9 Tasty Tips for Cutting Carbs From Your Diet
Cutting back on carbs can help you lose weight, but that’s not to say you need to eliminate carbs completely. Instead, focus on carbs in nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, low-glycemic fruits like berries, dairy, nuts and in controlled portions of beans and grains.
Overview
Cutting back on carbs can help you lose weight, but that's not to say you need to eliminate carbs completely. Instead, focus on carbs in nutrient-dense foods such as vegetables, low-glycemic fruits like berries, dairy, nuts and in controlled portions of beans and grains. Try to eliminate refined and processed carbs found in packaged cookies, crackers, candy, baked goods, white rice, bread and pasta. Here are some tasty ideas to help you stay in control and get more variety without blowing your carbohydrate budget.
1. Take the veggie alternative.
Instead of using rice or pasta as a base for sauces, curries and other dishes, use shredded lettuce or cabbage, mung bean sprouts, grated raw zucchini or daikon radish.
2. Pass on the pasta.
Have spaghetti squash or shirataki noodles (made from soybeans and a non-starchy yam) in lieu of pasta.
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3. Ripening raises carbs.
Certain fruits are lower in carbs before they're fully ripe. A few slices of a green pear make a tart addition to a tossed salad without adding too many carbs. Grated green papaya makes a delicious slaw dressed with rice vinegar and sesame oil.
4. Make it a wrap.
Roll sandwich fixings in nori, the sheet seaweed used for sushi, instead of wraps or tortillas. Avocado and either salmon or sliced chicken are a natural combo, as are tuna salad and shredded lettuce. You can also make wraps out of slices of romaine lettuce leaves and layers of deli meat (or tuna or chicken salad), mayo and cheese.
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5. Go "halfsies."
Think of half a baked potato as a portion. Slice it lengthwise before baking so you won't be tempted to eat the whole thing. When it's done, mash the pulp with blue cheese, pesto or herb butter.
6. Try flatbreads.
Some whole-grain flatbreads are high in fiber and relatively low in net carbs (which are calculated by subtracting grams of dietary fiber and grams of sugar alcohol from total carbohydrates on a nutrition label), making them a good choice for open-face sandwiches. Scandinavian bran crisps are even lower in carbs.
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7. Make your own muesli or granola.
Use rolled oats (give them a few pulses in a food processor), chopped nuts and seeds and ground flaxseed. Serve a half-cup portion with plain whole milk or Greek yogurt, some berries or half a chopped-up apple.
8. Add fiber.
Sprinkle small portions of barley, bulgur, buckwheat, wheat berries or wild rice onto salads or soups for a texture and fiber treat without much carb impact.
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9. Go for soy.
Make chili and similar dishes with black soybeans. A half-cup of cooked beans contains only one gram of net carbs, compared with almost 13 grams for regular black beans.
What Do YOU Think?
What are some tricks you use to cut carbs from your diet? Have you tried any of these methods? Let us know in the comments section!
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