Here are some simple ways to add healthy ingredients into your favorite recipes.

• Shred a small zucchini into marinara sauce. You'll add 1 gram fiber to the sauce, along with 20 milligrams vitamin C, 142 micrograms beta-carotene, and 2,500 micrograms of lutein.
• Givemeat loaf a new identity by substituting 1 cup of black or pinto beans for the beef. You'll add 12 g fiber but subtract 5 g saturated fat.
• Thicken creamy sauces and soups with silken tofu. Just dice and puree, then stir into the liquid. Each slice of tofu contains 4 g lean protein.
• Add fresh fruit to plain yogurt to gain more vitamins, fiber, and antioxidants.
• Add chopped, slivered, or sliced almonds to hot and cold cereals, salads, and casseroles to net 9 mg of vitamin E for every ¼ cup of nuts. You'll also gain good-for-you mono- and polyunsaturated fats.
• Stir a cup of yellow corn kernels into soups, pasta dishes, or corn bread batter. The corn contributes almost 2,000 mcg lutein, an antioxidant that can help prevent age-related vision problems.
• Double up with nonfat milk powder. Stir 1 tablespoon into puddings, smoothies, and milk shakes to add 100 mg calcium.
• Stir ground flaxseed into toppings for fruit crisps or use it in recipes that call for breadcrumbs to tap into the seeds' heart-healthy omega-3 fatty acids -- 4 g for every 2 tablespoons.
• Add a few slices of avocado to sandwiches and salads for healthful monounsaturated fat and a dose of cholesterol-lowering beta-sitosterol. Studies show avocados help boost absorption of other antioxidants in the meal.
• Grapefruit: Choosing ruby-red over plain white adds nearly 50 times more beta-carotene, plus 1,700 times more lycopene, a carotenoid that's been linked to heart-disease prevention in women and prostate protection in men.
• Lettuce: Cup for cup, romaine's darker leaves have nearly four times more vitamin K and folate, seven times more lutein, and eight times more vitamin C than pale-green iceberg.
• Peppers: Any green bell pepper will eventually change color; red and yellow peppers are simply mature green ones. And maturity counts -- a medium-sized red pepper contains twice as much vitamin C, four times more vitamin E, and eight times more beta-carotene than a green one.

SOURCE: CNN