Health & Diet

Reduce Your Carb Intake With These Healthy Gluten-Free Alternatives

Green kale leaves isolated on white

If you spend your time dreaming about mac and cheese, stacks of pancakes and pasta you understand the struggle of pleasure versus health. The problem? Foods like these are heavy in carbs and can often leave you feeling tired and agitated. While healthy carbohydrates is good in moderation, loading up on bread products isn’t the best tactic if you’re trying to drop pounds. See how many calories you’ll save by making these easy swaps with fruit and veggies. We’ve rounded up some of the most notorious carb-heavy foods and found delicious, low-carb alternatives to satisfy any craving. Try these five simple swaps that are highly nutritious and less likely to leave you hungry moments later.

Instead of taco shells, try leafy greens:

Because you can turn almost any sandwich into a lettuce wrap, wrap a sandwich, burger or taco ingredients inside a large romaine, spinach, collard or cabbage leaf instead for an option with almost no carbohydrates. Leafy greens are like a topping from the inside-out and give any taco a fresh new twist.

Instead of pizza crust, try cauliflower: 

Cauliflower is getting quite the hype lately as being 2016’s new ‘super food’ and we can definitely get on board! There isn’t much cauliflower cant disguise itself as, and pizza is no exception. Don’t be intimated by making your own “dough”, since this veggie alternative isn’t really dough at all. Since there is no rising involved, cauliflower takes less time than traditional dough and is packed with nutrients that regular pizza sadly doesn’t provide.  Up your game even more with roasted veggies and goat cheese as a gourmet topping, or opt for convention and load it up with marinara and mozzarella goodness.

Instead of flour pancakes, try oats and banana: 

Honour the most important meal of the day by making something equally as delicious as nutritious while sticking to a childhood favorite. Pancakes never go out of style, but revamp this morning treat with a lip-smacking low-carb version guaranteed to keep you fuller longer. Swapping flour for oats and banana could not be easier and is fantastic alternative to add protein, fibre and vitamins to regular old pancakes. Win!

Instead of potato chips, try kale chips: 

Don’t skip snack time – simply choose a lower-carb version. Foods such as potato chips, pretzels, and crackers include numerous carbs. Instead, satisfy your need to for a savory crunch by making delicious kale chips. Drizzle and coat whole leaves with olive oil, top with salt, and roast in a low-heat oven until crispy for just 1.4 grams of carbs per cup!

Instead of spaghetti noodles, try squash: 

Squash masked as spaghetti? Trust us, not only does it work, but is so delicious it doesn’t even seem like a low-carb substitute! This basic recipe is a great base to build any spaghetti dish. Adding vegetables like roasted tomatoes or spinach adds nutrition, while throwing in some cooked chicken or shrimp will give it that extra protein boost. Even with a drizzle of olive oil or simple marinara sauce, using squash instead of traditional pasta will keep you guilt-free.

Photo: iStock