When you change ingredients in a recipe, you often encounter objections from family members and even your own taste buds. Remember when you swapped whole milk for skim milk? You probably thought you'd never be able to get over the taste or texture. But now you may not be able to imagine drinking a glass of whole milk! A similar situation occurs when substituting other foods such as whole wheat pasta and brown rice.
One of the best ways to overcome these resistances is to make a gradual transition. Try mixing two parts white macaroni and one part whole-wheat macaroni first. This method can also be used over rice. Gradually reduce the proportion of white macaroni and increase the proportion of whole grain foods. Some pasta manufacturers have begun selling pasta made with half white flour and half whole wheat flour, which is an excellent option for people who are just starting to make changes to their meals.
Think back to some of your favorite foods. There’s a repertoire on everyone’s dinner table, it’s an absolute hit, easy to make and has a high click-through rate. So, how do you reinvent these time-tested gold medal foods with healthy carbs? What new foods would you like to try? Here, we'll tell you how to lower the carb content of your delicious home-cooked meals:
Breaded or crushed grain toppings and fillings
Breadcrumbs and/or crushed grains can be used in just a few ways. Either sprinkle it on the surface of the food to add crunch; or mix it into the main ingredient to increase the portion size or improve holding power/formability. If you want to buy ready-made bread crumbs, it may be difficult to find other types of products besides white bread as a base. Whether your food needs a sprinkle of toppings or you need to increase the portion size, whole-grain bread crumbs are a better choice because they contain dietary fiber and other nutrients.
You can make your own by putting the ends of whole grain bread in a food processor (but many people throw them away all the time). Turn for a while, then place in a plastic bag or other container and store for later use. When your food calls for breadcrumbs, you can add them directly from the refrigerator (no need to thaw), or follow recipes and mix them with various herbs and spices or other seasonings.
If you want to cut down on carbs even more, try a combination of nut pulp and bread crumbs. This mixture is more suitable for spreading on food surfaces than as a filling. For cereal toppings, use cereals that are high in fiber (at least five grams of fiber per serving) rather than varieties with one gram or less. In addition to making desserts, make sure they are sugar-free cereals.
Pasta
When it comes to making the switch to a healthy carb diet, it seems easy to think of pasta, but people often stick to what they've always done and the habit comes naturally. In fact, many people never think of substituting whole grain pasta for white flour pasta because they've never done it before, but it just takes a little foresight. Nowadays you can easily find whole wheat pasta in a variety of shapes.
No matter what kind of pasta it is, whether it’s macaroni and cheese or linguine with clam sauce, there’s absolutely no need to fast. Just use whole wheat pasta instead of white pasta. No matter which type of pasta you eat, avoid overdosing it. Serve pasta in a small salad bowl-sized bowl with vegetables and salad.
Rice
Any food that requires the addition of rice (except special foods such as sushi) can be replaced with brown rice. Pay attention to the cooking time at this time, as brown rice takes longer than white rice.
Mexican pizza
Whether used as a filling to make a delicious enchilada, as a base for tempting tacos, or as the base of a variety of veggie or carnitas, quesadillas are perfect. Corn and whole wheat pancakes contain more fiber and other nutrients than white flour pancakes. Now, they are increasingly appearing on grocery store shelves, even in some mainstream grocers. Corn tortillas are generally fat-free, but when buying other types of tortillas, be sure to check the nutrition facts to see if they contain ghee or lard, and make sure you only buy pancakes that don't contain either oil.
Bread
For foods that use bread, such as a layered sandwich or French toast that contains a lot of eggs, replace all of your usual bread with whole grain bread. Just like substituting whole-wheat pasta for white pasta, this substitution requires some planning; otherwise, you'll end up going back to white bread.
Summary
The secret to cooking healthy carbs boils down to loading up on four major ingredients: whole grains, legumes (dry beans of all kinds), vegetables and fruits. These foods (with the exception of some fruits) have a low glycemic index and therefore do not adversely affect blood sugar, while increasing feelings of fullness and providing vitamins, minerals and phytochemicals.
If you consume a large amount of highly processed carbohydrate foods, you will suffer from acute energy deficiency, difficulty controlling sweets, and weight gain. Then try to replace the original foods with healthier carbohydrates and monitor your health.body's reaction. You'll probably feel better! Pairing moderate amounts of lean meat, poultry, fish, or plant-based proteins (legumes like soybeans) with plenty of vegetables and whole grains can reduce unhealthy cholesterol and saturated fatty acids. Ingestion.
Many carbohydrate-based foods or ready-to-eat snacks that people eat in a hurry are high in sugar, low in fiber, and contain various additives and/or preservatives. By eliminating these foods and switching to the healthy options above, many people can lose weight, maintain stable blood sugar levels, and treat and possibly prevent a variety of illnesses, which is ultimately our goal. Why not?
However, caution must be exercised when it comes to foods that are labeled as low carb. Currently, the FDA has not defined the term low-carb. Food manufacturers and restaurateurs use terms like "carb aware," "carb accurate," and "low carb" to give the impression of being low carb without labeling the actual claim. This can promote sales without violating relevant FDA regulations. Some people also believe that low-carb can be used as a descriptive term and is not strictly a nutritional claim.
Food manufacturers sometimes also mislead the public by placing low-carb or low-carbohydrate labels on foods that are not originally high in carbohydrates. For example: Salad dressings are inherently low in carbohydrates. Two tablespoons of one brand of salad dressing contains only two grams of carbohydrates. Another brand of salad dressing contains no carbohydrates. The difference in carbohydrate content between the two is not huge, but it can have a big impact on your purchasing choices. Foods claiming to be low in carbohydrates or contain no carbohydrates tend to be more expensive than similar foods.