Carb-heavy diets often cause weight gain and serious health complications. But reducing your intake is easier than you think. A few simple changes to your eating habits can make you significantly healthier.

There are numerous low-carb sugar substitutes on the market. Look for sweeteners made from stevia, sucralose, erythritol, xylitol, allulose, monk fruit or yacon syrup. If you’re using one in a recipe, do a bit of research because the sugar substitution ratio may not be one-to-one.

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If you love baking bread even though you know eating it is not good for you, search online for recipes that use almond flour instead of wheat flour. You can also use almond flour in cookies, muffins and cakes.

People looking to reduce carb intake often end up missing rice. If you’re in this category, consider cauliflower rice, which makes a fine substitution for rice in many dishes. Konjac rice is another option, though its texture is not very rice-like.

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Many grocery stores carry zucchini spirals, which make a terrific substitute for spaghetti. Use them as a base for spaghetti sauce the same way you would use pasta. If you can find them, opt for fresh “zoodles,” which taste better than frozen ones.

Look in the keto section of your grocery for other pasta substitutes, like those made from konjac flour, which is the powdered root of a plant native to east Asia. You might also find pasta made from pea protein or hearts of palm.

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Many recipes call for breadcrumbs, which are a no-no on a keto diet. Instead, use fried pork rinds, sometimes called chicharrones. Put them in a zippered bag and crush with a rolling pin or other heavy object to crush them into breadcrumb-size bits. You can also eat chicharrones as a snack, instead of chips.