Useful low-fat substitutes

Dairy Low-fat milk, cheese and yoghurt, Quark, cottage cheeses, and Smetana/low-fat sour cream.

Non-dairy Soya milk, tofu

Mainly non-dairy Margarine high in polyunsaturates (Make sure it says ‘high in polyunsaturates’. If it just says ‘low in cholesterol’, it could still be made from oils which are high in saturated fats.)

• Instead of cream, try low-fat yoghurt, Greek yoghurt or Smetana/low-fat sour cream as a topping, Quark, curd cheese or puréed cottage cheese in cooking.
• Instead of butter, use polyunsaturated margarine, and on vegetables try cottage cheese, Smetana/low-fat sour cream or yoghurt.
• Instead of milk, try soya milk or, in thickening sauces, plain water with cornflour/cornstarch.
• Instead of mayonnaise or thick salad creams, make dressings based on low-fat yoghurt, cottage cheese, Quark, or a combination of these.