If you haven’t heard of courgetti and you live in the western world, I’m pretty sure you’ve had your head buried under the sand. The concept of turning root vegetables into fake carbohydrates has been pretty popular over the last couple of years with people deeming carbohydrates as ‘bad foods’ and trying to find a healthier alternative. But why can’t we seem to just enjoy foods as they were meant to be enjoyed? If you can’t already tell, I’m a big advocate of carbohydrates and my heart cries every time someone tries to shun them.
The Foods We Love to Fear
Every decade the media choose a specific food group to target and demonise. You remember when everyone was scared of fat and would only buy fat free (but very high sugar) foods right? Well now people have clocked on that our body actually needs some fat, they’ve turned to a new food group to hate, carbohydrates. There were always certain groups that would shun carbs, such as Atkins and Keto, but now it’s hit the mainstream market. You can basically buy low carb versions of everything, and if they can’t process it they’ll just make a vegetable look like it instead, hence courgetti.
So, in case you’re on the fence about whether or not to replace your spaghetti with courgette, I’m going to explain why you should continue to eat carbohydrates, and some better ways to cook courgette.
Why You Need Carbohydrates
I really don’t want to bore you with the details, but in a brief overview of nutritional science, carbohydrates are one of three macronutrients that our body needs. Macronutrients are the nutrients our body needs in large amounts, so along with carbs, you have fat and protein.
Carbohydrates are the body’s main source of fuel. The body breaks it down into glucose and it is used for energy. When you exercise, or when you generally move, it’s carbohydrates that are used primarily before fat and protein.
Another fantastic reason for eating a suitable amount of carbohydrates is that many of them, especially fruit, vegetables and wholegrains are packed out with fibre. What does fibre do? It helps you poop better. Without a sufficient amount of fibre your digestive system will no longer be friends with you, and you’ll know about it.
Better Ways to Cook Courgette
Hopefully I’ve convinced you that you need to eat your carbohydrates, so now onto courgette, because I really don’t want to put you off eating courgette. There are plenty of ways to use it that don’t include a spiralizer.
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Ready to make soup?
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Fried Courgette:
This method isn’t for the faint-hearted because you need plenty of olive oil. When frying courgettes, cut into thick slices and cook in a frying pan on a medium/high heat for 3-4 minutes each side. You want at least 2 tbsp of olive oil for 2 courgettes and season well with salt and pepper.
Baked courgette:
You need a little less olive oil, around 1 tbsp or so, but when baking, season with salt, pepper and chilli flakes to give it that extra kick. Cut into large quarter wedges and bake for 20-25 minutes.
Leave it natural:
You don’t even need to cook courgette to make it tasty. Throw away the spiralizer and whip out your ribbon peeler. In a salad, courgette works well with lemon, feta cheese and mint, so get creative.
So, let’s stop pretending courgette is something it isn’t. It’s a beautiful summer squash that should be embraced and not disguised as something it isn’t.
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