Not surprisingly, carbs are everyone’s favorite food--starchy carbs like corn and potatoes, as well as heavier carbs like wheat. Swapping these carbs out for some of their lower-carb and healthier vegetable friends will not only help you shave a few calories and ultimately pounds, they will also bring some extra nutrition and benefits to your diet. 

As I do almost every January, I am trying to eat better and I am really going to focus on trying some of these swaps and look up tasty recipes for these ideas. Here are four swaps for some of the most common carbs that people love.

Craving Potatoes? Try Having Cauliflower Instead.

Cauliflower has only 5 grams of carbs per cup of raw, chopped cauliflower, compared to 26 grams per cup of potato and is much higher in nutrients. The CDC has actually placed cauliflower 24th on its list of “powerhouse fruits and vegetables”, which is ranked by nutrient density.

You can find tons of cauliflower dishes in stores these days--anything from pizza crust to Trader Joe’s famous Gnocchi. Instead of potatoes, Trader Joe’s uses cauliflower and cassava flour, potato starch, sea salt and extra-virgin olive oil. 

There are countless recipes online for cauliflower recipes, including favorite comfort foods like mashed cauliflower. Do you have a favorite cauliflower swap recipe?

Craving White Flour? Try Using Almond Flour Instead.

White flour is probably the greatest offender of the “unhealthy carbs”. It is most often used in processed foods and baked goods like cookies and bread. It is definitely delicious, but doesn’t have much nutrient density at all. During production, it is stripped of most of the fiber and nutrients it starts with. 

Try almond flour instead for your baking recipes for anything from muffins to crackers. Almond flour contains only blanched almonds and all of the nutritional value stays in tact. One downside is that it can be quite pricey, so you could look into making it yourself to save a lot of money. 

Craving Pasta? Try Veggie Noodles Instead.

If you love pasta and are craving it, there are so many tasty delicious ways you can swap veggie noodles using zucchini, yellow squash, carrots or beets. There are tons of recipes like classic Bolognese over yellow squash noodles, or garlic shrimp over zucchini noodles. The possibilities are endless. 

Craving Rice? Try Riced Broccoli (or Cauliflower) Instead. 

Rice is often thought of as a good alternative to gluten-containing grains like wheat. But rice is on the list of common offenders on the glycemic index. In a study from the British Medical Journal, consumption was directly linked with a statistically significant risk of type 2 diabetes. 

Plenty of stores now carry broccoli rice, which is simply chopped broccoli which is run through the food processor. Or you can make your own broccoli rice, using the same method. Broccoli has tons of antioxidants like lutein and zeaxanthin. You can use broccoli rice or cauliflower rice for any rice dishes. 

By using these healthier veggie swaps for your favorite naughty carb-laden dishes, you can have your cake and eat it too! What are some of your favorite low-carb substitutes? Please share your thoughts in the comments below.