Although your usual favourite carbohydrates, such as pasta, rice, noodles and potatoes are very popular, they're not the only options. You could try grains like couscous, quinoa and barley to introduce a new flavour to your favourite dishes.
Bread. There isn't much nutritional difference between bread and wraps. Both contain similar ingredients, except the bread is leavened with yeast and a wrap is flat. The Nutrition Facts labels show similar nutritional profiles for one wrap and two slices of commercially baked bread.
And, it's not uncommon for people to experience bloating, diarrhoea, vomiting, and stomach pain after eating bread. The most well-known gluten-based digestive disorders are wheat allergy, wheat sensitivity, and coeliac disease, but there are many other conditions that can increase gluten sensitivity.
Healthy Alternatives to Potatoes
Instead of roasting potatoes, try roasting squash, turnips, jicama, carrots, rutabaga, or radishes. They have tons of fiber, vitamins, and minerals. We have a Roasted Squash recipe and a Roasted Jicama recipe that are both delicious!
Use a whole grain such as quinoa, bulgur, couscous or brown rice in place of your potato. You can also add a whole grain roll where your potato would normally be. Whole grains contain fiber, which can help you feel full, lower blood sugar levels and may help lower cholesterol.
Contrary to what many people believe, eliminating certain foods from the diet may bring more negative consequences than health benefits. A clear example of this is the consumption of bread, which supplies a great variety of nutrients for the body and provides energy to stay active throughout the day.
And a lot of people report that they feel better and lose weight when they cut out sugar and refined carbohydrates, she says. Yet there's no reason, she adds, that bread, pasta and plain old sugar should be completely off-limits, as some popular diets recommend. In moderation, they'll do you no harm.
Diets that cut carbs work their magic just like any other diet – and that's by reducing calories. If a diet restricts certain foods such as bread, potatoes, pasta, cereal and rice, it also restricts calories and it's this that causes weight loss.
Aside from looking better and feeling great, there's another benefit to going without bread. Cutting out these carbs helps naturally lower blood sugar levels. This means less insulin production, which leads to fewer cravings for sweets and junk food later.
But have you considered celeriac, swede (also known as rutabaga), turnips, daikon (also known as mooli) and kohlrabi? All these clever vegetables can fill the gap in your food where potatoes used to be. They all work well roasted, boiled, mashed, steamed or added to soups and stews.
Potatoes do contain important nutrients—vitamin C, potassium, and vitamin B6, to name a few. But the potato is not the only source of these nutrients, nor is it the best: Broccoli, for example, has nearly nine times as much vitamin C as a potato.
There are many low-carb potato substitutes available, but some of the best options include celery root, radishes, butternut squash, and zucchini. Each of these vegetables has its own unique flavor and texture, so be sure to choose one that will work well in the recipe you're making.
Of rice, pasta, potatoes, and bread, potatoes are the healthiest of these starchy and complex carbohydrate foods. This is because potatoes are dense in nutrients, containing essential minerals, vitamins, and other micronutrients.
Drowsiness, nausea and aches have all been associated with cutting back significantly on carbs. This happens when your body no longer has glucose to rely on as a source of energy but hasn't made the switch to use stored fat as an energy source.
Although avoiding white bread, pasta, rice and potatoes can be a useful step toward weight loss, it should be done as part of a healthy program that includes a balanced diet, along with exercise. For guidance on weight loss plans that may be right for you, consider meeting with a dietitian or talk with your doctor.