pasta vs wholewheat pasta

britishbeau

is wholewheat pasta better than normal pasta?

ive been looking at the calories in both, and theres almost double the amount in the wholewheat pasta, is it worth having more calories if its better for me? or should i stick with the normal stuff.

ive been pretty lucky to find a white pasta that is only about 150 calories per 100g vs the 255 per 75g in the wholewheat. which is better?

farfromthetree

I used to think the whole wheat was "healthier". Now I just look at the calorie content. Being 45 pounds pounds lighter is better for me! Great question though, I will be interested in others responses.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

It shouldn't be that much difference.

What kind of white pasta are you using? Most white pasta is around 200 calories for 56 grams dry pasta and whole wheat should be very close to the same. Are you sure you're not comparing cooked pasta to dry?

girlviernes

It depends on your goals. If you have trouble regulating blood sugar, you may do better with whole wheat pasta. It will have more fiber and some more nutrients. However, you need to balance with the taste and calories. Usually, calories are pretty equivalent between refined and unrefined grains. Not sure why there is such a big difference here.

Francl27

I've never seen white pasta under 180 calories for 56g (dry).

What's better about whole wheat is that is has more fiber, so it should fill you up longer, but that's about it. I do prefer the taste of whole wheat pasta though, so it's what I typically get, but calorie-wise it's really about the same.

FatFreeFrolicking

I'm not sure what brand you are eating that has double the calories in whole wheat/grain pasta.

Barilla whole grain spaghetti is 200 calories per serving (2 oz). Carbs: 41 g, fiber: 6 g, protein: 7 g.

Barilla classic blue box spaghetti is 200 calories per serving (2 oz). Carbs: 42 g, fiber: 2 g, protein: 7 g.

Same calories in both, whole grain has higher fiber content, and is 1 gram lower in carbs. I'll take the 6 grams of fiber in the whole grain over the 2 grams in the classic spaghetti.

Laurend224

I prefer white pasta. I was buying all different kind of pasta for a while, whole wheat, protein plus, omegas added. But now I just eat the stuff I grew up with. It's cheaper, and I get those nutrients elsewhere in my diet.

Eire228

I'm not a dietician or anything like that, but my mother is a clinical nutritionist and has always encouraged eating whole grains. I guess a lot of the nutrients are stripped from the grains to make the white pasta/bread or whatever it is. So yes, whole wheat is higher in calories most of the time, but I believe it's better for you. To me, though, the most important part of my pasta is the ingredient list. If there are too many unpronounceable words, I avoid it. I don't want weird chemical preservatives in my body! So my personal thought is, if you can find a white pasta with very basic ingredients and you like the calorie count, go for it!

Eire228

My other thought - there's always give and take. As someone mentioned above, it's better for them to be 45 lbs lighter than eat whole grains. If it's easier for you to eat white pasta and be "healthier" with something else, then that's ok, too!

Kalikel

This is a subject near and dear to my heart. The white pasta was a problem for me because once I eat it nothing but a good night's sleep makes me stop wanting more. I eat it, I crave more. Even eating more doesn't stop it. Goes on all day. I finally just stopped eating it.

But I missed my pasta! I set out on finding whole grain pasta that I liked...and failed and failed, lol. Kept trying them, didn't like them. I'd put it in the fridge, to try again, still didn't. Even when quite hungry, I would take a few bites and stop because I just didn't like it.

Then I found the Mueller's and I liked it. I was able to have a bowl of macaroni again. Alleluia! I do not crave more. I keep trying others because if I like this one, I might find one I like even more.

White bread gave me the same problem and I've found whole grain that I like there, too. I like it as much, but differently.

Someone will probably quote me and say, "You just can't control yourself! It's not the pasta - it's you and your weakness." They might be right! I don't think so, because there are foods I like a LOT more than pasta that I can eat just a little bit and while I might want more, I don't crave it all the long day through. I can have one Skittle or one Starburst and be fine. I like those a whole lot more than spaghetti! So, if it were just my weak character, I think I'd cave on things I like more.

But they might be right. I don't even care. I found healthier Pasta that I like and don't have to be bugged by cravings. It works for me.

There isn't a huge calorie difference, but the whole grain has fewer calories.

I don't think Mueller's macaroni will work for everyone, lol. But if you keep trying different kinds, you may find one you like, too.

If anyone else got this far through this and has a whole grain pasta they adore, always looking for yummy new kinds.

britishbeau

i was surprised it was to low too, ive never seen one like it, its just asdas own brand. my mum bought tesco one by accident last time and its double the calories,

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

britishbeau wrote: »

i was surprised it was to low too, ive never seen one like it, its just asdas own brand. my mum bought tesco one by accident last time and its double the calories,

Just make sure you're weighing it cooked because that's intended to be the nutritional information for the pasta after it's been boiled. I suspect you're comparing cooked weight in one brand to dry weight in another. The pasta will keep the same calories but will just about double in weight during cooking. What brand is the whole wheat?

britishbeau

ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »

britishbeau wrote: »

i was surprised it was to low too, ive never seen one like it, its just asdas own brand. my mum bought tesco one by accident last time and its double the calories,

Just make sure you're weighing it cooked because that's intended to be the nutritional information for the pasta after it's been boiled. I suspect you're comparing cooked weight in one brand to dry weight in another. The pasta will keep the same calories but will just about double in weight during cooking. What brand is the whole wheat?

asda cook italian

prattiger65

Nutritionally, there is very little difference. When I began my weight loss, I went bat **** crazy and bought the lowest calorie everything, I have since gone back to regular pasta. My suggestion is to eat what you like, just not quite as much.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

britishbeau wrote: »

ILiftHeavyAcrylics wrote: »

britishbeau wrote: »

i was surprised it was to low too, ive never seen one like it, its just asdas own brand. my mum bought tesco one by accident last time and its double the calories,

Just make sure you're weighing it cooked because that's intended to be the nutritional information for the pasta after it's been boiled. I suspect you're comparing cooked weight in one brand to dry weight in another. The pasta will keep the same calories but will just about double in weight during cooking. What brand is the whole wheat?

asda cook italian

The database doesn't say on that one. Does the package say whether the serving size weight is cooked or dry?

I remember a very similar thread to this one awhile back and that's what it ended up being-- the one that seemed like it was double the calories was actually just supposed to be measured dry.

britishbeau

also, i have being weighing it dry. so im actually eating more calories than i thought because idk how much it weighs cooked?

so how much dry pasta makes 100g? of cooked?

prattiger65

britishbeau wrote: »

also, i have being weighing it dry. so im actually eating more calories than i thought because idk how much it weighs cooked?

so how much dry pasta makes 100g? of cooked?

It would vary by how long it is cooked and how much water is absorbed.

britishbeau

heres the links, this is what i use now http://groceries.asda.com/asda-webstore/landing/home.shtml?cmpid=ahc-_-ghs-d1-_-asdacom-dsk-_-hp#/product/390485

and heres what i was thinking of switching to http://groceries.asda.com/asda-webstore/landing/home.shtml?cmpid=ahc-_-ghs-d1-_-asdacom-dsk-_-hp#/product/910001031597

im really confused now

Francl27

Also don't blindly trust a package, sometimes you have to use common sense, I highly doubt that pasta is less calories than other brands.

lawlifehanna

britishbeau wrote: »

heres the links, this is what i use now http://groceries.asda.com/asda-webstore/landing/home.shtml?cmpid=ahc-_-ghs-d1-_-asdacom-dsk-_-hp#/product/390485

and heres what i was thinking of switching to http://groceries.asda.com/asda-webstore/landing/home.shtml?cmpid=ahc-_-ghs-d1-_-asdacom-dsk-_-hp#/product/910001031597

im really confused now

The regular pasta you linked has nutritional values "cooked as directed", the whole wheat one has "dry". They aren't comparable as that.

If you're worried about logging, weigh the regular pasta after cooking and log it, and the whole wheat dry before cooking. Boom, you know how much you ate. If you want to know the weight difference, weigh the same portion both before and after cooking it.

lemurcat12

IME and based on the brands I've bought, I don't think they are that different. Far more significant is how much you eat and what you eat with it (like the sauce). The whole wheat has a bit more fiber and, from what I've seen, about the same calories. I react exactly the same to both, but overeating pasta for any reason other than just failing to pay attention to portion size has never been an issue for me (pasta sauce or cheese is another matter). So I tend to eat the whole wheat stuff with sauces where I think it goes well, not worry about it if I happen to go out for pasta, and on the whole don't eat pasta all that often anyway.

uconnwinsnc1

That brown whole wheat pasta tastes like wet leather shoe laces.

ILiftHeavyAcrylics

Just choose one method. I prefer to weigh pasta dry because the cooked weight can vary depending on how long you cook it. But if the package instructions are for cooked then just cook it first and then weigh it.

The point though is not to weigh it dry and then use the cooked nutrition information, or vice versa.

Unknown

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LAWoman72

As far as "the insides" go, both whole wheat and white pasta spike my blood sugar equally and leave me with giant cravings, or at least they did when I used to eat them.

I eat gluten-free pasta now but I have to control even that. In fact, a lot of GF "replacement" products are actually more calorically dense than the wheat versions, and have at least as many, if not more, carbs. So I eat them...just in very small portions and not every day.

As far as the yum factor: I used to looooooooooooooooove my white pasta...wheat, not very much. I mean it's the yum, what can I say? If you can eat wheat products (I am jealous), eat them! But yes, you have to be aware of the calories...in both the white and "whole wheat" versions. Just like anything else, really.

ForecasterJason

Whole wheat pasta tastes good to me. But then, before I started eating it I was also eating lots of whole grain bread.

KBmoments

farfromthetree wrote: »

I used to think the whole wheat was "healthier". Now I just look at the calorie content. Being 45 pounds pounds lighter is better for me! Great question though, I will be interested in others responses.

Agreed.

Azurite27

I always go whole wheat if I can. It has more fiber and iron (without being artificially added back in) and fills me up better than white pasta used to. Most of the time I can't even stand the taste of the white pasta anymore. Plus comparing the nutrition info on some of mine and my mom's boxes the calories are about the same... her processed white spaghetti is 200 cals for 56g dry, my whole wheat depending on noodle and brand is 180-210 cals for 56g dry but twice the fiber.

madrose0715

I grew up eating nothing but white breads and white pastas. I could eat sooo much of it. When I first switched to whole wheats and multi grain breads and pastas, I didn't enjoy it that much. Now several years later, I feel that white breads and pastas have very little taste at all and do not enjoy them. I like the nutritional benefits as well as the taste of the whole wheat/ whole grains a great deal. You can change your tastes over time.

WithWhatsLeft

If you are missing your pasta, try a Spiralizer:
http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade/dp/B0007Y9WHQ



It slices different veggies in different ways. I am here to tell ya - zucchini makes fantastic spaghetti!! And spiral sliced jicama roasted with seasonings tastes a lot like matchstick french fries...

Here's a website full of recipes and ideas:
http://www.inspiralized.com/howto/

neanderthin

Suzanneishere wrote: »

If you are missing your pasta, try a Spiralizer:
http://www.amazon.com/Paderno-World-Cuisine-A4982799-Tri-Blade/dp/B0007Y9WHQ



It slices different veggies in different ways. I am here to tell ya - zucchini makes fantastic spaghetti!! And spiral sliced jicama roasted with seasonings tastes a lot like matchstick french fries...

Here's a website full of recipes and ideas:
http://www.inspiralized.com/howto/

That would only make me want the real deal more and yes that means the dirty white stuff that is evil except in Italy where they have single digit obesity and consume 4 times the amount then Americans do.....maybe it's the water the pasta is boiled in......it's a mystery and switching to whole wheat should alleviate the problem, no doubt about it.