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How to Cut Carbs and Calories from Your Favorite Dips

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Planning to host a picnic, tailgate or barbecue? Here are three ingredients to keep on hand to lean out your favorite dips while still keeping them rich and creamy.

It’s no surprise that most store-bought dips are anything but healthy. A few generous scoops can easily squeeze in more salty calories than the main meal itself.

Vegetable-based dips that are centered on real vegetables make it easy to keep calories and sodium in check, plus they make it effortless to slip in an extra serving or so of veggies. Experiment with purees of roasted carrots, eggplant, red peppers or parsnips; chunky dips with diced cucumber, tomato or butternut squash; or add roasted and pureed cauliflower to a variety of dips to add volume and cut calories and carbs.

Keep these three healthy add-ins on hand to slash carbs, calories and sodium from your favorite dips:

  • Greek yogurt: Use 2% low-fat (not fat-free) Greek yogurt to replace sour cream and mayo in your favorite dips. Think spinach and artichoke dip, homemade ranch, crabmeat or shrimp dips, and even remoulade-style dips.
  • Eggplant: Use peeled and pureed eggplant to add thickness, creaminess and richness to any dip. Think hummus, artichoke dips, crawfish dips and more.
  • Tofu: Use silken tofu – pureed to a smooth consistency – to add volume with less calories to dips. Think guacamole, spinach and artichoke, even nacho cheese sauces.

Want more healthy recipe tips? Check out the Ochsner To Your Health Recipe section.

A version of this article originally appeared on WGNO.com. See the full article here.

Learn more about Ochsner Eat Fit

Note: Registered dietician Molly Kimball offers brand-name products as a consumer guide; she, along with Ochsner Health, do not solicit product samples nor are paid to recommend items.

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