How to Spiralize Your Diet


Get the knowledge on ‘Spiralizing’, the hottest craze to hit the food world. Find out why, how and what to spiralize in our handy guide

Spiralizing has been around a while, but hit headlines in a big way last year. The trend seems set to stick around in 2016. What is it? ‘Spiralizing’ is the art of making ‘noodles’ and ‘spaghetti’ from vegetables.  Get the low down on all you need to know about it here.

WHY?

1. Replacing calorie dense pasta and noodles with low calorie and healthy veggies is a no brainer for those on a diet.

2. Spiralized veggies lend themselves to a variety of dishes that would normally use traditional pasta or noodles. Use any dressing you wish, from typical Italian pesto and tomato sauce, to Mediterranean inspired tastes and exotic oriental dishes.

3. If you are watching your weight, keep dressings low calorie too. For example, a small drizzle of good oil like Irish rapeseed oil with citrus juice and fresh herbs keeps tastes lively but low fat.

HOW?

In the old days, you might use an attachment on your food processor or an old fashioned mandolin grater, to make strands of veggies. These days, it will cost you to buy a special spiralizer, which easily cuts your veggies into strands or curls.  

Once the vegetable is secured in this contraption, you turn the handle and hey presto, your veggie ‘noodles’ come spiralling out the other end!  Your spiralizer will probably have a choice of blades for different widths.  

Find spiralizers in good kitchenware shops, like Urru Culinary Store in Bandon, West Cork, or the Ballymaloe Shop at Ballymaloe House, among others. A good investment if you are serious about using more veggies in your diet in a creative and fun way. 

WHAT?

Here’s our guide to vegetables that work well in a spiralizer, by season:

Winter: Large beetroot, turnip, swede, large carrots, large parnsips, and cabbages (red white and green).

Spring/ Summer: All the winter vegetables above, according to availability, plus: Cucumbers, large courgettes and Marrow.

Autumn: Squash, pumpkin, apples