What About Your Favorite Meals? Perhaps the very thought of giving up your favorite foods has prevented you from getting started on the keto way of life. Relax. The truth is, for every dish that you love and can’t live without (yes, that includes cheesecake and mashed potatoes!), you can easily find a low-carb substitute that is just as tasty.
First, let’s consider items at your market labeled “low carbohydrate.” Labels are frustratingly deceiving, and you’d have to be a nutritional expert to understand them. All-too-frequently, off-the-shelf low carb products have simply substituted sugar for carbs, so don’t fall for that bit of deceit. You need to learn to read labels with the diligence that you’d read your wealthy uncle’s will, but your best bet is to stay away from these products and simply find healthier substitutes. The same goes for anything labeled “low fat,” which inevitably means added sugars. Craving a taco? Use a lettuce wrap instead of a taco shell. Do you want rice or mashed potatoes? Grate or rice a cauliflower, and you won’t be able to tell the difference. Can’t give up your favorite pasta dish? Turn a zucchini into “zoodles” by slicing it or using a spiral cutter and enjoy your pasta. You absolutely have to have your favorite dessert? On the keto diet, you can. Just bake with almond Page | 60
