good healthy low calorie alternative Brown rice?

Personally, I'm not a fan of spaghetti squash. It's the only winter squash I don't like. Butternut is my favorite food, but spaghetti squash and I just never got along.

I love brown rice and can't think of a good reason to substitute it, though, so I would be more likely to add this cauliflower rice to the real rice.

Unless you're experiencing some sort of medical issue which requires it, there's really no need to cut those foods out.

How about adding wild rice to the brown rice, and simmering in stock?

jkwolly wrote: »

IMO, I use what I like and just less of it if I have to. Otherwise I make whatever I want fit.

Winner!

Actually, using winter squash or cauliflower in place of rice or pasta does generally lower the calories a lot (and may or may not add significant fiber). I don't especially like rice and am usually so-so on grains (I like pasta, but am not insane for it), so often save calories this way (I LOVE roasted potatoes and sweet potatoes, though, so just watch portion size for them). What works for me, although everyone is different, is not to try to pretend like the substitute is something it's not. Spaghetti squash is naturally pasta-like, but more often I just roast some winter squash or root veggies or cauliflower or pan-fry my zucchini, and if I'm having a pasta sauce kind of meal, add it to the top. You could do that for you and have the pasta for everyone else.

Similarly, I'll just do a stir fry like meal without the rice.

I can't tell if you are trying to cut calories for everyone or just for you, though. The calories in these foods aren't that high if you enjoy them (like I said, I have pasta from time to time, potatoes, and also quinoa, among other starchy carbs), so long as you control portion size. It seems like you could control your own portion easily enough, so that's why I'm wondering if it's about getting everyone to cut down.

Hey, I like trying new things. For me, that's my normal.

Why not try cooking less so there's only enough for one serving for each person? Or just skip it altogether. Legumes are a good substitute in some dishes. You can make an excellent stir fry with lentils or black or red beans as the base.

jenniator wrote: »

I always try to eat less, but I always take more. That's why I thought it would be better to find a alternative that is lower in calorie.

As you can see from my answer above, I think finding some alternatives is a perfectly fine idea, and you might discover new foods you love.

But if portion control is the issue, there are some tricks to that too, like not relying on your eye alone, until you are used to what a portion should be. I generally measure out my portion and that's it. I tend to make a sauce that's lower calorie and where the serving size is more generous--lots of veggies and so on--and add that, and the combination is satisfying. (This is the opposite of what I was told to do as a kid, when I was told that Americans ate too much sauce, but it's what I always wanted to do anyway.) It's just a mental thing--a specific serving size vs. "how much do I want," which can definitely lead to taking too much. Once I eat and wait a bit I never find that I wish I had more food.

Corn! How could I have forgotten corn?
Here's a recipe with spelt groats. I would trade out the "capon" with a roasting chicken.
http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/savory-roasted-capon-with-spelt-and-corn-salad-recipe.html

Doesn't corn have basically the same calories as other starchy carbs? Nothing better than fresh corn, but I tend not to eat it at other times of the year.

jenniator wrote: »

Thank you guys for the suggestions. I see a lot of people say just to have less of the rice or pasta. That is a good idea, but I have a problem controlling myself around rice and pasta since I love them so much. I always try to eat less, but I always take more. That's why I thought it would be better to find a alternative that is lower in calorie.

Is the intent to keep eating that lower calorie alternative and nix rice and pasta out of your diet entirely? Again, if not and you're doing it just to lose weight, then what's going to happen if you decide you want to eat rice and pasta again? Control can be learned. Don't believe it can't be. I'm sure there are lots of things you'd like to rage about to a person if you saw wrong done by them. But you restrain from doing it because of control.

A.C.E. Certified Personal and Group Fitness Trainer
IDEA Fitness member
Kickboxing Certified Instructor
Been in fitness for 30 years and have studied kinesiology and nutrition

I just measure out less rice. I haven't found anything else that is comparable in terms of calories and macros, and honestly, 1/2 cup of rice is more than enough for me now. I'll be weighing it out and be surprised at how much there is, I don't think I'd know what to do with an entire full serving (1 cup) of rice. Filling the plate with veggies seems to help with the visual/psychological aspect, as there just isn't much room on the plate left for rice when the majority is protein or veggies.

Quinoa? It has slightly more calories than brown rice per dry measurement but you eat less of it to feel sated.

Try riceing cauliflower. Rough chop it in a food processor and steam it. Without knowing what the dish is it's harder to suggest. When I make Indian food I use lentils instead.

Eta you can use a blender.

Spaghetti squash is a substitute for pasta in looks only (and barely, at that). Certainly not in taste. Unless you can commit to eating spaghetti squash instead of pasta, as others have said, stick with eating less pasta. Where spaghetti squash wins is low calories.

According to the calorie chart on MFP, 500 grams of spaghetti is 690 calories. That same 500 grams of s/s is 155 calories. You can eat over four times as much spaghetti squash before equaling the number of calories in spaghetti. In that regard, it's a great trade-off but, again, it's not pasta...it's squash. It took some adjustment to find how to get it to my taste, but I made the switch to spaghetti squash and am happy I did so.