by: Tara Needham

Early in 2017, I participated in the New Wave Fitness Lab-Based Nutrition (LBN) program. My goals included losing weight and dealing with chronic health issues like type-2 diabetes and high blood pressure and I knew that healthier eating habits would be necessary.

My test results revealed that my body was sensitive to a couple of my go-to healthy vegetable options—broccoli and asparagus.

No broccoli??  No asparagus?? It was devastating, but they aren’t the only two vegetables on earth (just two of my favorites!) And I knew that they were causing inflammation in my body, so giving them up was worth it.

So I went on a mission to find alternative vegetables and discover ways to prepare them so I would enjoy them. In my search, I discovered a kitchen tool called a spiralizer…

Some spiralizers are simple, handheld tools, or if you’d rather not spiralize manually, they also come as electric appliances or attachments to existing food processors.

The one I chose is a manual tool, but instead of being handheld, it suctions to the countertop…and with the turn of a handle, produces beautifully spiralized “vegetti” (in other words, a veggie alternative to spaghetti) or “zoodles.” 

I’ve found that larger produce works the best in this particular spiralizer. I was only able to find some smaller zucchini and carrots at my local grocery store for my first test, and they ended up as mostly just shredded with a few short spirals. Larger zucchini and carrots would work much better.

When I tried butternut squash though, it turned out great since I was able to use much larger pieces that made some lovely spirals. I would definitely recommend using larger vegetables with this machine.

There are different cutting blades ranging from a fine, round spiral to a larger, flat spiral. The machine I purchased, like the one pictured above, has 5 different blades to choose from.

The choice is yours whether you want to cook the spirals before eating them. A softer vegetable like zucchini or summer squash is great in a raw salad or used as “zoodles” with pasta sauce and doesn’t necessarily have to be cooked. The heat from the sauce can warm up the zucchini noodles enough to be pleasant tasting.

But a harder vegetable like butternut squash or beets taste better when cooked so it gets softer and more palatable. Spiralize first, cook second! These can be roasted in the oven with some olive oil, salt and pepper.

Get more spiralized vegetti zoodle recipes here.

My husband makes the best healthy pasta sauce, and even though I was perfectly happy eating it like stew out of a bowl with no pasta (which was also a no-no on my LBN plan), being able to use a spiralized zucchini or squash as my faux spaghetti has been super delicious.

Here are some popular veggies that do well in a spiralizer:

• zucchini
• summer (yellow) squash 
• cucumber
• sweet potatoes
• carrots
• butternut squash
• beets
• broccoli stalks
• kohlrabi
• cabbage
• apples

As you can see, these are all the more firm vegetables & fruits in the world…but if you come across something you think might work, go ahead and give it a try. 

Spiralizing is definitely the next big thing, but I don’t think it’s just a passing fad. Creating spiralized food is the new healthy alternative, and I don’t think you’ll miss the pasta at all.

5 Benefits of Eating Spiralized Vegetables

1. Low carbs
2. Low calories
3. Quick & easy
4. Tremendous source of vitamins & minerals
5. Simple way to increase intake of vegetables

 

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