Pasta?

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KirbySmith46
KirbySmith46 Posts: 198 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Does anyone have any recommendations for alternatives to regular pasta that's decent? I don't like how many carbs at in regular pasta.
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  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    Just curious as to why you don't like how many carbs pasta has. What are your views on carbs?

    IMO, there is no alternative that actually taste like and has the texture of pasta. I eat pasta about once per week.

    If you're low carbing, that's cool...and perhaps you have your reasons...but I hope they go beyond "carbs are evil" or something...because they're not...they're just a macro nutrient just like protein and fat.

    I only bring it up because there seems to be this massive misconception out there that somehow carbohydrates are what is making you fat, and that's simply not the case.

    That said, I do know people, including my dad who have medical conditions that warrant cutting carb...but even my diabetic dad didn't low carb, he just ate a more balanced diet.
  • Lillypearl62
    Lillypearl62 Posts: 23 Member
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    Try Spiralizing veggies such as zucchini, sweet potato, butternut squash. They can be topped with your favourite sauces and/or cheese.

    Check out www.skinnytaste.com and www.inspiralized.com for recipe ideas and information regarding spiralizers.

    I've tried shirataki noodles or miracle noodles, but personally, I found them disgusting.
  • LoraF83
    LoraF83 Posts: 15,694 Member
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    You can eat pasta and still lose weight. Just measure out the correct serving size and eat only that. Count it towards your calories. If you know that you're having spaghetti for dinner, and you're worried about your carb total for the day, have a protein heavy breakfast and lunch. It's all about finding a balance.

    That said, there's not really any product that's going to taste like pasta. You can try low-carb brands or those zero calorie noodles, or even spaghetti squash, but they won't have the same taste or texture.
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
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    Pasta? Is Delicious!
  • sijomial
    sijomial Posts: 19,811 Member
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    A smaller quantity of proper pasta would be my choice.
  • coueswhitetail
    coueswhitetail Posts: 309 Member
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    Try spaghetti squash with pasta sauce and veggies. We love it and find it much more filling than pasta.

    We also make eggplant lasagna, using the eggplant like they were noodles by slicing them thin horizontally. Adds nutrition and cuts calories and makes a very satisfying dish.

    You can also use cauliflower to make "rice". We do a lot of veggie stir fries over riced cauliflower. That's very very filling too.
  • guinevere96
    guinevere96 Posts: 1,445 Member
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    There is a brand of pasta at walmart called zero pasta where a whole serving is 15 calories and very low carb. If you can stand the texture of it.
  • coueswhitetail
    coueswhitetail Posts: 309 Member
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    Oh, and I forgot, we really enjoy spiralized veggies too.....zucchini and butternut squash are nice spiralized and used as a bed of "pasta". Zucchini is easy to spiralize with a small, inexpensive hand held spiralizer.
  • Need2Exerc1se
    Need2Exerc1se Posts: 13,576 Member
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    KirbySmith46 wrote: »
    Does anyone have any recommendations for alternatives to regular pasta that's decent? I don't like how many carbs at in regular pasta.

    Check out Fiber Gourmet brand pasta. 1/2 the calories of regular pasta, ultra high fiber, and it's not gray or gritty.
  • exerciseforhealth
    exerciseforhealth Posts: 15 Member
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    I agree with most of the comments above. Your body needs carbs for energy as does your brain for cognitive function. Pasta is a good food; but like everything else you need to be mindful of your portion size. Beware the fads in diets they come and go. Unless you have health issues such as gluten intolerance and you have been advised by your doctor, eat the pasta!
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    I eat the demon pasta several times a week, probably a hangover from living in Italy, as far as I'm concerned it has not hindered fat-loss in any way.

    As above, I'm yet to see anything to 'replace' pasta and still be like pasta.
  • KirbySmith46
    KirbySmith46 Posts: 198 Member
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    Yeah it's really more about the total calories and not so much the carbs. Sorry, I should have clarified a little better. I had spaghetti with meat sauce the other night and it cost me 1100 calories! I realized for the first time that spaghetti doesn't offer much bang for the buck!
  • asdowe13
    asdowe13 Posts: 1,951 Member
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    KirbySmith46 wrote: »
    Yeah it's really more about the total calories and not so much the carbs. Sorry, I should have clarified a little better. I had spaghetti with meat sauce the other night and it cost me 1100 calories! I realized for the first time that spaghetti doesn't offer much bang for the buck!

    I have never had a plate of spaghetti and meat sauce cost me 1100 calories and left hungry.

    Most of my past meals leave me pleasantly full for 3-500 calories
  • KirbySmith46
    KirbySmith46 Posts: 198 Member
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    adowe wrote: »
    KirbySmith46 wrote: »
    Yeah it's really more about the total calories and not so much the carbs. Sorry, I should have clarified a little better. I had spaghetti with meat sauce the other night and it cost me 1100 calories! I realized for the first time that spaghetti doesn't offer much bang for the buck!

    I have never had a plate of spaghetti and meat sauce cost me 1100 calories and left hungry.

    Most of my past meals leave me pleasantly full for 3-500 calories

    I guess I like spaghetti more than you! Lol.
  • eatingforspawn
    eatingforspawn Posts: 34 Member
    edited March 2015
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    Fiamma - Vesuviana, 65 g 235
    - Costco - Lean Ground Beef, 0.25 lb(s) 238
    Kirkland Marinara Sauce - Pasta Sauce, 0.5 cup 70
    Lettuce - Romain, 100 g 17
    Carrots - Raw, 0.5 large (7-1/4" to 8-1/2" long) 15
    Reggano - Parm Cheese, 2 Tbsp 40
    Farmboy - Honey Dijon Dressing, 2 tbsp 70
    Shallots - Raw, 1 tbsp chopped 7
    Total: 692

    This is my spaghetti bolognaise with salad dinner in my regular rotation. This is a huge meal and I am usually stuffed afterwards, and I can EAT! You can have your pasta and eat it too! Just measure out proper portions. 65g of pasta does not seem like much when you measure it out dry, but trust me, once it is cooked it is a huge pile on the plate! If you make something with these proportions and are still hungry after the meal, just make the salad bigger and get lots more satiety with not much more cals... or you can have broccoli or spinach instead of a salad and save cals by not having salad dressing.
  • jennbo83
    jennbo83 Posts: 62 Member
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    We use the brand Dreamfields which seems to have less carbs then a lot of other pasta brands.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,874 Member
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    KirbySmith46 wrote: »
    Yeah it's really more about the total calories and not so much the carbs. Sorry, I should have clarified a little better. I had spaghetti with meat sauce the other night and it cost me 1100 calories! I realized for the first time that spaghetti doesn't offer much bang for the buck!

    Yeah, pasta can be a calorie bomb...I actually very rarely eat it as a main dish anymore...usually I eat it as a side and even then it tends to be one of my higher calorie meals. I usually just portion out 4 ounces dried spaghetti to split between my wife and I and serve it with a marinara and some grilled chicken and some kind of veg.

    I actually can't remember the last time I just had it with a meat sauce as a stand alone meal...maybe I'll do that this weekend for my re-feed.
  • Timorous_Beastie
    Timorous_Beastie Posts: 595 Member
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    I eat a smaller portion of pasta (ok, actually about a recommended portion size portion, but that's better than the 3 portions I'd eat otherwise) and plump up the meal with a pile of vegetables. Usually some mix of frozen veggies cooked in the sauce. I'm not a big fan of broccoli, but broccoli covered in vodka sauce doesn't taste all that much different than a ziti noodle in vodka sauce.
  • Sweets1954
    Sweets1954 Posts: 506 Member
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    There are several options, you can try whole wheat pasta, spaghetti squash, or other vegetables. I personally did not find any of them satisfactory because of the change in flavor. If I have pasta for a meal then I try to curb the amount of carbs I eat the rest of the day. I'm diabetic so I need to watch the amount of carbs I eat.
  • kr15ty_k
    kr15ty_k Posts: 26 Member
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    I love spaghetti squash! I find if you cut it into 1" rings instead of halves it tends to look more like angel hair pasta. Take the rings, remove the goopy stuff in the middle, put them on parchment paper and bake for 40 mins at 375C.
    It has a sweeter taste than noodles but it has went well with any pasta sauce I've tried.
    Its low in calories so you can eat lots of it. :smiley:

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