Check out some warning signs that your recipe might have an excess of carbs:
- The primary element in the recipe (and also in the recipe name!) is pasta.
- You see that the recipe includes various high-carb foods. This is prevalent in Latin cuisine (like rice + corn + beans), plant-based dishes, Asian, Southern, and Italian recipes.
- A dessert recipe demands all-purpose flour, sugar, and possibly even some chocolate chips.
Here are efficient techniques to modify these dishes to satisfy your palate while aligning with your objectives:
- If the main component is pasta, consider the desired carb intake per portion. For instance, if a recipe serving 6 requires 1 lb. of penne pasta, you would consume 2.7oz per serving, equivalent to 52g of carbs, excluding other carb sources. You might opt to present the dish as a side and partake in ½ serving instead of a full main course serving.
- Substitute pasta noodles with whole, unprocessed, low-glycemic vegetable noodles. Zucchini, sweet potato, and butternut squash are commonly found in most stores. Alternatively, create your own vegetable noodles using a spiralizer!
- When a recipe features multiple carb-rich foods, replace them with nutritious, protein-rich options to cut down on carbs. Swap cauliflower rice for rice in Mexican cuisine or eliminate the rice while retaining fiber-packed beans. In vegan dishes like buddha bowls, enhance the quantity of non-starchy veggies and incorporate protein-rich foods like organic edamame, nuts, seeds, or tofu instead of extra starches.
- Traditional baked goods made with refined flour and sugar tend to spike blood sugar levels and hinder progress. Yet, you can still relish treats without derailing your goals! Replace white flour with almond or coconut flour using a 1:1 ratio for almond flour or ¼ cup of coconut flour for every 1 cup of white flour.
- Reduce sugar in recipes by ¼ to ⅓ without compromising taste. Use unsweetened applesauce or mashed banana combined with monk fruit or erythritol to eliminate refined sugar. This blend yields mildly sweet recipes with rich flavor.
- Opt for low-sugar options like cocoa nibs and Lily’s Dark chocolate chips to infuse chocolate into your creations.
Source: YouTube/Healthy Steps Nutrition & HSN Coaching
