Expert: Melissa Anderson - 11/26/2007

Question
Hi Melissa,

I am a 53 y.o. male weighing 256 lbs. at 5'11" in height. I get moderate excercise driving and getting in and out of a semi tractor. My normal diet is warmed pre-cooked culinary Indian food simmered in pouches thrown over boil in bag brown rice, and also frozen dinners with vegetable entries in bags from Wal-Mart. I drink mainly tea. I have high cholesterol, H.B.P., and triglycerides and am presently on medication for them. I switched from potatoes to rice but have still been gaining a little excess weight. Since rice is starchy and I tend to eat large helpings with vegetables, I was wondering if there would be a decent rice substitute that would have much less starch or maybe no starch at all?

Would you know of any foods, vegetables, or grains, where I might be able to eat a large helping and not have the starch to contend with?

Thank you greatly.

With best regards,

Mike E.

Answer
Mike,
Veggies are your best bet. Try zucchini or yellow squash. As a bed for your other foods, try spaghetti squash or my personal favorite, mashed cauliflower. Steam the cauliflower until it's fairly well done, and mash it with a potato masher. It won't get smooth like mashed potato-rather, it'll mash into small pieces a lot like rice.
Melissa