter, which can replace up to ¾ of fat like shortening, butter, or oil and slightly reduce the sweetener.

Boost

If you can't omit, you can always add a healthy boost to your treats. Try sprinkling in some ChlorEssence or sub-in MacaSure chocolate; add some Vega Shake & Go Smoothie or Whole Food Health Optimizer to boost flours in recipes, or throw in some SaviSeed. Take notes on your recipes as you modify, as it may take some trial and error to perfect, but there's sure to be fun in the process.