Low Carb Substitutes For Common Foods

Why do you need low carb substitutes for common food? Well, anytime you take on the task of committing to a lowcarbs diet, it hits you. Boom, you can’t eat cake. Boom, you can’t eat pasta. Boom, you can’t eat a box of Twinkies. All non low carb foods. For those that have done a low carbs diet in the past, it’s not as shocking as it is to those who are attempting a lowcarbs lifestyle for the first time.

Don’t worry; it’s really not that difficult.

As a matter of fact, large amounts of people new to the low carb lifestyle actually start getting excited within the first few days, because they’re probably eating foods that they haven’t eaten in a really long time. Big juicy steaks (my favorite), hot sizzling pork chops dripping with grease, or an omelet with so much cheese you can’t even tell it’s an omelet.

I mean seriously, that’s good stuff, right?

Now, of course, it takes time to adjust to a new way of eating, no matter what diet you choose. This is especially true with a low carb diet because we’ve been brainwashed over the last 50 years with diets that are high in complex carbohydrates.

No wonder over half of America is obese….DUH!

Open your mind. This is not your Momma’s low calorie diet. Low carbing will change your life, sure, but it’s all for the better. When you’re able to dig out clothes from three years before when you were twenty pounds lighter, and they actually fit, you’ll thank yourself for making the big change.

The point of this post is to help you get the most out of your low carb experience. There are plenty of low carb substitutes for common foods that you’re used to which will help you transition a lot easier.

For instance, one of the more popular items is sugar substitutes. These are an absolute god send when baking up a lowcarbs dessert (which, trust me, you will), and although artificial sweeteners affect people differently, speaking in general, you’ll want to keep plenty on hand.

Perhaps the #1 challenge that new low carb dieters have to overcome is bread. Bread is such a basic and household staple; it can be a hard habit to break. Now, there are low carb bread recipes, but they should really only be used in latter phases of the diet. A lot of so called “low carb breads” contain hidden carbs and can throw your whole game off, so when the time comes that you want to try it out, find a recipe online and make it yourself so that you know you won’t be setting back all your progress. Trust me, down the line, Almond flour and flax flour will be your best friend!

The next obstacle? Pasta. A lot of people LOVE pasta (me included). But think about it…sure, noodles are good; however the best part of a lot of pastas is the cheese, the meat, the veggies, and the sauce. Instead of noodles, find something else to put all those toppings over (of course, with a low carb sauce). Squash makes a surprisingly fantastic substitute for pasta noodles. Zucchini, spaghetti squash, eggplant, there are tons of possibilities. Pile on the toppings, and again, go easy on any lowcarbs sauce. My personal favorite is the cheese…think about a lasagna made with eggplant and 5 different cheeses…mmm.

Potatoes? No problem. Ever heard of a handy little vegetable called Cauliflower? You can puree boiled or steamed cauliflower with lots of butter and make the creamiest fake mashed potatoes you’ve ever had. Even a huge number of non low carb dieters prefer mashed cauliflower to potatoes any day of the week. Add cheese, bacon and sour cream for an out of this world delicious meal.

I hope I’ve given you some inspiration on different substitutes for low carb dieting. There are many more, but the above are some of the most common. Do your research and most importantly, have fun with it! Since living a low carb lifestyle, I’ve never been more creative in the kitchen!

Breakfast Bread Low Carb Recipe

Carbs Per Serving: 9g

Effort: Easy

Ingredients:
1/4 cup protein powder
1/2 cup carbo-lite bake mix
1/4 cup flax seeds — ground into 1/2C meal
3 large eggs
1/2 cup sour cream1/4 cup water
1/2 teaspoon salt
2 teaspoons baking powder
3 tablespoons melted butter

How to Prepare Low Carb Breakfast Bread:

Preheat oven to 350f.  Spray a standard 8″ loaf pan (or an 8x8x2 cake pan) with cooking spray. Mix all dry ingredients in a large bowl. Beat eggs with a fork and blend in butter, water and sour cream. Stir into dry ingredients until just blended.

Pour into prepared pan, and bake: 30 minutes for square pan and 40 minutes for loaf pan.

The flax seeds provide almost all the fiber and is a source of insoluable fiber. I would subtract 9g from the loaf total carbs leaving a loaf w/ just 13g carbs total. May add some cinnamon and vanilla extract next time for a more sweet/homestyle taste.