THIS is what a serving of pasta looks like...

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Replies

  • buffywhitney
    buffywhitney Posts: 172 Member
    I need at least 3 oz.. 2 oz. is just a joke!
  • rheddmobile
    rheddmobile Posts: 6,840 Member
    edited May 2019
    The discussion of dinnerware sizes made me curious, so I tested the sizes of two bowls I own. Both were purchased at Target as part of their cheap house brand starter set of dinnerware, which comes with four place settings consisting of large plates, small plates, coffee cups, and bowls. The small cobalt blue bowl was purchased in 1993 and the larger celadon bowl was purchased 25 years later in 2018. I filled both bowls with as much water as I could without the bowl overflowing, after zeroing the weight on my scale.

    The bowl purchased last year is almost exactly twice the size of the older bowl, with the variance being mostly due to the shape of the bowl’s lip - I think the official size is probably meant to be exactly twice as large. 32.5 oz versus 16 oz.
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  • saintor1
    saintor1 Posts: 376 Member
    I eat pasta and rice always flooded in a sea of veggies. Typically 70g of pasta or 30g of basmati rice (man here).

    I'd be depressed to eat bare pasta like your pic (unless with a lot of 'invisible' butter :p ) .
  • AnnPT77
    AnnPT77 Posts: 34,156 Member
    edited May 2019
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    See, I just don't get the appeal of pasta plain. That's why I never want a giant serving -- would rather have lots of tasty sauce (or whatever other toppings involving more vegetables, protein, sources of fat like olives, nuts, or cheese).

    You and me both. I wouldn't eat it plain, unless I was recovering from stomach flu, maybe, and wanted something very bland. I definitely wouldn't eat a vast mountain of it without much on it (and not balsamic vinegar alone, tasty though the stuff is in some contexts): More of a punishment to me, than an indulgence.

    This is not a criticism of the PP: We all enjoy different foods, and that makes life interesting.

    One of my easy changes when first starting calorie counting (and refining nutrition) was to reduce pasta, and eat more of the stuff I'd usually put on it.

    IIRC, you (lemur) affirmatively like pasta? To me, it's OK, but not all that satisfying, so optional. As a consequence, in this sub-thread:
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    just_Tomek wrote: »
    I think because of this thread I made adzuki bean spaghetti in putanesca and pollock fillet last night. Protein rich and filling for sure for me. 600cal dinner, not too shabby. (it's usually spin spaghetti this was not, but filling, big volume and nutrient dense for sure.
    Two serving of spaghetti (110g dry) = 400cal and 42g protein.
    100g pollock = 100cal and 20g protein.
    1/2cup home made putanesca at 100cal or so.

    Could I just mention here that your bean flour spaghetti--110g dry(400cal) is about equal to Barilla durum grain pasta--110g dry(395 cal). I know you are interested in the extra protein, but for someone who's not, regular pasta is fine and costs a lot less. Calorie wise they are the same.

    I had the same thought. And since I don't need over 60 g of protein at a meal, having 56 g of penne with, say, shrimp and a variety of veg can easily fit in my calories and macro preferences.

    Fully aware, but for anyone needed the protein things like this as a very good option.

    . . . that's why I do eat the chickpea, pea, soy pastas. It's pretty neutral tasting, pleasant as an ingredient, somewhat filling, but not vital to my enjoyment. But, to me as a vegetarian, it's a useful additional protein source that's pleasant enough to include in the rotation. I almost never eat regular pasta anymore (except in restaurants where it's pretty much the only desirable vegetarian option). To me, regular pasta is one of those things that isn't tasty, satiating or nutritious enough to be worth the calories.

    Once again: Not criticizing people who find it tasty and satisfying. It's just that I'm not you, and you're not me. :flowerforyou:
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited May 2019
    AnnPT77 wrote: »
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    See, I just don't get the appeal of pasta plain. That's why I never want a giant serving -- would rather have lots of tasty sauce (or whatever other toppings involving more vegetables, protein, sources of fat like olives, nuts, or cheese).

    You and me both. I wouldn't eat it plain, unless I was recovering from stomach flu, maybe, and wanted something very bland. I definitely wouldn't eat a vast mountain of it without much on it (and not balsamic vinegar alone, tasty though the stuff is in some contexts): More of a punishment to me, than an indulgence.

    Agreed. Interestingly, my craving when recovering from stomach flu seems to be plain steel cut oats, so similarly bland and easy cals, I suppose.
    One of my easy changes when first starting calorie counting (and refining nutrition) was to reduce pasta, and eat more of the stuff I'd usually put on it.

    Yeah, same here, which is why when I tried the 2 oz serving I was satisfied with it (I also cut added fat some). It's funny since growing up I always preferred sauce (with protein, lots of veg, not just tomato or whatnot) to the pasta, although I liked both. I got accused of drowning my pasta -- bad American habit, I was told. May be true, but works for me now. (I often have less sauce-y sauce, however.)
    IIRC, you (lemur) affirmatively like pasta? To me, it's OK, but not all that satisfying, so optional. As a consequence, in this sub-thread

    I do, and find it satisfying, although I don't care for it alone. But a meal with pasta I find an easy dinner choice and very satisfying without a lot of cals.

    I get that some others don't care about it -- someone else said she'd pick bread over pasta, and I'm the opposite. I don't care about (most) bread or find it satisfying, and I tend to prefer many things that could be put in a sandwich to sandwiches, so will save cals that way. I'm take or leave it with rice too, find it tasty with some foods, but more often than not consider it optional and am happy with smaller servings. But having pasta in my diet and -- even more so -- tubers, is very helpful and enjoyable for me, and I don't need to spend lots of cals on them.
    . . . that's why I do eat the chickpea, pea, soy pastas. It's pretty neutral tasting, pleasant as an ingredient, somewhat filling, but not vital to my enjoyment. But, to me as a vegetarian, it's a useful additional protein source that's pleasant enough to include in the rotation. I almost never eat regular pasta anymore (except in restaurants where it's pretty much the only desirable vegetarian option). To me, regular pasta is one of those things that isn't tasty, satiating or nutritious enough to be worth the calories.

    Oh, I totally see that. Like I said, I don't care about bread, and so don't eat it and never miss it when I don't. I'm more talking to those who are saying they are sad pasta is so impossible to fit in or what not. Similarly, if I were vegetarian (rather than just occasionally eating vegetarian for a while), I'd probably rely more on those higher protein pastas. I've actually never tried them although I have a few in my pantry and plan to -- I suspect I will like them as a base for my pasta sauces/toppings. (I like occasional meals based on spaghetti squash or other winter squash instead of pasta too, and a variety of types of noodles, although the super low cal ones sound nasty to me.) I was just saying that switching the amount of pasta I eat for some other option because "pasta is not worth it" so that I could have 62 g of protein in my dinner was unnecessary given that the pasta I normally eat has the same cals, and I'd never need 62 g of protein at dinner (I feel better having protein spread over my meals).

    Not saying anyone should like pasta or eat it or share my preferences. Just objecting to what seemed to be the kneejerk "2 oz of pasta is never sufficient or satisfying" or "pasta is not worth it for anyone" kinds of statements I understood some of the prior posts (not yours!) to be suggesting.

    It's also why I object when people suggest that pasta is an example of how high cal carbs are. PP aside, I've never wanted to eat pasta plain, as noted. If I have high cal pasta, it's because I've added high cal ingredients (typically with lots of fat) to the sauce.
  • vanityy99
    vanityy99 Posts: 2,583 Member
    edited May 2019
    Keto_Vampire wrote: »
    Never been a fan of grains for this reason - very calorie dense food.
    Would opt for higher volume yet still satisfying carbs like rice & potatoes

    This. I that’s why I rather have zucchini noodles plus toppings, I can have a lot more and I’ll feel satisfied for a lot longer compared a dinky amount of pasta.
  • NCK96
    NCK96 Posts: 146 Member
    edited May 2019
    saintor1 wrote: »
    I eat pasta and rice always flooded in a sea of veggies. Typically 70g of pasta or 30g of basmati rice (man here).

    I'd be depressed to eat bare pasta like your pic (unless with a lot of 'invisible' butter :p ) .

    I actually added a hearty meat marinara sauce to it.

    I just looked up Olive Garden nutrional info and I'm surprised they have info about the serving size of their salads, salad dressings, and soup, but not pasta. Calories and nutrional info are there for pasta, just not the size of the portions.
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    lemurcat2 wrote: »
    Interestingly, to me "paying attention to macros for meal planning" was never necessary, because what I grew up with as my understanding of what a good meal involved: some source of protein, a lot of veg (and potatoes and peas and corn didn't count for this), and then some starchy side, with fat used as accent (butter or cheese or olive oil either for cooking or in a sauce or as dressing) = balanced meal seemed to result in reasonable macros. I know lots of people like to claim the average American diet is super carb heavy, but not really for us (or according to the actual stats).

    When losing weight what made sense for me -- as Ann and I were talking about upthread -- was to cut back somewhat in the size of my starchy carb side and in the amount of added fat (although I'm more likely to choose to include a small portion of added nuts or seeds, whereas before I'd be more likely to snack on those). So those changes seemed sensible, natural ones FOR ME (not saying for others), because I intuitively knew that for me the protein and veg were the most filling part of the meal, and I thought both of them were more important for nutrition overall. (I also eliminated between meal eating, which was mostly mindless and not that enjoyable for me, although with plenty of exercise cals I often had a post dinner dessert.) With those changes, Ann found that regular pasta wasn't worth it (most of the time) for her, whereas I found that a 2 oz serving when I had it was perfect and filling. Others may find that they want larger portions and fewer cals from other things that day. I think a truly giant portion of pasta would likely throw off my nutritional goals (which is not the same as macros) on a particular day, but if that's someone's real joy, then nothing wrong with fitting that into a day. I happen to think most likely find pasta most enjoyable when it's served with those foods that also add to its nutrition. (This is also what I've seen in Italy, consistent with what snowflake says, although she's an expert on that, not me!)

    I agree completely with what you wrote. I think it's sad that people don't realize how versatile pasta can be. You can add anything to it--beans, mushrooms, vegetables of all types, meats, nuts, seafoods, fish, olives, and of course, my husband's all time favorite--butter and parmigiano (Reggiano), called "pasta al burro". It's endless and fun to cook. When the family sits down to a meal and they're yakking up a storm and then---SILENCE--as they're all eating their pasta.
  • Safari_Gal
    Safari_Gal Posts: 888 Member
    edited May 2019
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    My pasta serving just eaten - 4.5 servings sprinkled with balsamic vinegar - about 995 calories. Good fuel after an almost 19 hour fast and workout. Ate other stuff too and will eat again in about 3 hours.

    Fuel + full = food

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    If I served this to my family in Italy--they would shoot me.

    Ciao, perche? Why? All my husbands family is in Roma- this is the base for caprese salad no? Pasta and balsamic? (Add in bufala mozz, etc)

    On our boxes it says 85 grams is the recommended portions.. but who is counting? :)

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  • Safari_Gal
    Safari_Gal Posts: 888 Member
    edited May 2019
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    Been to Italy 5 times, know good pasta and can make a decent sauce myself.

    To all who commented, thanks for letting me know what you like and don’t like. Yesterday was a big exercise day for me. My “bland dish” was just one of several things I ate in a slightly less than 6 hour feeding window.

    Took a late afternoon 30 minute run a couple hours later and had a nice run so my pasta dish was good fuel. My feeding day ended with macros fairly close to MFP’s default. I don’t pay attention to macros for meal planning but only as an afterthought.

    Glad my photo contributed to good discussion. Let me know if you want the recipe - hahahaha

    @pierinifitness We live half the year in Italia - if you like it - buon appetito! :)

    (In Modena, Italy- one of the best balsamic pasta dishes ever! Fettuccini & balsamic with porcini and shaved cheese. Also popular chilled with penne and mozzarella, basil and tomatoes. )

  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    Safari_Gal wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    My pasta serving just eaten - 4.5 servings sprinkled with balsamic vinegar - about 995 calories. Good fuel after an almost 19 hour fast and workout. Ate other stuff too and will eat again in about 3 hours.

    Fuel + full = food

    4f3vki8nq9df.jpeg

    If I served this to my family in Italy--they would shoot me.

    Ciao, perche? Why? All my husbands family is in Roma- this is the base for caprese salad no? Pasta and balsamic? (Add in bufala mozz, etc)

    On our boxes it says 85 grams is the recommended portions.. but who is counting? :)

    lcn5rtj0tzmj.jpeg

    He's just eating pasta and balsamic vinegar. You're right, it can be a base, and then you add something else. I've never met an Italian that would eat the pasta in his photo. If you know someone, please let me know.
  • yirara
    yirara Posts: 9,925 Member
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    Safari_Gal wrote: »
    snowflake954 wrote: »
    pierinifitness wrote: »
    My pasta serving just eaten - 4.5 servings sprinkled with balsamic vinegar - about 995 calories. Good fuel after an almost 19 hour fast and workout. Ate other stuff too and will eat again in about 3 hours.

    Fuel + full = food

    4f3vki8nq9df.jpeg

    If I served this to my family in Italy--they would shoot me.

    Ciao, perche? Why? All my husbands family is in Roma- this is the base for caprese salad no? Pasta and balsamic? (Add in bufala mozz, etc)

    On our boxes it says 85 grams is the recommended portions.. but who is counting? :)

    lcn5rtj0tzmj.jpeg

    He's just eating pasta and balsamic vinegar. You're right, it can be a base, and then you add something else. I've never met an Italian that would eat the pasta in his photo. If you know someone, please let me know.

    When I was a child my mum would sometimes cook spiral pasta with warmed up ketchup and a bit of salt. Nothing else. Glad she's not Italian :D
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  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited May 2019
    The same calories of potatoes or sweet potatoes (sweet potatoes are not actually potatoes) have more volume than pasta, but personally I find that if I add vegetables and protein and fat to both (as of course I do) that there's no difference in a 400-600 cal meal including those foods (or rice or many other starches). I realize this maybe is different for others, but the pasta meal with 2 oz for me is just as satisfying and filling, so (for me) I keep it in my dinner rotation and happily have it if I feel like pasta. One does not have to pick between potatoes (or other tubers, like sweet potatoes) and pasta (or rice or many other starchy sides). They can ALL be included in a healthy diet, and IMO more variety is helpful, at least as an option. I think that's what I'm responding to here. (Also, although I decreased my amount of pasta, I think my old amounts must not have been that out of whack, as the photos that keep getting used to show tiny amounts seem fine to me. My issue with pasta at home was never eating huge amounts because I wasn't full, but accidentally making too much and thinking it was more than I wanted but heck, it was there, tasty, and wouldn't save well. Potatoes, unlike pasta, surprised me with how low cal they were, but I still just don't want potatoes (or potatoes/sweet potatoes) all the time, so I'm glad there's more variety, like past, available, and it makes (for me, again) a fast and satisfying meal with lots of veg easy to include.)

    Growing up in the US in the '70s and '80s (I'm old), we'd sometimes have spaghetti with meat sauce and a salad or some other veg on the side, and I think the amount of pasta was pretty similar to the oh! so small! photos shown. And they were filling. (We didn't call it pasta yet in my non Italian house back then, and I include way more veg/variety of veg in my actual sauce/toppings now. Back then it was just tomato, onion, peppers, maybe mushrooms, if memory serves, and then more veg on the side.)
  • mnbvcxzlkjhgfdsa12
    mnbvcxzlkjhgfdsa12 Posts: 204 Member
    Yeah, I found it depressing to when I looked a what a serving of carbs was and wondered how I wouldn’t be starving hungry lol the time! But that’s because my natural tendency is to eat carbs, and not much else!

    When you start your meals focused on veggies and then add protein and carbs to that it all works out. I find when I eat focused on large volumes of veggies this portion size is fine, and actually I’ll often cut the portion in half so I can have lots more veggies instead. But that’s not to say I don’t fall off the wagon and eat giant bowls of pasta, even though I know I don’t need to to be full. So many of the food choices we make are not about meeting nutritional needs.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited May 2019
    mnbvcxzlkjhgfdsa12 wrote: »
    Yeah, I found it depressing to when I looked a what a serving of carbs was and wondered how I wouldn’t be starving hungry lol the time! But that’s because my natural tendency is to eat carbs, and not much else!

    Argh! First of all, if that's true, it's unusual. The SAD is supposedly about 50% carbs, 20% protein, and 30% fat (or a bit less protein, more fat), which is consistent with most healthy diets. Hard to imagine American diets without much fat or protein -- meat has protein and junk food has tons of fat. Like I said, plain pasta, rice, oats seems boring to me.
    When you start your meals focused on veggies and then add protein and carbs to that it all works out.

    Yes! I am so in favor of starting a meal based on veg (what I grew up with!). Btw, veg are carbs!
    I find when I eat focused on large volumes of veggies this portion size is fine, and actually I’ll often cut the portion in half so I can have lots more veggies instead. But that’s not to say I don’t fall off the wagon and eat giant bowls of pasta, even though I know I don’t need to to be full. So many of the food choices we make are not about meeting nutritional needs.

    Why eat giant bowls of pasta? I get falling off plan, but I guess plain pasta (no fat, no protein) just doesn't seem appealing to me, so people claiming they are eating huge amounts of cals in plain pasta seems confusing.

    More importantly, it might be a personal issue (I have many of my own), but it doesn't seem to be the main issue with the SAD.
  • lemurcat2
    lemurcat2 Posts: 7,885 Member
    edited May 2019
    Of course.

    I rarely eat bread and never crave it. I almost never eat foods with added sugar (just not my preference) and never crave them. I cannot smell them with some superpower smell. I enjoy other starchy carbs and veg and fruit. I think I should be pitied for my lack of super powers!

    Are we deciding that poor pierifitness has some uncontrollable pasta craving (and is too poor to have some chicken or veg with it -- see vanity's prior post)? I don't think that was his point, but if so, I agree, very sad. Chicken and veg in the US are very cheap, and we have SNAP.
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  • vanityy99
    vanityy99 Posts: 2,583 Member
    edited May 2019
    pierinifitness wrote: »

    I’ll make one final redemption post before moving on to my expertise of fitness training chatter by sharing my Sunday meal. I generally cook myself something on Sunday after a long 60 minutes run to get what I want rather than what wife has in mind.

    Baked polenta topped with olive oil sautéed diced yellow onions, cherry tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes and basil.

    i8jr07k67o9d.jpeg

    Smoked Apple Chardonnay Chicken Sausage 2 each diced with sautéed diced yellow onion, cherry tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes and basil, topped with a blanched frozen vegetable medley of broccoli, cauliflower and orange and yellow carrots.

    o8utkl3i3p80.jpeg

    I ate it all and it was preceded by a protein shake a couple hours earlier after a 60 minutes run. Total calories 1,359 - carbs 45% - proteins 18% - fat 37% (excludes protein shake.)

    Real men know how to cook and satisfy their manly taste buds and eating volume which differ from the ladies.

    Thanks all for letting me participate in this pasta discussion.

    [edited by MFP Mods to remove quote]

    Looks yummy @peirinfitness
  • snowflake954
    snowflake954 Posts: 8,399 Member
    edited May 2019
    pierinifitness wrote: »

    I’ll make one final redemption post before moving on to my expertise of fitness training chatter by sharing my Sunday meal. I generally cook myself something on Sunday after a long 60 minutes run to get what I want rather than what wife has in mind.

    Baked polenta topped with olive oil sautéed diced yellow onions, cherry tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes and basil.

    i8jr07k67o9d.jpeg

    Smoked Apple Chardonnay Chicken Sausage 2 each diced with sautéed diced yellow onion, cherry tomatoes and sun dried tomatoes and basil, topped with a blanched frozen vegetable medley of broccoli, cauliflower and orange and yellow carrots.

    o8utkl3i3p80.jpeg

    I ate it all and it was preceded by a protein shake a couple hours earlier after a 60 minutes run. Total calories 1,359 - carbs 45% - proteins 18% - fat 37% (excludes protein shake.)

    Real men know how to cook and satisfy their manly taste buds and eating volume which differ from the ladies.

    Thanks all for letting me participate in this pasta discussion.

    [edited by MFP Mods to remove quote]

    Curious--what did your wife have in mind?

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