Eating healthy doesn’t mean we need to give up the foods we enjoy. Oftentimes, we can tweak the recipes we already have to make healthier choices. For example, if you’re making a soup, you might use low-sodium broth rather than normal broth. For salads, you could opt for a dressing with less fat, such as a vinaigrette. One simple way is to improve your diet is by cutting down on the amount of added sugar.
“Added sugar,” a term coined by the USDA, refers to sugars that don’t naturally occur in foods but are added during processing. This includes brown sugar, corn syrup, dextrose, molasses, sucrose, and more. Added sugars rarely offer any nutritional benefit and can significantly increase the caloric value of your food. Many foods high in added sugar are incredibly common, especially around the holidays. Sugary drinks, cakes, pies, cookies, ice cream, and more all have large amounts of added sugar.
The good news is that you can still enjoy the foods you love while avoiding unnecessary added sugar. Try this recipe for a no-sugar-added sweet potato casserole.
Ingredients
7 cups cubed, peeled sweet potatoes
½ cup reduced-fat milk
5 tablespoons light butter, melted
1 teaspoon salt
½ teaspoon vanilla extract
½ teaspoon ginger
½ teaspoon ground cinnamon
½ teaspoon ground pepper
½ cup chopped pecans
¼ cup pepitas
¼ cup chopped dried fruit such as cherries, dates, raisins, or currants
No Sugar Added Sweet Potato Casserole
Directions
- Preheat oven to 350
- In a large pot, bring an inch or two of water to boil. Place a steamer basket in the pot above the waterline and add sweet potatoes.
- Cover the pot and let steam until soft, 18-20 minutes
- Once soft, remove the steamer basket and discard the water. Return the sweet potatoes to the pot.
- Add milk, 4 tablespoons of butter, salt, vinegar, ginger, cinnamon, and pepper.
- Mash until desired consistency.
- Transfer to 1-1/2 quart baking dish.
- In a bowl, stir pecans, pepitas, dried fruit, and remaining 1 tablespoon of butter.
- Sprinkle mixture over the sweet potatoes.
- Bake casserole until hot with nuts lightly toasted, approximately 20-30 minutes.
About Gale Pearson, MS, RDN, CDCES
Gale Pearson, MS, RDN, CDCES is a Registered Dietitian and Certified Diabetes Educator with over 25 years of experience working with patients on dietary and nutrition wellness planning. Gale received her undergraduate degree from Hampton University and her Master of Science in Nutrition and Dietetics from Howard University.
With extensive experience in nutrition counseling, Gale works with her patients to develop strategies to improve their eating habits and lifestyles, in turn helping them to manage their weight and medical conditions. She credits witnessing her patients’ symptoms and overall health improvement as a result of the lifestyle changes as one of the most gratifying and rewarding aspects of her career.
At TPMG Nutrition Services in Newport News and Williamsburg, Gale provides one-on-one consultations, nutrition and weight management counseling, and diabetes education.
