Low Carbohydrate Recipes

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Low carbohydrate recipes can be used as aids to weight reduction. A number of foods are commercially available with substantially lower calorie content than their normal counterparts. As you know, starches and sweets are the major contributors to obesity. However, they can be substituted with low calorie ingredients and used in low carbohydrate recipes.

Sugar can be replaced by artificial sweeteners which supply negligible calories, if any. The are numerous sweeteners on the market. They vary in sweetness, aroma, and after taste. Aspartame (Equal, Nutrasweet) is a natural sweetener. Because of its intense sweetness and negligible calorie content, it is used in low carbohydrate recipes. A major drawback of aspartame is that its sweetness is lost through cooking and baking.

Stevia is another popular sweetener used in low carbohydrate recipes. Stevia has 30 times the sweetness of sugar but has negligible calories and carbohydrates. Its sweetness is not affected by heat as aspartame and can be used in cooking and baking.

Most of these sweeteners can be found in your local grocery store. One can use 1 part sweetener and 1 part sugar in low carbohydrate recipes. This will still cut on the number of calories. For example if a recipe calls for 2 tablespoons of sugar, you may add 1 tablespoon of sugar and 1 tablespoon of the sweetener. The calories from sugar will be reduced to one half.

Flour is a starch and is very high in calories. All starches are carbohydrates. Foods that contain a lot of flour are equally as fattening as those that contain a lot of sugar. Delectable low carb recipes can be made using flour substitutes.

The most popular flour substitute is the low carbohydrate bake mix. There are several different brands of low carbohydrate mixes on the market. Most of these mixes are generally a combination of some form of protein and fiber, such as soy, whey and sometimes oat plus baking powder. These mixes are the low carb world’s equivalent of Bisquick.

However, the low carbohydrate bake mixes differ from Bisquick in that they do not have shortening added. You will need to add butter, oil, or some form of fat when using them to make cakes, pancakes, waffles, biscuits and such.

The low carbohydrate bake mixes can be used in cooking, baking, and deep frying. Low carb bake mixes can be used to flour chicken before cooking or as a binder in casseroles.

Butter can be used in all low carbohydrate recipes because it is free of carbohydrates. However, the amount of butter added to low carb recipes should be limited. Too much butter is fattening. Butter is a high energy food and contains many calories per serving. One tablespoon of butter contains 100 calories.

Margarine can also be used in low carbohydrate recipes. Margarine does not contain carbohydrates but is high in cholesterol. Contrary to popular belief 1 tablespoon of butter contains the same number of calories as 1 tablespoon of margarine.

High calorie ingredients have no place in low carbohydrate recipes. These high energy carbohydrates, such as pasta, potatoes and rice should be replaced with other foods low in carbohydrate content. Meats can always be used in low carb recipes because they contain no carbohydrates.

When looking for low carbohydrate recipes consider the recipe below for "Summer Squash Scramble":

1 medium onion, coarsely chopped (1 cup)

1 clove garlic, minced

2 teaspoons olive oil

2 medium Zucchini squashes, cut into 1/4-inch slices (2 cups)

1 medium yellow squash, cut in 1/4-inch slices (1 1/2 cups) 1/2 teaspoon dried basil leaves

1/4 teaspoon salt

2 medium tomatoes, diced (2 cups)

2 tablespoons grated parmesan cheese

DIRECTIONS:

1) Combine onion, garlic, and olive oil in a 10-inch nonstick skillet. Cook over high-medium heat for 2 to 5 minutes, or until onion is tender, stirring frequently.

2) Add squashes, basil, and salt and cook for 5 to 7 minutes, or until squashes are tender-crisp, stirring frequently.

3) Stir in tomatoes. Cook for 1 to 2 minutes, or until hot, stirrring constantly. Remove from heat. Sprinkle with parmesan cheese.

Servings per recipe: 8 Serving size: 1/2 cup Calories per serving: 37 Carbohydrates per serving: 6 grams

All individuals who desire to lose weight or to maintain a healthy body weight should prepare their meals and desserts using low carbohydrate recipes. Low carbohydrate recipes are valuable healthy nutritional aids and are essential to any weight loss program.