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Five healthy and delicious potato substitutes that are non-starchy and have a very similar texture to all your low-carb, gut-healing, or keto-inspired dishes.
Last weekend, when I was picking vegetables at a local farm, I noticed a vegetable that hadn’t been cooked in a long time….kohlrabi.
Now that my husband has been on the full GAPS diet for over five years (and is beginning to have success reintroducing foods!), I quickly checked the GAPS legal food list to find this gorgeous purple. ‘s rape does not contain starch to meet his dietary needs.
yay! I found it to be okay, so I scooped up some for next week’s homemade soup-making effort.
Why Use Potato Substitutes?
There are several reasons why you might want to consider using potato substitutes regularly in your home menu.
First, avoiding starchy potatoes is a must if you’re eating low-carb or following a keto protocol to lose a few pounds quickly.
Second, if you have any bowel problems, it’s important to cut whites and sweet potatoes (which are also very starchy) from your diet.
Starches are very difficult to digest for people with digestive problems of all kinds. leaves enough food for
In a nutshell, avoiding starch, at least in the short term, is important for healing/sealing the intestinal wall and restoring the integrity of the intestinal cells and the probiotic flora that nourish them. It is the gatekeeper of our immune system.
For those who have trouble digesting starches or those who eat low-carb and shed a few pounds, a great potato substitute that offers a similar texture is recommended by me to avoid cravings that can derail the healing process. experience is essential.
Low Starch Potato Substitute
Before we identify the 5 best alternatives to potatoes, we would like to clarify that potatoes are a healthy and traditional food.
Just because you need to avoid potatoes for a while due to digestive or other health issues doesn’t mean they’re bad!
That means you have to go a different route when it comes to eating in order to reach a healthier version of yourself.
My husband doesn’t eat sweet potatoes or sweet potatoes because we practice the GAPS diet.
But me and my kids eat it all the time.
So when I make a dish using potatoes, I make sure to add the following potato substitute side dishes so my husband can enjoy the texture of the starch without it.
kohlrabi
Kohlrabi is a cruciferous vegetable that makes a great side to potatoes at any meal.
Always try to cook it!
Cruciferous vegetables should never be eaten raw, as they are highly goitrogenic, which adversely affects the thyroid gland and inhibits iodine uptake.
Cooking inactivates about two-thirds of these substances in kohlrabi, making it easier to digest and safer for the thyroid.
My favorite way to cook them is to put one or two in a pot of simmering homemade gravy for a one pot meal.
Once the stock and slow-cooked meat are ready, the vegetables are ready too!
turnip
Turnips look a bit like purple kohlrabi, but are characterized by a mixture of purple and white in appearance.
In addition, the greens are coming out from the top of the turnip in one place. This is compared to kohlrabi, which has a single stem extending from multiple locations on the root.
Turnips have a unique flavor that, according to my taste buds, takes some getting used to.
My husband and one of my sons love the turnip flavor, but I don’t. The flavor is incredibly strong even after cooking, making it a bit unpleasant.
My husband likes it simmered in homemade bone broth, while I like it minced and butter roasted. For me, the strong turnip flavor blends easily into soups and broths and has a negative effect.
In short, turnips are definitely a personal favorite! But don’t be put off just because I don’t care about them. you might like them!
If you cook for the whole family, choose one of the other options on this list to please everyone.
Rutabaga
Much sweeter and milder than turnips or kohlrabi, rutabaga is my favorite potato substitute.
Legal for all stages of the GAPS diet, this non-starchy root vegetable looks like a potato when cooked with the skin on.
They can be peeled, chopped, boiled until soft, and then mashed with butter and milk to make a low-starch mashed potato.
Another delicious option is to peel the rutabaga, chop it up, and roast it in the oven with butter, sea salt, and pepper until tender for a baked potato-style side dish.
cauliflower
Cauliflower is the most widely sold and probably the most popular low-starch potato substitute in supermarkets.
However, if you’re eating low-carb to heal your leaky gut, be aware that only cauliflower florets are allowed in all six stages of the GAPS Introductory Diet.
Stages 3-6 of the GAPS Intro Diet also include cauliflower stems. (1)
Keep this in mind if you want to use this delicious rapeseed as a replacement for potatoes.
Cauliflower mashed potatoes (chopped, steamed until tender, and simply mashed with butter, sea salt, and pepper) are probably the most famous dish for low-carb people who avoid white potatoes and sweet potatoes.
Cauliflower rice is also popular as a side dish.
Like kohlrabi, cauliflower is a cruciferous vegetable. Therefore, it should be thoroughly heated before consumption to reduce goitrogenic substances that adversely affect thyroid function.
Celeriac
Perhaps the least known of the potato substitutes, celeriac is a great option to consider.
Like cauliflower stems, celeriac is reserved for later stages of GAPS when intestinal healing has occurred. (1)
However, if it’s low carb for weight control purposes only, enjoy it as a potato sub anytime.
As you can guess from the name, celeriac is actually the root bulb of the celery plant.
Hence it’s more common name… celery root.
So if you have your own garden, growing celery is wise. You can use the whole plant, from roots to stems to leaves.
Despite its popularity, celery is actually unknown to most people!
It’s safe to eat raw, unlike other potato alternatives, such as kohlrabi and cauliflower, which must be thoroughly cooked.
another tip.Celeriac tastes a lot like parsnips but is not allowed in any country 6 levels of intro GAPS Or even the regular GAPS diet due to its high starch content. (twenty three)
So, if you’re on this gut-healing diet and can’t eat parsnips as well as potatoes, celeriac is definitely a good choice as an alternative to both!
(1) GAPS Intro Nikujaga
(2) List of regular GAPS diet foods
(3) gut and psychology syndrome
