Carbohydrate intake is a part of nutrition that has a tremendous impact on other health. Factors such as our energy, our weight and even our blood sugar levels depend on an adequate consumption of these.
When it comes to regulating our diet, a problem for many nutritionists is to go too far to extremes: eliminating carbohydrates from the diet is usually as dangerous as eating too much.
There are many ways to balance carbohydrates in our diet that are less drastic and much more consistent with the body’s needs. Find out what are the best tricks for this.
7 tricks to reduce carbohydrate intake
1. Eliminate sodas and other sugary drinks
Most of the sugary drinks available on the market, such as sodas or sodas, are loaded with excessive and very unhealthy sugar levels. As an example, every 354 milliliters of sweet soda can contain 38 grams of carbohydrates, all of which come directly from sugar.
An excessive consumption of these high-sugar drinks can lead to medium-term side effects such as:
- Increased insulin resistance.
- Risk of type 2 diabetes.
- Greater tendency to obesity.
Although it would be advisable to avoid these types of drinks, you can start by substituting them for natural teas or unsweetened soda complemented with lemon and some dietary sweetener. This is a good method as long as your body and palate get used to it.
2. Try other types of bread other than white
Bread, so common in the daily diet of so many countries, is unfortunately one of the foods with the most carbohydrates out there. White bread is also one of the worst options when it comes to eating this food due to its low fiber content and the excess carbohydrates it provides.
The best we can do is look for healthier sources of grains other than wheat, such as certain vegetables, seeds, nuts, or healthier versions of bread such as Ezekiel’s bread.
3. Change fruit juices for natural flavored water
Fruit juices are among the foods that make you gain the most weight. This is because extracting just this part of the fruit deprives us of fiber intake and maximizes the sugar levels we consume.
Some 354 ml of apple juice contain approximately 48 grams of carbohydrates, almost all of them from sugar, with which we can already get an idea of how counterproductive they can be.
It is best to avoid fruit juices and replace them with naturally flavored water. For example: adding slices of lemon or orange to flavor mineral water is a healthier alternative.
4. Eat eggs and other low-carb foods for breakfast
Even seemingly healthy breakfasts tend to have carbohydrates. As an example, something as harmless to the eye as a bowl of granola (55 grams) usually contains about 30 grams of digestible carbohydrates.
When deciding on a low-carbohydrate breakfast , eggs are an unbeatable option: each one contains less than 1g of carbohydrates, not to mention that it represents a healthy protein source, capable of keeping you full for hours.
The ideal is to learn how to prepare eggs in a healthy way. Going them through a little olive oil or serving them cooked and accompanied by steamed vegetables are just some of the many ways in which they can be prepared.
5. Ask for a vegetable garnish if we eat out
Most restaurants tend to have a variety of vegetable contour options on their menus. Depending on the dish you order, it is common for them to offer you to accompany it with bread, potatoes, pasta, rice or vegetables. Making a good decision in this regard is very important to cut carbohydrates from your diet.
While most starch contours can add 30 grams of carbohydrates or more to a regular meal, choosing vegetables as a side dish can add fiber and almost no carbohydrates to your meal.
6. Substitute low-carbohydrate flour for wheat flour
The wheat flour for baking that we usually buy is high in carbohydrates. That almost anyone knows. What not everyone knows is that there are low-carb flour alternatives, which are just as versatile for cooking and much healthier.
Some of the traditional wheat flour substitutes are made with coconut or walnut, and are available at many health food stores.
It is estimated that every 100 grams of walnut flour contain less than 11 carbohydrates. If it were coconut flour, we would talk about less than 21 grams of carbohydrates, so you can get an idea of how positive it can be to use this type of flour to lose weight .
7. Replace traditional cow’s milk with coconut or almond milk
Milk is nutritious, but not recommended if we want to start a low-carbohydrate diet . It is estimated that for every 240 ml of traditional cow’s milk the body absorbs between 12 and 13 grams of carbohydrates, so looking for substitutes for traditional milk is highly advisable.
Substitutes for cow’s milk include coconut, almond, or walnut milk. Most of these products provide no more than 2 grams of carbohydrate per serving, which represents a significant long-term reduction.
Coconut milk may not sound like a good idea to go with a bowl of cereal, but using it as a substitute for some coffee or tea can make all the difference when it comes to cutting carbohydrates from your diet.
Conclution
Taking the first step towards a low-carbohydrate diet is not usually easy: many of the high-carbohydrate foods that we consume conquer us because of their taste and not so much because of their healthy contributions.
However, reducing carbohydrates in our diet does not have to be a dramatic and unpleasant event. The little tips we’ve given here should help make this transition easy and healthy.
Finally, it does not hurt to remember that what we are trying here is to reduce, not permanently eliminate carbohydrates. Any good diet that boasts of being good should contain a balanced level of them, at least enough to make us feel energetic and well compensated.
Reference
- Franziska Spritzler. 15 Easy Ways to Reduce Your Carbohydrate Intake. For Authority Nutrition. [Revised July 2016]
