Cut Back on Carbs with these Easy Food Swaps

With the summer months ahead, it means that beach and pool season is upon us. If you want to show off all that you got, it’s important to work hard and diet smart to prepare. Listed below are some easy food swaps you can use to help cut back on carbs and reduce the unnecessary calories to feel and look great during the hotter months.

Easy Food Swaps to Curb the Carb Load for a Lean Body

• Whole Wheat Pasta Swap. Pasta is a food that many love and it goes well with many meals.  However, a serving of pasta will cost you almost 50 grams of carbs and can slow your fitness and weight loss goals.  Rather than eating a serving of pasta, consider eating edamame noodles or take the extra time to create pasta using a spiralizer and veggies.  The swap for edamame noodles will cut your carbs in half per serving and will provide ample protein.  If you use the spiralizer, your carb load will be even lower and you will be eating micronutrient-loaded veggies.  If this is not for you, you can swap pasta for spaghetti squash to gain a 33 gram carb advantage.
• Swap Sports Drinks for Water. Hydration is an essential element to any workout program and while sports drinks are necessary after high volume gym days, it is a quick way to add extra carbs (from sugar) and calories that you do not necessarily need.  Creating a lean body involves creating a caloric deficit so that you can lose fat mass and maintain your muscle mass; this deficit is hard to meet when excess sugar is consumed throughout the day.  Rather than having sports drinks throughout the day, swap it out for fresh, cold water and save yourself about 15-20 grams per serving of carbs.  The cold water is absorbed into your body much easier than warmer temperatures so take advantage of the calorie-free and zero carb hydration when you can.
• Swap Ice Cream for Zero Carb Frozen Yogurt. The main goal is to cut carbs so that you can keep calories low for a lean body.  While you will need an impeccable diet ahead for the next few months, you will also need some reward days.  Rather than going all-out on your rewards, trick your mind by having zero carb frozen yogurt with the family rather than three scoops of your favorite sugary treat.
• Trade your Cashews for Walnuts. You have been told to eat nuts to gain an advantage on healthy fats and protein, not to mention their superiority for regulating blood sugar levels when you are hungry.  However, you can save carbs by making an easy swap of nuts.  Change out your cashews for walnuts to save 7 grams of carbs per serving and walnuts are a better source of polyunsaturated fats.  Just be cautious on your total serving size of any nuts, as these can quickly tack on the fat weight when you are least suspecting.
• Swap out your Sliced Bread for Eggplant. The next time you make a sandwich, consider swapping your bread for thin eggplant. This will save you close to 40-50 carbs per sandwich depending on the source of bread and eating eggplant in this way will help you to get in your veggies for the day.
• Swap out the Condiments in your Coffee. Coffee is great for a number of things in your life, but the main reason we drink it is because of the pick me up early in the day.  However, many add sugar, whipped cream, and syrup to their coffee and this is pure sugar that you’re drinking.  Rather than adding sugar to your coffee, consider having it black or with sugar substitutes. If you want some great tasting coffee in the morning, then consider buying this espresso maker. Black coffee will give you that coffee taste and it won’t dilute your coffee (meaning you can order smaller portions and save money).  Save on the sugar calories and carbs to help reach your weight loss and fitness goals this year before summer comes.

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