A substance that is used to replace lipids in a recipe (often for baked goods), typically to reduce calories or for people on a fat-restricted diet. Fat replacers are often sweet liquids such as honey or apple butter, which add the moisture which fat would have held in, and replace some of the flavor that fat would have provided. There are also commercial products made specifically as fat replacers. Many of these make use of the thickening properties of oat bran, which serendipitously contains beta-glucan, a chemical which is believed to lower LDL cholesterol and thus be very beneficial for people who need to watch their fat intake.