9 low carb swaps for summer.
Summer is in full swing, which means ice cream, barbecue and fruity cocktails at backyard barbecues or beach picnics. They’re delicious but laden with sugar and carbohydrates that may not jive with your low carb lifestyle. Not to worry, you can fully enjoy all the tastes of summer with these creative and satisfying low carb swaps for classic summer fare. Keep reading!
Eat This, Not That This Summer
Make the most of your summer gatherings and evenings eating al fresco with these low carb options:
- Baked beans: This saucy side is usually dripping with sticky-sweet molasses and brown sugar, but this herby side dish has a lemony-basil twist, plus crispy green beans: Lemon-Basil Green Beans.
- Barbecue sauce: Look for low-sugar barbecue sauce at the store or make your own low carb Barbecue Sauce or Chili-Barbecue Sauce.
- Burger and hot dog buns: Your burger, brat or hot dog instantly becomes low carb when you sub in romaine lettuce leaves, Portobello mushroom caps or zucchini boats for buns.
- Cocktails: Sip on ice-cold low carb beer, and replace your sugary marg for this fruity low carb Strawberry Margarita or try a minty Mojito. Like the Summer Watermelon Fizz Mocktail, you can bypass the booze with refreshing these low carb mocktail recipes.
- Corn on the cob: Go for grilled zucchini or bell peppers or grilled Veggie Kebabs.
- Ice cream: Skip the sugar and carbs, and we’ll all be screaming for ice cream with these low carb ice cream recipes: Vanilla-Coconut Ice Cream or Decadent Chocolate Ice Cream.
- Pasta salad: Substitute regular pasta for spiralized zucchini or squash, shirataki noodles, store-bought low carb pasta, or this fresh and light Pasta Salad with Pesto and Zucchini Ribbons.
- Popsicles: Instead of frozen sugar on a stick, try ice-cold, fresh and fruity Double Berry Ice Pops.
- Potato chips: You’ll still get all the crunch without the carbs with Keto Kale Chips, Keto Cauliflower-Parmesan Chips or Atkins Protein Chips.
- Potato salad: Try this low carb version of a summer barbecue mainstay: Cauliflower “Potato” Salad.
