How to reduce your carbs without actually cutting them

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! (Problem with starch is that it’s a simple carb that raises your blood sugar quickly and then goes down quickly, leaving you more tired. And if you don’t burn off that sugar, it can get stored in your body as fat.)

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: First freeze your bread. Freezing bread can lower the Glycemic Index by 31%

Z-TIP 5: When ready to eat, put the bread slices in the toaster. Toasting bread bread lowers glycemic index by 39% comparing to the fresh piece of the same bread. Unfortunately I couldn't find any information that shows what the glycemic index is at when you combine freezing and toasting.

Z-TIP 6: When the bread hot out of the toaster, 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:

 RICE TIPS 
Z-TIP 7: Before you cook your rice, I suggest soaking it, rinsing and draining it a few times in order to loosen up the starch and get rid of it.
 
Z-TIP 8: When cooking the rice, make sure you cook it in excess water, which you will need to drain and then rinse the rice again to get rid of the starch that will accumulate in the water. For best results, let the rice cool and then eat it.
 
Z-TIP 9: Cook your rice with coconut oil. An interesting study has been done that concluded cooking your rice with coconut oil will actually help change the molecular structure of starch, crystalizing it and turning it into resistant starch. Here is the article for more information. 
 
 
PASTA TIPS
Z-TIP 10: For the same reasons as I wrote about for rice and potatoes, drain and rinse your pasta and eat when it is cooled.
 
Z-TIP 11: Eat your pasta al-dente, which leaves the pasta a little harder to chew, which leads to more chewing and better digestion.
 

PIZZA TIPS
Z-TIP 12: When choosing a pizza, get one that is made from the dough that has been fermenting for 24-48 hours (a traditional way in Naples, Italy), which can help modify the starch molecules and make it easier to digest.
 

ADDITIONAL TIPS (Not so much for cutting, but for reducing their impact)
Z-TIP 13: Here is a surprising fact not many people know – an enzyme Amylase that’s responsible for carbohydrate digestion is only found in your saliva. So please chew, chew, chew your carbs for optimum digestion!
 
Z-TIP 14: When all fails and you can’t do anything about the way your carbs are being prepared, excuse yourself to the bathroom and do 10-20 squats. By working out your largest muscles you will be able to turn on your metabolism, which can help your body use carbs you are.