Carbs substitute help needed please!?

[Jastam]

Hi Everyone, I’ve just started to cut out the carbs as I’ve had a pre diabetic diagnosis and I want to avoid moving to diabetes. It’s very early days but I’m doing ok. However, I really loooooovvvvveee carbs!! Especially pasta and rice and I wondered if anyone could recommend what pasta and rice no carb products they’ve found which actually taste close the the real thing? Any help would be great! Thanks all x

[BridgeGirl]

A lot of people use veg in place of pasta/ rice. Shredded cabbage - Savoy and sweetheart/hispi work well. I'm having Bolognese this evening on stir fried cabbage and leek. Spiralised veg (not something I do but it's popular with plenty of people), courgette ribbons, cauliflower rice, celeriac mash. Keep an eye on the Daily Diary on the weight loss forum and you may see other ideas there.

I'm sure you'll be thinking, "That's not the same" and you're right but it's "the same" that got us into this situation. In my experience, tastes do change.

moreless has a good post on "life after bread" that you might find useful 🙂

[Jastam in reply to BridgeGirl]

Thanks BridgeGirl, I’m going to try the shredded cabbage/spaghetti idea

[BridgeGirl in reply to Jastam]

Here's the post by moreless that I was thinking of healthunlocked.com/weight-l...

[SewMore]

Hello Jastam,

nothing tastes like the real thing but I’m enjoying trying different things instead. Some fail first time, but over time and experience it gets better.

To begin with I just replaced spaghetti with courgette. Then I tried the 2 week starter plan from DietDoctor. Now I just experiment. For example I made a lasagna with leek and courgette layer instead of pasta sheets, or tacos with simple lettuce instead of the tortilla, and guacamole, jalapeños and cheese to load them up! I did find it helps looking on the DietDoctor website for ideas. I also find butter or bacon fried cabbage is a good alternative to pasta.

I discovered a low carb rice and noodle packs made from Konjac root in the Asian section of the supermarket (near sushi stuff), and although pretty tasteless they are quick and easy substitute; right kind of texture but tasteless. So perfect if I don’t feel like taking the time to prepare a cauliflower rice (I haven’t really got that recipe right yet... so often skip and just eat the curry with steamed cauliflower florets instead!).

[BridgeGirl in reply to SewMore]

I don't bother with a rice substitute for curry either. I just have it with ... more curry! Admittedly, it tends to be more like curry soup but I enjoy it

[SewMore in reply to BridgeGirl]

Yep - simply curry with ... more curry is something I had on Saturday 😊😆 yum!

[Hidden in reply to BridgeGirl]

I like curry on a bed of spinach. Somehow it works really well.

[sunny369 in reply to BridgeGirl]

yes, me to, curry with more curry

[Jastam in reply to SewMore]

Thank SewMore! I’ll find my fave alternatives I’m sure!🤗

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[Goodnessknows]

There are the equivalent of 25 sugar cubes in a bowl of rice. Think of that each time you're tempted. Pasta isn't much better. I don't bother with either of them. Use cauliflower rice - either grating it myself or buying a pouch in Morrisons - £2. Courgette alternative to pasta, sliced into strips with a veg peeler. I was diagnosed as pre diabetic but swiftly returned to normal. I went from 43 gl to 36. Recommended cutting out carb to a friend (Keto). She was already fully blown at 70gl. Three months on Keto and she fell back to normal. My niece did things slightly differently. She has NO carbs after midday. Another way to combat the carbs is to exercise half an hour after eating - that way the pancreas processes what it can - but it still doesn't mean you can over indulge. The BBC did a programme The Truth About Carbs. You could find it on the archives at Iplayer.

[TheAwfulToad Ambassador]

Well ... you love carbs because you're prediabetic. Your body is screaming out for them because it isn't effectively using either bodyfat or glucose for energy. If you can grin and bear it for just a few weeks, you'll find that these cravings abate fairly rapidly!

It's a sad fact of life that the only thing that tastes like carbs is carbs. OTOH you might find some comfort in 'cloud bread', 'fathead pizza dough', and similar. Some recipes work better than others and I've found that they're all quite temperamental. But if you just have to have something, they might hit the spot! A lot of people swear by cauliflower rice; I'm not a fan myself, but I suspect it'd be a good second-best for curry.

Just make sure you're eating adequate fat, and large enough meals with plenty of veg, and you should find that your blood sugar control returns very quickly - and with it a much more stable appetite. I would recommend not just "cutting out carbs" but doing a couple of weeks of reasonably strict keto. I have no idea why, but for many people it is (paradoxically) easier than the more ad-hoc approach.

You'll be glad to know that within a few months you should be able to eat the occasional pasta meal or curry without any negative impact on your health. When you're not craving them all the time, you'll know it's OK again.

[TheJazzSinger]

Hello Jastam, I buy low carb pasta from the CarbZone.co.uk and have found that to be the best substitute. High protein and 6g carbs per portion and made with pea protein. I’ve also bought the Bare Naked pasta & rice from the supermarket but the smell of it puts me off now so have given up on that but it only has 1.1g carbs.