If you are like most fitness women, being low carb is part of your daily diet. Sure it’s easy to drop the carbs from your diet, simply stay away from foods that are high in simple sugars such as white rice, bread, pasta and potatoes, but eating the same chicken and broccoli every day can get old fast.
Eating the same foods can become monotonous and lead to diet breakdowns if you are not feeling satisfied with your food. So what’s the alternative? In this post, I’m providing you with eight healthy low carb alternatives that will add minimal calories and a whole lot of excitement to your low carb-eating plan.
Low Carb Vegetable Options:
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Zucchini Pasta
Zucchini can be sliced thinly to make a lasagna style noodle, or can be grated using a simple box grater or spooler to make spaghetti style noodle. Use zucchini in replace of noodles in stir-fry, pasta dishes or even in salads instead of the usual mixed greens. Zucchini delivers 3.5 g of carbs, and 1 g of fibre, along with 30% of your daily vitamin C needs per one cup serving. Other options – carrot, beet and butternut squash!
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Lettuce Wraps
Romaine, leaf, iceberg lettuce or even kale leaves make the perfect replacement for flour or corn made wraps or taco shells. If you are tired of eating salad and chicken, why not try making a lettuce wrap, use avocado, grilled veggies and strips of grilled chicken breast. In the mood for a taco bowl, line a bowl with iceberg lettuce, and add cooked extra lean ground beef, salsa, and avocado.
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Mashed Cauliflower
Instead of mashed potatoes, try mashed cauliflower. Cauliflower is a mild tasting cruciferous vegetable that packs a ton of fibre. Cook a head of chopped cauliflower using a vegetable steamer. Once cooked, place into a food processor along with 1 clove of pressed garlic, salt, pepper, and a dash of nutmeg. Add a bit of the water used for steaming. Blend until smooth! One cup of cauliflower delivers 5 g of carbohydrates and 2 g of fibre, along with 85% of the daily value for vitamin C.
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Sweet Potato Hash Browns
Looking for a switch up from your daily oatmeal breakfast, try Sweet Potato Hash Browns instead. Use left over cooked sweet potato to form a patti, and pan fry in a non-stick pan using a bit of coconut oil. Another option, grate sweet potato, and pan fry in a non-stick pan using a bit of coconut oil, along with ¼ cup chopped sweet onion, salt, pepper to taste and ½ glove of pressed garlic. You probably already know the benefits of sweet potato – 1 cup packs 27 g of carbs and 4 g of fibre, along with a whopping dose of Beta-Carotene!
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Shredded Cabbage Noodles
Cabbage noodles are a great way to get in your cruciferous vegetables, eat them instead of rice with stir frys, or add them to salad to up your veggie content! Simply shredded cabbage, and pan fry in a non-stick pan until soft If eating with stir fry, or add raw to salads. One cup of shredded cabbage provides 4.1 g of carbs and 1.8 g of fiber, along with 40% of your daily Vitamin C needs.
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Baked Taro Root Fries
Steam taro root, and peel off skin. Cut peeled taro into quarters, place on a non-stick baking sheet, add rosemary, salt and pepper. Place in a pre-heated oven and bake on a non-stick pan at 400 degrees for about 10 minutes, flip and bake for another 10 minutes. Serve alongside your meat, instead of the usual brown rice or sweet potato! A half-cup serving delivers 23 g of carbs and 3.5 g of fiber!
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Shirataki Noodles
If you are not into the work needed to prep Zucchini noodles, try Shirtaki instead. Shiritaki noodles are made from Konjac root, which is comprised of Glucomannan, a water-soluble dietary fiber. Glucomannan swells in the gut and slows down digestion, reducing hunger and cravings. Per 3 oz serving of Shirtaki noodles delivers 0 g of carbs.
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Cauliflower Rice
This is a simple and easy replacement for regular rice. Take a head of chopped cauliflower and place in a food processor. Process until evenly chopped but not completely pulverized. Remove from food processor. Spread cauliflower on a baking sheet evenly. Bake for 15 minutes in a oven pre-heated to 425F. Flip at least once. Serve as your side dish. You can also cook in a pan similar to fried rice, adding extra veggies, egg, and soy sauce.
Until Next Time,
Be Fierce & Rule the World,
Lauren Jacobsen
