Pasta

suesalon

Has anyone tried the pasta made from a vegetable called konjac and does it taste any good

perrinjoshua

HI, I had no idea what konjac was so thought I would look into it. I have tried something called miracle noodles in the past and thought it might be the same thing. I don't think it is though. Anyway, below is a direct quote from Livestrong.com on the side effects of the konjac root. You may or may not be interested. The important thing to note is that water is key if you are increasing fiber.

The very characteristics that make konjac root attractive for weight-loss applications in rare circumstances can cause potentially life-threatening blockages of the esophagus, throat or intestine. Glucomannan absorbs large quantities of water, helping to give weight-loss candidates a feeling of fullness and thus reducing their appetite for more food. If the fiber becomes lodged in the esophagus before it reaches the stomach, its intended destination, then it can become a choking hazard, particularly as it swells with any liquid it may pick up. In "The Complete Guide to Herbal Medicine," authors Charles W. Fetrow and Juan R. Avila cite rare cases in which such blockages caused perforation of the esophagus, necessitating surgical removal of the fibrous mass under general anesthesia. Anyone with preexisting esophageal problems should avoid glucomannan in all forms.

Health Canada, the federal agency charged with helping Canadians to maintain and improve their health, considered such blockages a serious enough threat to issue a health advisory in January 2010. The agency warned that products containing glucomannan pose "a potential for harm if taken without at least eight ounces of water or other fluid. The risk to Canadians includes choking and/or blockage of the throat, esophagus or intestine, according to international adverse reaction case reports." Australia banned glucomannan products in 1985 because of the potential for obstruction of the esophagus or intestines.

Read more: http://www.livestrong.com/article/149231-side-effects-of-konjac-root/#ixzz2YBB6Lsr5

suesalon

Maybe different as sold in Woolworth's Australia called slendier slim comes in a pasta or a rice thought would be good low cal alternative to pasta or rice .sold in gluten free section of supermarket .

Ramatang

I'm so interested to try this slendierslim and am looking for people who have tried it.. I can't find anybody.. I might just have to go and get some tonight.

ThatOperaGirl

I've tried it. Tastes pretty bland with a kind of chewy texture ... look, it doesn't feel like you're eating pasta if that's what anyone's hoping for. I would definitely mix it in with a sauce on the stove, since it will absorb some flavour from that. It absolutely does fill you up, though! I only really have it if I want to save some calories for a special event meal later in the day and want to bulk up the volume of my lunch a bit.

Satiable

Hi, OP. Konjac/Konnyaku/Shirataki/Miracle Noodles are all the same thing. If you try those terms in the 'search' function of this forum you'll find plenty of discussions.

Essentially, they don't taste good or bad. They have no flavour, and -- as long as you rinse them properly -- no scent. The texture is very chewy, almost crisp, a little slippery and not at all like pasta. More like like rubbery vermicelli rice noodles. Most people who eat them do it to add bulk to a meal (usually stir-fried vegetables) instead of eating a plate of it like pasta.

CharChary

Just eat real pasta! I still enjoy me some whole wheat Penne pasta with sauce.

Ramatang

Yep.. I'm sticking to the real stuff.. It taste like crap.. I thought it was disgusting.. I'd rather have the real pasta on a good day of training to have the extra calories and carbs.

fruttibiscotti

Konjac noodles come from Japanese cuisine. They are perfectly fine to eat - so no health scandal alarm necessary. Seriously? Geez.

They are also very low in calories, and some companies, like Miracle noodles, get away with marking "0 calories" because the package is small enough (sort of like how Pam spray or those little faux sugar baggies get away with stating zero per serving).

For people who grew up on Italian style durum wheat type noodle (or similar) the texture of the konjac noodle may throw them off a little. For instance, the noodle does not absorb sauces like a durum wheat noodle would. Typical preparation for the konjac noodle is in a soup form (think of the lovely varieties of Asian style soups with long noodles).

So let's pay a bit of respect to Japanese, as I don't think statements like "it tastes like crap, I'd rather eat the real thing" are valid. Konjac noodles are the real thing to the Japanese, eaten in Japan as long as pasta existed in Italy perhaps. Keep an open mind to the various cultures around the world and recognize they all are welcomed on MFP. Show respect. This is not myfitness redneck.com.

fruttibiscotti

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Shirataki_noodles

Link above describing konjac noodles and photo of typical Japanese preparation.

eksero2k

I'm so interested to try this slendierslim and am looking for people who have tried it.. I can't find anybody.. I might just have to go and get some tonight.

The noodles are pretty bad, the pasta and rice however are actually pretty nice, i use them all the time

spoons81

I use spaghetti squash in place of pasta. Tastes great with sauce or olive oil/garlic/seasoning!

tenaciousdave28

We used the spaghetti and made a nice bolognese sauce and thought it was really good. Today I made a butter chicken and used the konjac rice and it was delicious. I say try it cuz it's not that bad.