For those who are either trying to save calories or are gluten free, these simple suggestions make delicious alternatives: Try spaghetti squash instead of a pasta; after baking when the insides are mildly soft, scrape out the insides and what do you have? Stringy squash with the look of a pasta noodle. You can prepare a spaghetti-style flavor by adding garlic, onion, oregano, basil, parmesean and tomato sauce. You may top that with either chicken, fish, seafood or veggies.
How about cauliflower? Mashing up cooked cauliflower and preparing it as a “mashed potato” makes a low calorie potato substitute. Preparing it by mashing and seasoning the same way as your mashed potato, it will taste almost the same with the added benefit of more vitamins and fiber.
Quinoa pasta and Rice pasta also make taste-alike alternatives for wheat or durum flour pasta. Once your sauce or toppings are added, the taste difference is very small.
Sweet potatoes mashed are a healthier alternative to white with a lower glycemic load on the bloodstream and a lot of vitamin A and more fiber, sweet potatoes should be a regular part of anyone’s diet, even those who are trying to reduce. White potatoes raise the glycemic levels too much if diabetic or trying to lose weight. Just watch the salt intake on all these choices unless its an iodine-mineral rich unrefined salt like Himalayan Pink Salt Crystals or Celtic Sea Salt. Regular sea salt crystals are now too refined and have some added pollutants from unclean waters as opposed to the others mentioned here. Celtic Sea Salt, contains more than 80 essential minerals, which supports healthy blood pressure, thyroid function and adrenal function.
