While modest amounts of bread may be part of a healthy diet, there are a variety of reasons why people limit their bread consumption. Eating less bread will help you consume fewer calories and fewer carbs. This can be beneficial for weight reduction or maintenance. There are certain disorders, such as celiac disease, that make ingesting gluten dangerous.
Another reason a person might wish to avoid bread is to consume more nutrient-dense foods. Whatever your reason for wanting to eat less bread, here are a few alternatives that are more nutrient-dense or lower in carbs and calories. I hope you appreciate it and will attempt to incorporate some of these ideas into your next dinner.
The 8 Substitutes.
The bread of Ezekiel
Ezekiel bread is fantastic! This product has no wheat or refined sugar at all. Because it is still a grain product, it will not work for individuals who are gluten intolerant. One thing to note is that while Ezekiel bread is not the lowest carbohydrate alternative on the list, it is about as nutrient-dense as bread gets. It may be used to create toast or sandwiches with less flavor variation than other options.
Tortillas
Tortillas are becoming more popular. It’s not only a matter of choosing between maize and flour. Tortillas prepared with almond flour, red bell pepper, spinach, and other ingredients have been spotted. If you have a gluten intolerance, be sure the product you choose is gluten free. Depending on its size, a tortilla can be a lower carbohydrate carrier for sandwich contents than two slices of bread. Tortillas are another option for people searching for a gluten-free way to have a quick meal.
Try Bread Made with Almond Flour
Almond flour breads, such as Simple Mills’ version or one you can prepare at home yourself, are a reduced-carbohydrate option to flour bread. Because of the almonds, the texture of the bread may be a little grittier, but if using tomato slices as bread isn’t your thing, there is a method to build a product that feels and looks like bread. It also takes a lot less time to make than regular bread. Give it a go.
Lettuce Rolls
Lettuce wraps might be difficult to use at first, but if you get the hang of them, they make an excellent alternative for bread. The finest lettuce to use for wraps is a tough kind like iceberg or Boston. If you’re going to use it as a sandwich replacement, use multiple lettuce leaves per wrap. If you want to put a scoop of filling inside the lettuce, a lettuce cup (butter lettuce works well here) would suffice as long as you don’t overfill it. If you’re going to place anything warm on the lettuce, like a hamburger patty, let it cool for a few minutes before adding it to the lettuce so it doesn’t wilt. Sauces are best served on the side, although they can also be used in the wrap. It’s simply a question of preference…
Peppers
Although bell peppers may not taste like bread, they can serve as carriers for fillings and toppings in the same manner of bread. Slice a bell pepper in half and fill it with anything you like, then top with the other half of the bell pepper. If you dislike the flavor of raw pepper, you may broil it before using it. However, if you grill the pepper, you will most likely need to eat it with a fork and knife.
Portobello Mushrooms
Portobello mushrooms do not taste like bread either. The advantage of utilizing a portobello mushroom instead of a bun is that you can enhance the meal while still keeping it low in carbs. Burger buns are a typical usage for portobello mushrooms. You can make a burger taste like the portobello mushroom was an intrinsic part of it, not simply a substitution, by grilling some onions, adding a sauce like garlic aioli, melting some Swiss cheese on top, and assembling your burger in between portobello mushroom caps. Before utilizing the mushroom caps, be sure to drain the moisture from them.
Egg Rolls
Do you want to improve your protein intake? Make an egg wrap. You may create your own at home by frying a thin coating of egg on either side of a skillet. Allow the egg wrap to cool for a few minutes before wrapping anything in it. If you do not want to prepare it at home, consider Egg Life egg wraps. Egg wraps are similar to tortillas in that they may be filled with anything from sandwich toppings to burrito fillings. Isn’t that appealing?
Crackers
Crackers can also be a quick bread substitute. It’s normal to serve crackers with delicious dishes like chicken salad or sliced meat, but you can also use them to construct small sandwiches. Some crackers are gluten free, while others contain flour, so there are alternatives for a range of diets.
Make it into a bowl using your imagination
Instead of attempting to substitute bread, be inventive in transforming foods into bowls. A burger can be served on lettuce with chopped veggies and a sauce. Sandwich contents may be turned into a salad or used to make a burrito bowl.
The Last 2 Cents
Enjoying food is fun! It can definitely be a creative process if you let it. There are so many varieties of alternative foods that can be more beneficial and healthier, so keep an open mind and explore what’s possible. Start with the suggestions above. Make them your own, then expand by replacing this with that or trying this with that. When you put your imagination into motion, who knows what fabulous healthy and tastey dish you can come up with?