Since we're all trying to watch our calories we sometimes will use a substitution instead of the real deal.

I want to make a ricotta cheese dessert using ricotta cheese, half of a banana, walnuts/almonds (100 cal pack) and 1 pack of splenda.

So I was thinking to save calories and sugar should I use banana extract or a real banana?

I know alot of people use DaVinci Flavored Syrups etc.....

What are some of your substitutions? Examples: Cauliflower verses potatoes, spaghetti squash verses real pasta etc........

I made brownies using beans (once with navy beans and another time with black beans) instead of flour very good!

I understand substitutions for carbs and fats kind of... but for fruits??? Why would you substitute a real fruit that has real nutritional value for a chemical? I simply don't understand substituting real food for chemicals, it's the antithesis of healthy. Ricotta cheese is so low in fat and calories to begin with.

My motto is use the real thing in most cases, unless you're substituting a real thing for a real thing like cauliflower instead of potatoes (nothing artificial there.) I don't go for fat-free dairy and I wouldn't touch margarine with a ten foot pole.

I substitute olive oil for any other kind of oil specified in any recipe. When a recipe calls for nuts I use less than the specified amount. That's about the extent of substitutions for me.

I honestly would prefer using the real thing myself but being a slave to the low carb lifestyle for so long my mind gets so caught up on the carbs and sugar in certain foods. I'm slowly adjusting to my new way of eating

As far as why would anyone substitute real fruit for chemicals.......... I don't know I guess the same reason why people substitute artifical sweetners for sugar, vanilla extract for real vanilla beans, diet soda for real soda, sugar free chocolate for real chocolate, protein powders for real protein, frozen entrees full of chemicals for homecook meals, margarine for real butter etc...... I think most try to cut corners as much as possible when it comes to losing weight whether it's right/wrong.

I'm all for the real thing. The only artificial/reduced substitute I use is 2% Greek yogurt, and I intend to switch to full-fat one of these days.

Now, the other kind of substitute is great as long as it's tasty - potatoes/cauliflower, pasta/spaghetti squash, brownies made with black beans.

Gotta do the real deal on the nanna--I can see no health benefit to substituting for it!

What about drinks? Do you guys drink real soda verses diet? I am trying REALLY hard to give up diet sodas I did it before that and Crystal light and just drank water it was actually okay but one taste and it was all over and I was right back at square one.

I just came back from Target and bought some Cliff Kid bars and they're really tasty and all organic. I was trying to find something other then Atkin bars which are full of chemicals and gave me tummy trouble.

I was addictied to sugar free chocolates but have since ventured out and tried Lindt's Chocolate, not too bad but takes some adjusting the taste buds. One thing is I don't binge on it and that's a good thing.

I drink Diet Coke only because after 30 years, I couldn't stand regular Coke even if it were declared the newest health fad! However, I'm trying to phase out Diet Coke entirely (eventually) and now I try to have it only rarely. Usually, I have water, unsweetened iced tea, or those seltzers with fruit essence in them.

You're right about the one taste. My sister has a saying and she's right - she says she craves whatever she had last. So if she's drinking water, she wants more water. If she has soda, she wants more soda.

I use the extracts sometimes (oatmeal, protein shakes).. I don't think there is any artificial sweeteners in the extracts (I might be wrong). I understand bananas have nutrition, but weight loss wise it's all about calories. If you are counting calories it's up to you, count the calories of the real banana or use the calories for something else. Bananas can be pretty high in calories (almost 180-200 for a large one) so weigh out the portion.

Real deal for me now.

My eating/cooking journey has come to trying to eliminate the chemicals and just eat real food.

So I'm on a tea kick and it has to taste good enough unsweetend for me to drink it. I love the lemon and raspberry Zingers but this new one I bought that has cocoa and spices tastes like it would be delicious with cream and sugar. lol! guess I better not buy this one again.

I forgot to mention my favorite substitute - avocado (or sometimes hummus) for mayo or sometimes butter.

Since my goal is to consume only whole foods without perservatives I'm all for having the "real thing" and either budget my calories accordingly or just have LESS.

I know what you mean about substitutions. I love to substitute low starch veg like spaghetti squash, bean sprouts, etc. for pasta. For years Weight Watchers has let their members have "unlimited low starch vegetables." Honestly, that's the only good thing I took away from Weight Watchers! My apologies to you WW fans).

I do agree however, that fruit doesn't have to be substituted. It's a healthy sweet substitute for sugary stuff. In fact the Mayo Clinic Healthy Food Pyramid shows low starch vegetables and fresh fruits as foods we need to eat a whole lot more of. They even go as far as to say those two groups are foods you can eat as much as you like, but everything else needs to be limited.

I'm starting to substitute light and fat free margarines for the regular stuff. A lot of them taste as good, and I save a lot of calories.