8 Ways To Cut Carbs

Your guide to getting (and staying) in the fat–burning zone

More of us would become citizens of Low-Carb Nation if it weren't for the daunting loyalty oath. After all, studies show that men who eat less than 100 grams of carbohydrates a day lose four more pounds of fat per month than guys with higher intakes. But renouncing allegiance to such potentates as bagels, pasta, and potatoes can be tough.

"The best way to cut carbs is to make creative substitutions," says Arthur Agatston, M.D., author of The South Beach Diet. "That way you can eat the foods you love without busting your diet."

Dr. Agatston told us how to make cauliflower taste like mashed potatoes. Other nutrition experts gave us tricks for replacing white flour, pasta, and potatoes with lower-carb alternatives that taste nearly identical. The result: 12 tasty carbohydrate substitutions that are so good, you'll wonder why you weren't eating them in the first place.

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Pizza

Substitute: Portobello mushrooms for pizza crust
Cut the gills out of the inside of the mushroom, says Ruben, "then place the mushroom on an oiled cookie sheet and bake for 5 to 10 minutes so it dries out slightly." Add tomato sauce, mozzarella, and pepperoni or other toppings and broil until the cheese begins to melt.
Carbs Eliminated: About 20 g per slice
The Taste: "Like pizza, but moister. Give me a fork!"

Hash Browns

Substitute: Squash for potatoes
Summer squash (the football-shaped yellow kind) tastes similar to potatoes when cooked—but has just a fraction of the carbs. Grate the squash, mix in an egg as binder, make patties, and fry them in olive oil.
Carbs Eliminated: About 15 grams (g) per hash-brown patty
The Taste: "Not as firm and crispy as regular hash browns, but the potato flavor is there."

Mash Potatoes

Substitute: Cauliflower for potatoes
One of Dr. Agatston's favorites: Steam some fresh or frozen cauliflower in the microwave. Then spray the cauliflower with butter substitute, add a little nonfat half-and-half substitute, and puree in a food processor or blender.
Carbs Eliminated: 30 g per cup
The Taste: "After a couple of bites, you forget it's not potatoes."

Lasagna

Substitute: Zucchini slices for noodles
Slice four to five medium-size zukes lengthwise into three-quarter-inch-thick strips, instructs Lise Battaglia, a New Jersey chef whose past clients include Jon Bon Jovi. Sprinkle Italian seasoning on the strips, place them in a single layer on a nonstick cookie sheet, and bake at 425 degrees F for 20 minutes. You want them firm, not crisp. "Then simply make the lasagna as you normally would, replacing lasagna noodles with the baked zucchini," she says.
Carbs Eliminated: 36 g per serving
The Taste: "Delicious. The zucchini provides texture that you don't get from noodles alone."

Spaghetti

Substitute: Spaghetti squash for spaghetti
A cooked spaghetti squash is like Mother Nature's automatic spaghetti maker—the flesh becomes noodle like strands. "All you have to do is cut the squash in half and remove the seeds. Then place each half—cut side down—on a plate with a quarter cup of water," says Elizabeth Perreault, a chef at Colorado's Culinary School of the Rockies. Nuke the squash for 10 minutes or until it's soft to the touch. Let it cool, then scrape out the "spaghetti" strands and top with pasta sauce and cheese.
Carbs Eliminated: 30 g per cup
The Taste: "Great. Spaghetti squash has exactly the same consistency as real pasta."

Pancakes

Substitute: Oatmeal and cottage cheese for pancake mix
Here's a can't-fail recipe from The South Beach Diet. Mix together half a cup of old-fashioned oatmeal, a quarter cup of low-fat cottage cheese, two eggs, and a dash each of vanilla extract, cinnamon, and nutmeg. Process in a blender until smooth. Cook the mixture like a regular pancake.
Carbs Eliminated: 45 g per pancake
The Taste: "With syrup, you could never tell the difference."

Macaroni and Cheese

Substitute: Diced vegetables for macaroni
Even instant mac and cheese can go lower-carb; use only half the pasta in the box and bulk it up with a couple of cups of frozen mixed vegetables, says Sandra Woodruff, R.D., coauthor of The Good Carb Cookbook.
Carbs Eliminated: 13 g per cup
The Taste: "I hate broccoli, but I wouldn't mind eating this."

Sandwiches

Substitute: Napa or Chinese cabbage for bread
Slap your turkey and Swiss onto a leaf of cabbage and roll it up. "I've made some great-tasting BLTs using cabbage instead of bread," Battaglia says. Dip the roll in low-fat mayonnaise or mustard.
Carbs Eliminated: 29 g per sandwich
The Taste: "Better than eating plain cold cuts."