Bake-Off A Great HitBarb Wyatt, RD, Community Nutritionist, Maricopa County Department of Public Health Services, Tempe, Arizona did a brownie bakeoff for a class on lowfat baking and was surprised at the enthusiasm and feedback she got from class participants.Barb used a brownie mix with the full amount of oil as the “control” for everyone to make taste test comparisons to. Then she made 4 other types of brownies, substituting all of the oil with the full amount of applesauce, half the amount of babyfood prunes, full amounts of nonfat sour cream and full amounts of nonfat yogurt.Participants were given score sheets to rate the brownies on the following categories: flavor, texture, color, consistency and moisture.The brownies made with the applesauce were the favorite, followed closely by the ones made with babyfood prunes. The full oil brownies were rated as average and were not as good as the ones made with babyfood or applesauce. The ones made with nonfat sourcream and nonfat yogurt got mixed and less than average results and would not be recommended.Barb got a good response from the women, who said that they would be using these substitutes in other everyday goodies. She said that she had to admit too that this was a real eye opener for her, despite having preached this substitution message many times, she had never actually tried it herself. She said she didn’t want to risk ruining a perfectly good batch of brownies - now she knows better.Some tips for baking substitutions:• Substitute all of the amount of oil with the same amount of applesauce. Use applesauce in cake mixes or lighter baked products where prunes would not be appropriate.• Substitute all of the amount of oil with half that amount of babyfood prunes or Lighter Bake. Use prunes or Lighter Bake in dark chocolate recipes where the color and flavor of the prunes will act as a compliment and not be as noticeable.• Reduce baking time by 20% or more.FMI call the prune board at 800-729-5992.Weight No Longer!™ ProgramThis catchy title is for a group weight management program by Dana Egan, RD, Nutrition Consultant. Dana says this 10 week program has been very successful for her. Clients are referred to her through physicians as well as word of mouth.She sets up meal plans to help clients lose one to two pounds per week. And she encourages regular exercise. Instead of focusing on the scale, she gauges success with total body fat lost throughout the program.Some of the highlights of her program:• How to incorporate a safe and effective exercise routine into a busy lifestyle• Ways to Deal with Stress and Compulsive Eating Behavior• Grocery Store Tour & Label Reading Techniques• Dining Out/Fast Food Tips• How To Handle Social Eating and Holiday Situations• Behavior Modification Strategies To Help Safely Lose Weight And Keep It Off• Recipe Modification Emphasizing Good Taste• Hot Topic Discussion - related to the present media reports and quack diets.She has found that many people are more motivated in a group setting.High Fiber For KidsMaria Melko, RD, CS and Carol Ohnstad, RD, CS, Medical Center at the University of California, San Francisco have these success tips to increase the fiber intakes of kids (the goal is the age of the child plus 5 for total fiber per day).Fruit:• Try peeling an apple so it is striped.• Spread crunchy peanut butter on apple slices and banana coins.• Dip fruit in chocolate then favorite whole grain cereal.• Add dried fruit to cereals, baked goods, pancake batter, fruit salad, etc...• Make fresh fruit kabobs on popsicle sticks.Vegetables:• Try raw veggies and dip.• Make a salad or try coleslaw.• Leave the peel on.• Add chopped celery, carrots, green peppers to tuna, chicken and other salads.• Use unpeeled potatoes to make potato salad, french fries, hash browns, etc.• Spread crunchy peanut butter on celery boats and top with raisins.• Make a vegetable kabob on popsicle sticks.Legumes:• Add beans to salads• Make a bean dip for nachos or raw vegetables• Add chopped nuts to baked goods, fruit salad, etc..Grains:• Add high fiber cereal, wheat germ, or All Bran to favorite low fiber cereal.• Substitute whole grain flour for part of the white flour when baking (25-30%).• Use one slice whole wheat bread and one slice white bread for sandwich.• Make quesadillas with cheese and beans on whole wheat/ corn tortillas.• Top pancakes, waffles, french toast with berries and nuts.• Mix white and brown rice.• Try tabouleh, wild rice or pasta salad with fresh vegetables.Desserts:• Top graham crackers or cookies with seeded jam.• Make Rice Krispy treats with peanuts, wheat germ or other high fiber cereal.• Top yogurt with high fiber cereal or seeded jam.