13 Tips on how to cut carbs without cutting them that will surprise you!

Q: I absolutely love carbs and don't want to stop eating them, but I hear it is better for my health to go low-carb. I know you have great substitutes for carbs, but sometimes I just want the real thing, you know? What do you suggest? And no, I don't want to cut the portions either,  ha! I know I am being difficult, but I figured if anyone can help me here, it's you. 

A: Wow, what a great and honest question! And you know what? I do have some good news and tips to share with you!

POTATO TIPS:
Z-TIP 1: Did you know that the some of the same carbs can have different carb load depending on how you cook them? For example, if you cook a potato and eat it right away while it is still hot, it will be loaded with carbs. However, if you take that potato and cool it for a few hours and eat it then, it will have less carbs! How you may ask? Well, it turns out the cooling process turns some of the carbs into resistance starch, ie fiber, which doesn't affect your blood sugar! 

Z-TIP 2: If you want to take it even further, then cut your potatoes and then soak them in a bowl of water before cooking. Then take them out and rinse well, leaving the white residue on the bottom of the  bowl. That will leave less starch in the potatoes to begin with.

Z-TIP 3: Eat cooled potatoes with vinegar dressing for even less impact on the blood sugar (Read an article on that from NIH here)

BREAD TIPS:
Z-TIP 4: If you are craving bread and don't want to give up your favorite, here is what I suggest doing and what I actually do myself. First freeze your bread.

Z-TIP 5: When ready to eat, put the bread slices in the toaster.

Z-TIP 6: When it's hot, put bread slices on a plate. Then holding a slice down with your left palm, slowly insert a knife horizontally in the middle of slice between two toasted sides and rotate the piece, so in the end you get two pieces of bread instead of one. Video is below:

Here is why: First of all, toasting bread lowers the glycemic load of the bread and by cutting the slice in two full size halves, you can extend the pleasure of that bread, letting your body release carbs slower. Here is one of the articles on the freezing and toasting phenomenon. 
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RICE TIPS:
Z-TIP 7: When cooking rice, first soak it and then cook it in excess water. When rice is cooked, drain off the water and rinse the rice. This will help get rid of excess starch, reducing the carb load! 

Z-TIP 8: When cooking rice, soak soak in in water and then cook it with coconut oil. It has been studied that coconut oil will bind to the starch and modify it to become resistance starch. Article that explains more is here.

Z-TIP 9: Cool your rice before eating it as it will help reduce the glycemic index even further, as it does with potatoes.

PASTA TIPS:
Z-TIP 10: Similarly to rice and potatoes, after you cook your pasta, drain it and rinse, then let it cool. Eat cooled pasta for a lower glycemic effect.

Z-TIP 11: Try imported Italian pasta that has less carbs and more protein as they usually use different types of wheat.

​PIZZA TIPS:
Z-TIP 12: When choosing pizza, try authentic Italian pizza made with imported flour and that has been done via a traditional method of fermenting the dough for 48 hours. Fermentation also modifies the structure of carb molecules, reducing the glycemic load.

BIGGEST TIP FOR ALL CARBS!
Z-TIP 13: Chew your carbs as long as you can and then some! Your digestive enzyme Amylase is found only in your saliva and it is the only enzyme that helps your digest your carbs. So chew, chew, chew and enjoy your carbs fully. When you feel good and have joy, your body is able to digest your food and let you know when it's full much more efficiently.