Finding Healthy Alternatives to High Carbohydrate Foods
Eating low carb can be intimidating, especially when so many of the foods we love, or find comfort and routine in, have a lot of carbohydrates. The holiday season, in particular, can be an especially challenging time to avoid refined foods and sugar. Here are a few “carb swaps” you can have in your arsenal when you have a craving for something salty or sweet, but don’t want to sabotage your goals. It’s important to remember our ideal diet consists of whole, unrefined foods and a limited amount of sweeteners, but it’s also important to have some alternatives on hand so we don’t reach for less desirable options.
Pasta
Spaghetti Squash, Zucchini noodles or Yellow Squash Noodles are excellent substitutions for refined pasta, particularly with a good protein and sauce; these can help satisfy the craving without busting your carbs for the day.
You can also try various “keto noodles” which mostly consist of water.
Crackers, Bread and Wraps
There are ways to get the satisfaction of bread without all the carbs. You can make your own at home with easy to find online recipes. Or you can also find several options of low-carb bread and wrap options in the grocery store, health food store, or online.
Green Leaf or Romaine Lettuce can also be used as a wrap for your favorite burger or sandwich.
There are also various low-carb chips and crackers on the market that can satisfy a craving.
On the Go
Chick-fil-A serves Grilled Nuggets and salad options
In N’ Out Burger has a great “Protein Style” burger that substitutes the bun for fresh lettuce and most other fast food burger places will let you remove the bun as well.
Starbucks has a salami and cheese tray you can grab with your coffee
Chipotle has great salad options, you can get the protein, cheese and salsa or extra veggies and skip the rice and beans.
Coffee and Other Beverages
One of the biggest challenges can be weaning off of soda or sweeteners in our beverages. Although it is best to avoid even artificial sweeteners there are some that are better for us than others. A few tips:
Replace the skim milk with 1-2 T of Half n’ Half or liquid Whipping Cream
Avoid “flavored” creams that are usually full of oil and sugar
Avoid saccharin sweeteners like Sweet n’ Lo and Splenda and replace them with a monk fruit sweetener or an erythritol sweetener.
You can also have any variety of sparkling waters without any added sweeteners.
Desserts and Sweets
We want a diet rich in whole foods, with lots of vegetables and protein, but sometimes we just want something sweet. So, rather than reaching for the snack cake, full of refined sugar, or your favorite ice cream, you can try some of these alternatives:
Find a good keto recipe for cheesecake, or keto pumpkin pie
Have some berries with some unsweetened or erythritol sweetened whipped cream
Fat Bombs are a popular “keto snack” but can be a nice solution when you want a small bite of something sweet. Limit the quantity that you consume.
There are also various chocolate bars on the market that are sweetened with erythritol and it can be easier to partake of a small portion for a little taste of something sweet.
Many grocery stores also carry low-carb ice cream and ice cream bars.
