Baking recipes can be made healthier by substituting avocado for butter [1] or applesauce for oil [2], but did you know you can also replace sugar with fruit puree? Dietitian Julie Upton, MS, RD, of Appetite For Health [3] says that from cookies to muffins, "you can safely replace one-third to one-half of the sugar in recipes with pureed fruit." We're talking bananas, apples, pears, dates, figs, or even grapes [4]. Just note that if a recipe calls for a liquid as well, reduce it by one-quarter when using fresh fruit puree, as the fruit will add moisture to the recipe.

Pin or print this reminder [5], and then get more nutrition coaching, workouts, and meal plans at our Get Fit 2015 [6] page.