Having a daily diet with full of refined carbs may satisfy your tongue temporarily, but leave behind lots of health troubles in the long term. Cutting back on carbohydrates, eliminating refined, packaged and processed foods provides your body with a lot of pleasure and ensures your ongoing good health. A low-carb diet significantly promotes weight loss and controls diabetes as proved by many researchers. Taking away carbs from your diet is no longer a daunting task anymore if you start following our 7 easy ways right now.
1. Drink More Water
Drinking water regularly will help cut down your chance of reaching for refined carbs. When you drink enough water, it helps eliminate toxic and excessive fluids in your body, thereby preventing the body from dehydration. In fact, most people actually do not drink enough water needed for a day. They often satisfy the feeling of thirsty by selecting canned drinks in the market. Water means “pure” which is completely different from frizzy drinks and caffeine-packed drinks such as soda and coffee. Water is also the solution for your stomach satiety when you are hungry between meals. Moreover, it is totally calorie-free.
2. Drink Green Tea
Replace the frizzy drinks packed with caffeine with a cup of green tea to help cut down your intake of refined carbs. Thanks to the payload of antioxidants, consuming this herbal tea also helps reduce your risk of certain types of cancer while keeping you more alert all day long. Green tea also has the properties to promote fat loss.
Furthermore, sipping a cup of green tea will provide you with diuretic properties, helping reduce fluid retention in a natural way. Remember to avoid drinking tea a few hours before going to bed.
3. Avoid Processed Fruit Juice
While whole fruits in deliver myriads of benefits to our body, fruit juice contains lots of refined fiber and sugar regardless of a considerable amount of vitamins and minerals detailed on the nutritional label. It is better to cut off these sugar-sweetened beverages completely and opt for fresh fruits. You can also flavor your water with some slices of orange and apple in just a small amount. Another nourishing tip to help you cut out refined carbs is adding fresh vegetable juice to your menu. Blend together low-carb veggies such as leafy greens, cucumber, celery, and bell peppers to create delicious smoothies at home. Drink it daily after meals to attain great benefits.
4. Cut Back On Wheat Flour Products
Bread, muffin and cookies are something that you probably reach for when being hungry as these are palatable and easy foods for your casual meals too. Wheat flour is a high-carb ingredient in most staple and baked goods; however, they lack of essential nutrients that your body acquires due to the stripping of almost valuable nutrients during baking process. If you consume those flour-packed foods as the base of your meals, chances are you are getting payloads of sugar and refined carbs with zero nutritional value.
To solve this problem, you should switch to whole grain products, which provide you with more fiber and nutrients. However, 100 grams of whole wheat flour still have 60 grams of digestible carbs. Fortunately, flours made from nuts and coconuts are best alternatives, since 100 grams of almonds or coconuts only contain less than 20 grams of digestible carbs. Therefore, you can select baked goods that are made from almond or coconut flour to minimize your intake of refined carbs.
Alternatively, you can also replace your daily plate with vegetables, nuts and seeds to assure greater promise. By making small changes into your diet, you will find it easier to actually cut back on these staple foods.
5. Switch Your Pasta Spaghetti Plates
We can hardly resist the tempting of pasta and spaghetti. However, they are made of flour, salt and sugar, and contain about 220 calories and 42 grams of carbs per cup. Hence, it is better to replace your favorite pasta dishes with other low-carb, nice homemade options. Opt for courgette with just a few strips of zucchinis to make your own lasagna-style noodles, which taste even better.
Try adding more protein and vegetables into your pasta dishes and bread to balance your meals instead of eating them solely. Other substitutes are spaghetti squash which contains a great source of vitamins and only 10 grams of carbs per cup.
6. Skip Packaged Junk Food
Are you a fan of snack foods? Are those little sugary snacks such as chips, sweets, crackers and pretzels often available to serve as your light meal? We agree that eating them might deliver immediate pleasure to your tongue. However, it is a trauma to your health in long term, as they contain a whopping amount of refined carbs and sugar, which result in massive insulin spike and increased blood sugar levels.
How to replace those junk foods to satisfy your sweet tooth? Consume low-carb snacks with protein-packed might be the best alternative for you right now. Several healthy snacks recommended for you include almonds, peanuts, hazelnuts, walnuts and cheese. They generally have no more than 6 grams of carbs. In case you are not so hungry before a base meal, try drinking some water until it is time to prepare a wholesome nutritious meal.
7. Choose Dairy That Is Low In Carbs
Milk and other daily products are good sources of nutrients. They are very healthy and taste good. You can reap the benefits of several essential minerals such as calcium and magnesium, and special fatty acids. However, they are also fairly high in carbs due to the rich lactose content. A common cup of 240 ml of low-fat milk contains approximately 13 grams of carbs, which is a bad choice for those who seek for low contributing carbs.
Fortunately, there are always substitutes to help you handle this trouble. Coconut and almond milk are among popular choices, as these beverages are mainly water and often offer low carb content (only about 2-3 grams). Greek yogurt and cheese are much lower in carbs (generally lower than 3 grams of eatable carbs per 100 grams each type). They work best in reducing appetite and promoting fullness, which is helpful in eliminating craving for carbs. Some milk products provide additional vitamins and minerals, while others are packed with extra sugar to be more favorable. Thus, you should check the ingredient list to make sure that you buy a low-carb product with no sugar added.
About the author
Victoria Tan is a Health and Beauty expert with nearly 10 years of experience in Health Care industry. For more health care tips on healthy living, visit her at the website TrueRemedies.com. There, you will find posts on natural treatments, recipes, healthy foods, and so much more.
