Substitute pasta with quinoa?

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lindssaurus
lindssaurus Posts: 98 Member
edited September 2015 in Food and Nutrition
Is substituting pastas and bread with quinoa a healthier choice? Last time I lost weight I cut out these foods but felt tired and would evenually gain back because I know carbs are needed to function. Can quinoa help aid with weightloss, So far I'm pairing it with other foods like avocados or mushrooms.

Replies

  • IsaackGMOON
    IsaackGMOON Posts: 3,358 Member
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    No... eat your pasta lol.

    All that you need to lose weight is a caloric deficit, not elimination of certain food groups.
  • lindssaurus
    lindssaurus Posts: 98 Member
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    My problem is I eat too much pasta.
  • abatonfan
    abatonfan Posts: 1,123 Member
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    lindssaurus wrote: »
    My problem is I eat too much pasta.

    Eat less pasta (weigh out a portion that fits your calorie goals) and bulk up the meal with vegetables?
  • pili90
    pili90 Posts: 302 Member
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    Quinoa has a lot of nutrients, but also it is more dense in terms of calories and carbs... Keep that in mind, maybe one day you'll be better off to stick with pasta to stay within the caloric deficit....It's good, but as always in moderation :)
  • literique
    literique Posts: 85 Member
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    Quinoa is better than going completely carb-less! & it's delish too. :) I make a quinoa "oatmeal" for breakfast.
  • andrikosDE
    andrikosDE Posts: 383 Member
    edited September 2015
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    lindssaurus wrote: »
    Is substituting pastas and bread with quinoa a healthier choice? Last time I lost weight I cut out these foods but felt tired and would evenually gain back because I know carbs are needed to function. Can quinoa help aid with weightloss, So far I'm pairing it with other foods like avocados or mushrooms.

    Quinoa is a lot more expensive than pasta, no?
    So, use that extra money to bulk up your pasta with more nutritious side players such as dark leafy greens, zucchinis, cauliflower, broccoli, fresh frozen peas etc. etc.

    Quinoa is not a "magic" food and, unfortunately, due to its "faddy" popularity among nutro-hipsters, its price has shot up worldwide and the indigenous people who depend on it for daily nutrition cannot afford it anymore...
    http://www.theguardian.com/commentisfree/2013/jan/16/vegans-stomach-unpalatable-truth-quinoa
    http://www.smh.com.au/lifestyle/diet-and-fitness/quinoa-superfood-now-too-expensive-for-poor-growers-to-eat-20150114-12nxyb.html


  • RodaRose
    RodaRose Posts: 9,562 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Quinoa does not help with weight loss. It is a regular food. Eat the pasta and bread that you like. See the pasta as a side dish and meat and veggies as the main dish.
  • lemurcat12
    lemurcat12 Posts: 30,886 Member
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    abatonfan wrote: »
    lindssaurus wrote: »
    My problem is I eat too much pasta.

    Eat less pasta (weigh out a portion that fits your calorie goals) and bulk up the meal with vegetables?

    This, and also meat if you eat it. I love a quick dinner of pasta with a homemade sauce with lots and vegetables and some shrimp or other lean meat.

    Quinoa's tasty (IMO) and nothing wrong (from a health or weight loss standpoint) in including it in your overall diet too, but picking one vs. the other will make no difference to weight loss.
  • TinyTexn59
    TinyTexn59 Posts: 96 Member
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    If I were going to sub out the pasta I'd use a veggie instead, like spaghetti squash. I don't miss the extra carbs because the spaghetti squash has some and it satisfies.
  • cityruss
    cityruss Posts: 2,493 Member
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    Food is food is food.

    Surplus calories are surplus calories, no matter the source.
  • Asher_Ethan
    Asher_Ethan Posts: 2,430 Member
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    If you like quinoa then eat it! If you like pasta then eat it! It's the beauty of CICO. My new favorite go to meal when I need carbs and fat is pasta and butter.... Heavennnnnnnnnnn
  • amyhs12345
    amyhs12345 Posts: 18 Member
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    I like to eat Quinoa rather than pasta since it is a lot more filling and I can eat less of it, in my opinion. I also think Zucchini noodles are a good substitute since I usually just like to use pasta as a carrier for my sauce or other things.
  • oh_happy_day
    oh_happy_day Posts: 1,138 Member
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    Have you tried zucchini pasta? Just spiralized zucchini cooked to a similar consistency to pasta? I have it alone but you can also mix it in with pasta to bulk it out.

    There's nothing inherently wrong with pasta, if you like it, eat it and fit it into your calories. I like quinoa as well but I use it in salads and sides rather than a replacement for pasta. It's nutrituous but also calorie dense and expensive,
  • lindssaurus
    lindssaurus Posts: 98 Member
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    Thanks everyone for the reply! I was mostly eating it because I noticed it keeps me fuller longer which is great for after work. with pasta I seemed to become hungry and sluggish shortly after, which sucks when I need to workout after. I did make zucchini noodles! I will use this to make dinners.
  • qubetha
    qubetha Posts: 83 Member
    edited September 2015
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    Have you tried shirataki noodles? They are pure dietary fibre and virtually zero calories (but take on whatever flavor they are cooked with). You could mix them with your usual pasta to bulk it out or buy the shirataki tofu noodles which while no longer zero calories, are much closer to real pasta in nature and still a mere fraction of the calories pasta has...

    Oh and being pure dietary fibre they make you feel really full too!
  • blueriotgirl
    blueriotgirl Posts: 151 Member
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    You can always use spaghetti squash in lew of pasta if your looking to change it up some and get away from pasta all the time. My family loves pasta so do i but i made it for the first time in the summer and they enjoyed it.

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