For healthier desserts
Substitute: Cinnamon for sugar.
Why: The spice amplifies added sweetness (vanilla does, too), so desserts might only need half the called-for sugar, says Anjali Shah, a health coach who uses this trick in her low-fat breakfast muffins. Start with a teaspoon and add to taste from there.
The end result, says Shah, will be ‘less sweet, but with other spices and salt, you can trick your taste buds into thinking there’s more sugar than there is.’