Easy and Healthy Food Swaps on the Keto Diet

Healthy eating doesn’t have to be hard and going keto doesn’t mean giving up all of your favorite comfort foods. You’ll be pleased to hear you can find lots of easy, quick, tasty, and convenient replacements for your typical comfort foods and carb-loaded dishes. Check out these easy swaps and healthy keto food hacks to keep you on track:

1.   Replace Mashed Potatoes with Mashed Cauliflower

Mashed potatoes are a staple at your dinner table, and they seem to show up with many of your favorite meals. Traditional mashed potatoes (or even sweet potatoes) aren’t on the keto menu, but you can switch out the carb-heavy potatoes for cauliflower mash or mashed turnips. Try adding in cabbage slices to bulk up your cauliflower mash and give you a heartier flavor.

2.   Swap French Fries for Rutabaga or Jicama Fries

Fries definitely aren’t keto-friendly, unless you’re talking about rutabaga low-carb fries or jicama fries! Using other root veggies like jicama delivers all the flavors of salty, starchy fries without all the carbs. Use your oven or an air fryer to get the perfect crispy texture!

3.   Instead of Rice, Try Cauliflower Rice

Rice is typically high in carbs, but you can try a tasty keto replacement like konjac rice or broccoli, or cauliflower rice. All you need is a blender and some cauliflower! Many keto dieters love konjac rice, which is especially high in fiber and low in carbs!

Flavor the rice with your favorite seasonings! You could even make a keto tabbouleh with riced cauliflower and fresh ingredients like mint, parsley, and tomato!

4.   Swap Out Bleached Bread for Homemade Grain-Free Bread

You want a filling sandwich, but traditional refined grain-based bread aren’t keto-approved. The good news is that nut-based bread and other keto-friendly alternatives can be just as delicious and more satiating and nutritious. Plus, they are an excellent source of omega-3 fatty acids!

Replace wheat flour & grain bread with a healthier and lower carb alternative like almond or coconut flour, flaxseed meal, or psyllium husk. You could even try a classic keto cauli bread made with a mix of riced cauliflower, almond flour, and psyllium husk (which is a great source of soluble fiber).

5.   Skip Grain-Based Pasta and Go For Veggie Pasta!

Instead of the usual carb-loaded, grain-based noodles and pasta, here are some of your other keto-approved options:

• Spaghetti squash
• Zucchini Noodles and spiralized veggies
• Beansprouts
• Shirataki noodles made from the Konjac plant
• Palmini noodles made from hearts of palm

Conjure up your favorite pasta dish with a sugar-free tomato sauce, fresh ingredients and veggies, your choice of protein and seasonings, and a low-carb pasta alternative like konjac or zucchini noodles or beansprouts!

6.   Plant-Based Pizza > Traditional Pizza

Pizza and high carb aren’t necessarily synonymous. If you’re missing a doughy pizza, try a healthy keto food alternative and make a cauliflower pizza or a keto pizza crust made with eggs, cheese, and coconut flour. Keep it low-carb with other pizza-inspired ideas like zucchini pizza boats or a stuffed portabella mushroom pizza!

7.   Skip the Processed Cereal and Try Something Homemade

Thankfully today, you can find keto cereals on the market. You can also make your own cereal with ingredients like almond flour, coconut flakes, chia seeds, pork rinds, and cashews! Experiment with your preferred flavors and textures.

Do you prefer crunchy cinnamon or sweet and nutty? Simply swap cereal with a bowl of nuts! Top your cereal with berries and creamy almond or coconut milk. You can also make your own trail mix with keto-friendly nuts like almonds and walnuts, sugar-free chocolate chips, and keto-compliant syrup!

What’s Your Favorite Healthy Food Swap?

Do you go for a lettuce bun instead of a grain-filled bun? What about choosing zucchini boats over bread? Comment below and share all of your favorite healthy food hacks with the community!