How to transition to a low-carb diet

One of the most important factors in longevity is avoiding preventable diseases that are related to metabolic syndrome and insulin resistance!

What we eat is one of the biggest lifestyle factors that we can control, but it’s an area I know people struggle with. Following a low-carb diet can help manage our insulin resistance and reduce our risks of developing metabolic syndrome.

I have found that one of the most common challenges people face when converting to a low-carb lifestyle is trying to figure out how they can still eat their favourite foods without it having a negative impact on their blood sugar and insulin response. 

Breakfast

So let’s start with the meal that sets up the rest of your day – breakfast. It’s important to transition away from breads, cereals and high-sugar smoothies that can trigger big swings in your blood sugar and affect your food choices for the rest of the day.

Most people are creatures of habit when it comes to breakfast so it’s usually easy to make a “swap” and find something that will work. Smart low-carb options include low-sugar smoothies, eggs, omelettes, and low-carb swaps for white flour using almond flour or coconut flour.

I have been making these low-carb banana waffles for my family for a number of years and they are always a big hit! And when I’m pressed for time, I use one of the premium low-carb mixes available at health-focused stores like Parks Health Shop. 

Lunch/Dinner

I know an area that can be challenging is with sandwiches (bread/wraps) and pasta dishes. It is difficult to find exact replacements for these items that are low-carb and still taste the way you want them to. In these cases, you may have to move completely away from these items and replace them with entirely different low-carb food options (think spaghetti squash instead of regular spaghetti or lettuce wraps instead of buns and tortillas). 

You mean no more pasta? Yes, that may be the case for some of you and yes, I sometimes miss pasta. The important thing to note is that I don’t miss how I feel after eating a big bowl of pasta so the sacrifice for me is worth the outcome. This is one of the hardest parts to adapting to a new lifestyle: Sometimes you have to give up a few of your favourite things in order to achieve your long-term goals and make the visions you have of your future self become a reality. 

Baked Goods

Another “food group” that can take some time to find comparable substitutes for is baked goods. We have three growing boys so gluten-free options for bread, wraps, snacks, etc. are always available in our pantry. The goal is for them to not over consume these items since they are still often made with high glycemic ingredients, so I am always looking for recipes for alternative low-carb options that we can make together as a family.

Some of my go to websites are: Ruled.Me, Against All Grain, Elana's Pantry, Mark's Daily Apple and the Bulletproof websites. Kids love to help out, especially in the kitchen. Let them be part of the process and you will be amazed to see how keen they are to try new things and contribute to meal planning and preparation.

Common Low-Carb Substitutions

Flour

Two common flours that are used in low-carb baking are almond flour and coconut flour. Unfortunately, these flours are not interchangeable with all-purpose flour or gluten-free flours so you will need to follow recipes which include them as actual ingredients versus adapting a family favourite recipe. These products can easily be found in the organic section of your grocery store, local health food stores like Parks Health Shop and Costco.

Sugar

The next important part of baking is the sweet ingredient. Our first transition away from refined sugar was moving to a natural and less refined source such as honey or maple syrup. Given the choice between the two, I tend to lean toward local honey. Ultimately, this is still sugar and carbohydrates for the body to process and can still create issues for those that really need to focus on their metabolic health (yes natural sugars can still be an issue when over consumed).

So for those of you who are more concerned with the glycemic load on your body, I strongly recommend substituting all refined and natural sugars with stevia, monk fruit, some sugar alcohols like xylitol or erythritol or a combination of the above. I am not a huge fan of the taste of stevia (like putting it in coffee), but I do like it when I combine it with erythritol or the product “Lakanto” which is a combo of monk fruit and erythritol.

One of my hacks is to use vanilla extract and some stevia drops to sweeten plain organic yogurt (typical yogurt can have 20g of sugar per serving so this is a great swap).

It takes a little bit of trial and error to discover the ratio of erythritol to stevia that gives you the sweetness you desire without the aftertaste. The experimenting is well worth it as once you have the correct ratio, you can enjoy all of your favourite baked goods with a limited burden on your glycemic load. To begin, start with a 1:1 ratio of erythritol to refined sugar and work from there. For example, if a recipe calls for 1 cup of sugar you can try ¾ cup of erythritol and 6 drops of stevia, etc.

And don’t let the experimenting end with your sweetener. It is all about finding the go to recipes and combination of low-carb ingredients that give you and your family the flavours that you are looking for. It really is the key to making a smooth transition to a low-carb lifestyle. If you can replace your favourite foods with a healthy substitute, you won't feel like you are missing out and you will continue making the choices you need to make to successfully reach your health goals.

It doesn't happen over night

This process has literally taken us over 10 years and we continue to learn and make modifications. If you are new to this information, don’t let yourself get overwhelmed. Set a goal to try one new recipe or swap this week and remember to involve your family or share your recipe/swap with a friend!

Are you craving more information? My Intro to Low-Carb program goes into greater detail and includes a meal plan and support from an online community. If you would like to take your nutrition and health to the next level, I highly recommend this program. Ready. Set. Sign me up!