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Too much of an otherwise good thing isn’t always good for us. Trying to reduce the amount of carbohydrates in your diet? Check out this list of 10 Easy Ways to Cut Down on Carbs.
Consuming Fewer Carbs Doesn’t Have to Be Painful
My darling husband and I have been blessed with good health. However, our doctor recently suggested it would be a good for us to find ways to cut down on carbs.That sent me off on a research mission.
My first dive into the topic was daunting and more than a little discouraging.
I ran across lots of suggestions and complicated formulas on how to all but eliminate carbs, cutting consumption to levels that sounded drastic – and well, pretty painful. Hey, I like bread! And rice, and pasta, and even the occasional slice of cake.
Then I remembered that the doctor had only suggested we find ways to cut down on carbs, not eliminate them entirely.
Whew!
So, I took another stab at it, searching for easy ways to cut down on carbs while still enjoying the foods we love.
Thankfully, I’ve discovered that it’s really not all that hard to do. Making these few adjustments, substitutions, and small changes to your diet can really add up. And yes, you’ll still be able to eat bread!
Read on for my list of 10 Easy Ways to Cut Down on Carbs.
1. Choose a Higher Protein Breakfast
When you’re on the go, grabbing a carb-heavy bowl of cereal or a piece of toast is tempting. But choosing a higher-protein breakfast such as scrambled eggs or yogurt is an incredibly easy way to cut down on carbs.
For example, a cup of Shredded Wheat cereal contains 37 grams of net carbs. Two scrambled eggs only have 2 grams of carbs. Big difference!
But let’s face it, cereal and toast is yummy. Also, both contain fiber, which is something we definitely need, especially the whole wheat variety. If you’re not completely ready to cut the cord on cereal or toast, just choose a high-protein breakfast more often. Even two or three times a week will help.
And if you’re looking for an easy high-protein breakfast for busy days, check out my recipe for Make Ahead Mediterranean Egg Cups. They’re really delicious and freeze beautifully!
2. Use Fresh Fruit in Yogurt
We often think of yogurt as a healthy choice for breakfast or snacks. However, most flavored yogurts contain a lot more sugar than you might suppose.
Adding your own fruit to plain yogurt is a deliciously easy way to cut down on carbs.
For example, 6 ounces of Yoplait “Real Fruit” Strawberry Yogurt has 26 grams of carbs, most of which come from added sugars. The same amount of plain yogurt plus a half cup of raspberries has around 14 grams of fiber. But those raspberries also have 4 grams of fiber, so the net carbs will actually be 10 grams.
3. Reduce or Eliminate Sugary Drinks
Soda, sweetened teas, and energy drinks contain lots of sugar and carbohydrates, not to mention empty calories. Eliminating them from your diet or reducing your intake can be a game-changer if you’re looking for easy ways to cut down on carbs.
Plain or flavored sparkling water can be a good replacement for soda. Keeping a pitcher of plain water infused with slices of cucumber, mint, oranges, or sliced strawberries can help you kick the habit, too. You can also try making your own sugar-free sun tea to sip during the day.
If you really miss the sweet taste of soda, try making a spritzer of half fruit juice and half sparkling water, gradually reducing the amount of juice to water over time. Eight ounces of Sprite has 23 grams of carbs, while an 8-ounce sparkling spritzer made with cranberry or orange juice has about 12 to 14 carbs.
4. Choose Open-Faced or Half Sandwiches
As I said above, I really love bread. And I am not about to stop eating sandwiches at lunchtime.
But making open-faced sandwiches or half-sandwiches is an easy way to cut down on carbs without giving up my favorite lunch choice.
To make sure I’m feeling full and satisfied, I pile extra fillings onto whatever sandwich I’ve made and round out the meal with a fresh salad, homemade soup, or some fruit.
5. Rethink Your Snack Options
When you’re feeling peckish, it’s so easy and tempting to grab some chips, crackers, cookies, or candy.
Planning ahead for snacks and making options like nuts, seeds, hard-boiled eggs, cheese either on its own or with a little a few grapes or apple slices, or celery with a little peanut butter can really help reduce your carbs intake at snack time.
6. Reduce Portions of Pasta and Rice
When it comes to rice or pasta, I feel the same way as I do about bread. I’m not giving it up entirely. However, I’ve found that reducing my portions is a painless way to cut back on carbs.
Lots of recipes count two ounces of dry spaghetti as a portion. That’s a LOT of pasta. And a lot of carbohydrates, around 42 grams. Cutting that down by half an ounce will your carb intake by about 10 grams, but still leave you a healthy portion of pasta.
The same principle applies to rice, which has 45 grams of carbs per cup. Cutting your portion to three-fourths or even half a cup instead of a whole cup can make a big difference.
If you’re worried this might leave you feeling hungry or unsatisfied, just add more lower-carb items to the meal, including extra protein and green, leafy vegetables.
7. Go Whole Grain
Here’s the bad news. Whole grain breads and pastas, and brown rice have just as many carbs as their more refined counterparts.
The good news is that they also have more fiber. Grams of fiber is subtracted from grams of carbs, resulting in net carbs, which can help in the quest to cut down on carbs.
For example, because of the fiber, a cup of brown rice has about 3.5 fewer net grams of carbohydrate than white rice. That’s not a ton, so I still would keep an eye on portions, but it does make a difference. And fiber is a help to digestion, so there’s no downside here.
8. Make Your Own Salad Dressing
Many store-bought salad dressings are LOADED with sugar and, by extension, carbs.
Making your own salad dressing is a super simple way to cut out carbs. And not only will your homemade dressing taste better than dressing you buy at the grocery store, it’ll be a lot less expensive too.
If you’re not sure where to begin, mix up a simple vinaigrette. The traditional ratio is 3 parts oil to one part vinegar (but I generally go heavier on the vinegar) with some flavoring such as salt and pepper, fresh or dried herbs, and maybe some mustard or a bit of lemon juice.
9. Make Your Own Everything
Okay, this one is a little tongue-in-cheek. Obviously, most of us don’t have the time, energy, or expertise to make everything at home.
But prepared and packaged food almost always come with hidden sugar and carbs, plus all kinds of unpronounceable chemicals. Avoiding them and making foods from scratch when possible is a good overall health strategy.
Besides making salad dressings and sauces, you might also consider creating some of your own spice blends to sprinkle on grilled fish, roasted meat and chicken, or salad. Marinating meat and poultry at home is another tasty and easy way to cut down on carbs.
My recipe for Mediterranean Chicken with Dill and Feta Sauce is a great place to start!
10. Choose Fruit for Dessert
I like dessert. A lot. There is no way my sweet tooth and I are going to give it up entirely.
However, replacing that nightly bowl of ice cream or a handful of cookies with a bowl of berries or a juicy, perfectly ripe orange is a good way to cut back on carbs and empty calories.
If you’re not quite ready to go “full-fruit”, sprinkle a spoonful of dark chocolate chips onto your berries, or a little cream, or maybe enjoy them with just one cookie – not four.
