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Put Down the Pasta: How to Cut Carbs on a Plant-Based Diet – The Beet
Chances are you or someone you know has tried to lose weight on a low-carb diet. Even more likely, you read tons of news headlines about the keto diet, an extremely low-carb diet, and have wondered whether it would work for you and if its even possible to go low-carb while on a plant-based diet.
Its normal to internally freak out at the thought of eating less carbs because many people who embark on a plant-based diet tend to pile on processed foods and whole-grain carbs like cereal and pasta to compensate for lack of animal products. People tend to go overboard on the carbs when they go vegetarian, plant-based, or flexitarian, says Bonnie Taub-Dix, MA, RD, CDN, author of Read It Before You Eat It.Its easy to fill up on our favorite food group. Heres why:
One of the reasons plant-based dieters are likely to overdo it on carbs is that theyre really easy to make, find, and eat, says Taub-Dix. Especially for people who are on the go oftenmuffins, crackers, bread or rollsthose are the kind of the foods that sometimes get overeaten because they're so easy, portable, and their prep is basically nonexistent.
In some cases, the economic ease of eating carbs comes into play. A carb-heavy snack like pretzels may be less expensive than buying another plant-based snack, like nuts or seeds and a piece of fruit.
One of the main reasons we all love carbs is that they are the king of comfort, says Taub-Dix. When you eat carbohydrates, especially carbohydrates that are kind of pure, like a piece of whole-grain toast, the carbohydrates get absorbed and stimulate the release of a brain chemical called serotonin, which provides comfort feelings. Thats why youre more likely to reach for a carb-based snack or treat when youre feeling stressed, rather than carrots and hummus. Your body is wired to crave carbs for that serotonin release that will improve your mood.
When you first decide to reduce carbs from your plant-based diet, assess how many grams youre eating daily so you know how much you need to dial it back. The Dietary Guidelines for Americans say that 45 to 65 percent of your diet should be carbohydrates (about 225 to 325 grams per day). Thats if youre following a 2,000-calorie diet, which is often used as an example.
Not everyone needs a 2,000-calorie diet, says Taub-Dix. And for some people, 325 grams is a lot of carbs each day and not necessary. If youre trying to lose weight, experiment within that range, suggests Taub-Dix. Download an app that will help you track carb counts to find a range you feel satisfied with while creating balanced meals. We like MyFitnessPal, Carb Manager, Senza, and Macros to name a few.
Remember that carbs arent just grains, potatoes, pasta, and rice. Sources of naturally occurring carbs include fruits, vegetables, dairy, nuts, seeds, and legumes.
Some meal delivery services allow you to choose meals that are lower in carbs, like Purple Carrots Spaghetti Bolognese with zucchini noodles and ground beef crumbles, Macro-Mediterraneans Roasted Tomato and Black Walnut burgers on their weight loss program, or one of Thrive Foods Directs meals.
Cut carbs without feeling like youre eliminating them by slicing your current carbohydrate consumption in half and doubling up on vegetables. Portion out a -cup of brown rice at dinner. Have an open-faced sandwich using one slice of bread. Cook 1/3-cup dry oats with low-carb fruits, like berries, to round out your breakfast.
Youre patting yourself on the back for following a plant-based diet, but if most of your veggie intake is potatoes, corn, and peas, you could be making smarter choices. Pile your plate with leafy greens, peppers, zucchini, asparagus, tomatoes, and green beans. Swap starchy vegetables for cauliflower, broccoli and Brussels sprouts. Choose avocadoes and berries as low-carb fruits instead of oranges, bananas, and blueberries.
In order for you to feel satisfied while reducing carbs, you may want to increase the amount of fat and plant protein youre eating. A study published in The Lancet found that mortality increased among the study subjects when they exchanged carbohydrates for animal-derived fat or animal protein, but it decreased amongst people when the carb substitutions were plant-based choices. Round out your meals with low-carb sources like nuts, seeds, tofu, coconut oils, nut butter, chia seeds, and hemp seeds.
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Put Down the Pasta: How to Cut Carbs on a Plant-Based Diet - The Beet
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