Consumption of carbohydrates is important for our he alth and figure, but no less important is their type. When we are trying to lose weight, we often do not pay attention to the types of carbohydrates that make up our menu. For example, it is good to replace white rice with brown, black or red, regular potatoes with sweets, but also to reduce the amount we eat of them. Let's keep the bananas to a minimum.
If you are wondering how to limit your carb consumption and keep the process smooth, check out these easy 10 steps.
1. Exclude carbonated and sweetened drinks from your menu. They have lots of added carbs, sugars and increase the risk of insulin resistance, type 2 diabetes and obesity.
2. Reduce your bread intake Bread is also a type of carbohydrate, even if it is not made with white flour. Although whole grain bread contains vitamins and minerals, there are many other foods that provide the same nutrients but contain fewer carbohydrates, such as vegetables, nuts and seeds.
3. Give up fruit juices. Unlike the whole fruits we eat, juices contain a lot of sugar and almost no dietary fiber. If you still want to make yourself fresh, let it be dominated by citrus fruits, as they help burn calories.
4. Choose low-carb snacks between meals Who doesn't love chips, pretzels, crackers… Unfortunately, these types of carbohydrates do not benefit our body. If for you these are small snacks between meals or in front of the TV, see what he althy low-carb foods you can replace them with.
Approximate figures for 28 grams of nuts:
- Almonds: 6 grams carbs;
- Peanuts: 6 grams carbs;
- Macadamia nuts: 4 grams carbs;
- Hazelnuts: 5 grams of carbs;
- Nuts: 4 grams carbs;
- Cheese: Less than 1 gram of carbs
5. Replace the carbohydrate morning breakfast with a protein one. A bowl of cereal, juice, sandwiches, muffins… Breakfasts that usually do not fill us up and with them we will slowly lose extra pounds. We could replace them with he althy proteins like eggs, which are a versatile product and can be prepared in a variety of ways. They have few carbohydrates, but contain proteins that give us energy and satiety.
6. Instead of sugar, use some sweeteners. Sugar, honey, maple syrup contain more carbohydrates. How can you sweeten your coffee or tea? Good options are stevia, erythritol, xylitol. So you get less carbs but still have the sweetness.
8. Substitute regular flour. Even if you make your bread and pastries with rye flour, although it contains good amounts of fiber, it also has quite a few carbohydrates. Try to replace it with nut flours, coconut flour, rice flour, which you can also combine with other types.
9. Replace fresh cow's milk with nut milk. If you like adding milk to your coffee, replace it with nut milk (such as rice milk, cashew, hemp, oat, almond) as it contains a type of sugar, called lactose.
10. Eat foods high in protein. Eating a he althy source of protein at every meal can reduce your carbohydrate intake if you're on a diet. Thanks to proteins, the satiety hormone, also called PYY, is released in our body. Also, protein is a thermogenic food, meaning your metabolism speeds up when your body processes it.
Last but not least, be careful with your choice of cheese. Bet on ricotta, mozzarella, cheddar, cottage cheese, also eat natural yogurt, but all this in moderation. Add olive oil to your menu.
