Health  |  Quick and Easy  |  Recipes

8 Easy Bread Replacements

October 2, 2015  |  By: Whitney E. RD

Now don’t get me wrong — I love wheat.

I’m not a fan of the campaign against gluten and I think most people (other than those with Celiac’s disease) can tolerate it just fine (at least in normal portion sizes).

I do think though that we should mainly be eating a specific type of wheat product — 100% whole grain, sprouted, and minimally processed. I wrote about this in my post about ancient grains vs. modern wheat.

I’ve found that by sticking with Food for Life products, it’s easy to accomplish this. I’m so obsessed that I religiously eat one of their Ezekiel English Muffins every morning.

However (like everything else in life), wheat consumption should be balanced. You don’t need to have bread at every meal. I try to keep my servings to two or less a day.

Meaning, when it gets to dinner time, I like to switch it up!

This week I tried a bread replacement that I’ve been intrigued by for a while now — sweet potato buns.

I’d seen people use them on hamburgers instead of a traditional wheat or white buns many times and it always looked phenomenal.

Turns out, it is.

Try these eight swaps the next  time you need a great bread replacement. With some of them, you’ll even be getting in more essential vitamins!

1. Sweet Potato Buns

A great option to replace your standard hamburger bun. Simply slice a sweet potato into 1/4 – 1/2 inch rounds, spray with extra virgin olive oil, sprinkle with salt, and bake on parchment paper at 350 for about 30 minutes, flipping half way through.

2. Lettuce Wraps

An oldie but a goodie. Choose large, organic, leaf lettuce, and make sure to rinse and pat dry before using to wrap up your favorite sandwich ingredients or burrito components.

3. Coconut Crepes

These can be enjoyed with savory or sweet toppings, and stacked like a sandwich. Try the sweet recipe for peanut butter and jelly sandies or the savory one for turkey.

4. Collard Greens Wraps

Like the lettuce wraps, collard greens make a awesome bread/tortilla replacement too. Simply wash them, remove the middle stem, and steam them to make a pliable wrap that is mild in flavor and packed with nutrients.

Try my collard greens Thai Chicken Rolls >>

5. Eggplant Buns

Similar to the sweet potato buns, eggplant also makes a great burger topper.

All you do is peel the eggplant, slice it into 1/2 inch rounds, spray with EVOO, sprinkle with salt, and roast at 400 for 25-30 minutes, flipping halfway through.

6. Sweet Potato Boats

This is one of my favorite things to do with sweet potatoes.

Just rinse the potato, stab it a few times with a knife (gently of course), wrap it in a damp paper towel, and microwave it for about 6-7 minutes. Then slice it in half and top it with peanut butter.

Makes a great replacement for toast at breakfast or a creamy, delicious mid-day snack.

7. Corn tortillas

Organic, 100% stone ground corn tortillas are a great healthy replacement for anyone who is avoiding wheat for any reason.

They tend to be way lower in calories and fat than wheat tortillas, but still have a good amount of fiber. Just make sure to find an organic brand — corn is notorious for being a GMO.

8. Cauliflower Wraps

Despite the labor intensive process, cauliflower wraps make a great bread replacement and are packed with nutrients.

Try this cauliflower pizza recipe, and downsize it to wrap status.

Weigh In: Do you have any great wheat bread replacements? Do share!