salt- I find myself using less salt more often. Food actually starts to taste better without salt or as much salt. We want to taste the food, not the salt. This is especially true when using salted butter or cheese and sometimes broths, really no salt is needed.

seasoning salt– This is pretty much msg. I find it gives food a fake taste, Try fresh herbs or spices.

cream soups- Many recipes call for cream of mushroom or cream of chicken soups. Recipes turn out better and less saltier with a milk, flour and butter base.

celery– It seems soups and pot pies ask for celery quite often. Celery has a strong taste and can be stringy and unappetizing. Celery basically has no nutrients. I wish not to use it except in chicken noodle soup maybe. Dieters will eat it because it has zero points but it is not fulfilling nor does it add nutrients.

corn– is added to southwest salads, soups, used as relishes sometimes. I find that corn is the easy way out to cooking a vegetable. Boil corn on the cob or throw it on the grill is as easy as opening a can of corn.

cheddar cheese-There are so many varieties of cheeses. For some reason cheddar is used in an abundance of recipes. I am amazed when I see cheddar added sometimes to recipes when another cheese might have been a much better choice. Cheddar is often used in salads in restaurants. It may be because of the price and the convenience.

garlic- Garlic is great, just not in everything. Some people use it so much they forget that some foods really do not need garlic to enhance their natural flavor.

sweeteners- It is understandable why people use them. Maybe it’s because they are watching calories or maybe they are diabetic. It could be for their oral health. Why not just eat a little bit of natural sugar. Maybe sugar in the raw? Sweeteners have drawbacks, too. I never bake or cook with sweeteners.

ground beef- Try Italian sausage, ground pork or turkey sausage in recipes. It adds more flavor and the turkey adds less grease. I use Italian sausage or turkey breakfast sausage (crumbled) in spaghetti.

boneless, skinless chicken breast- Boring. Chicken is fine, but why not buy the chicken and cut it up yourself. It is more flavorful and fresh. Cook it in the bone and cut the meat out. If the chicken is the main course, why not leave it on the bone with the skin? It tastes so much better. It does have more calories, this may be the reason that many people do not eat it in this form. Remember there are other options. If a recipe calls for chicken, try using turkey breast.