I need me some PASTA!

Options
2

Replies

  • acstansell
    acstansell Posts: 567 Member
    Options
    Eat a bowl of regular pasta and ENJOY it! Just make sure you FIT in in your cals for the day....my motto....give up nothing or you won't stick to it!! :)

    ^^ THIS
  • LastMinuteMama
    LastMinuteMama Posts: 590 Member
    Options
    Nothing replaces good ol' pasta, nothing. An Italian would rather jump head first into traffic than eat whole wheat pasta....

    I know just what you mean!!!
  • mageets79
    mageets79 Posts: 28 Member
    Options
    http://www.house-foods.com/tofu/tofu_shirataki.aspx

    Ive been using this. I do not hate it :)

    These shirataki noodles are ok, 20 calories per serving, 2 servings in the bag. I eat the entire bag. They smell a little fishy, just rinse them well and they take on the taste of the sauce you use. Good luck, I hope you get your pasta fix!
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Options
    It's not low calories, but I like Barilla Plus pasta. The taste is much better than whole wheat and it doesn't have that grainy taste or the gray color when cooked. It is also higher in nutrition because it is made with beans (chickpeas and lentils, I think) in addition to grains. Or you can buy one of the white pastas with added fiber like Barilla Picollini or Smart Taste. These don't taste any different than regular white pasta.


    ^^^:heart::heart: :heart: YES!!! Whole wheat pasta (the brown, grainy stuff) tastes like hell to me. Whole grain white pastas (like those mentioned above) taste just like regular but they are loaded with good fiber so they slow carb absorption and prevent the blood sugar spike and crash! I also like corn pasta, which goes great with chili, and brown rice pasta, which is very mild. I am a pasta freak and eat it every day. It's a staple for me. :heart: :heart: :heart:
  • angelew
    angelew Posts: 133 Member
    Options
    I love my raw zucchini "pasta"! Use a veggie peeler to remove the outer green skin from about 2 or 3 raw zucchini. Then run your veggie peeler down the sides to create wide ribbons of zucchini "pasta" in your bowl. When you top it with hot meat sauce, it softens up the zucchini just enough to have the consistency of al dente pasta. It's delicious and a great way to add more veggies to your diet! My kids love it too.
  • jcstanton
    jcstanton Posts: 1,849 Member
    Options
    I have gotten used to the whole grain pasta. The trick is to cook it a little longer than regular pasta (not too much, though, or it turns to mush). I like the whole grain pasta because I get extra fiber that way, but I still have to eat it in proper portions. It is NOT a license to eat as much pasta as I want. I understand, though, that the whole grain stuff isn't for everybody. The only substitution I've tried is the spaghetti squash. It does taste better than the whole grain, but it's still not the same as regular pasta.
  • carld256
    carld256 Posts: 855 Member
    Options
    I love my raw zucchini "pasta"! Use a veggie peeler to remove the outer green skin from about 2 or 3 raw zucchini. Then run your veggie peeler down the sides to create wide ribbons of zucchini "pasta" in your bowl. When you top it with hot meat sauce, it softens up the zucchini just enough to have the consistency of al dente pasta. It's delicious and a great way to add more veggies to your diet! My kids love it too.

    That's a really interesting suggestion. I think I'll try it, but without the meat sauce. Thanks!
  • jenilla1
    jenilla1 Posts: 11,118 Member
    Options
    Get some of this! http://www26.netrition.com/carba_nada_pasta.html

    aldente_carba_nada_pasta.jpg

    It's soooo good, about half the carbs of regular pasta (which makes it lower calorie too), more fiber, more protein.

    Dreamfields pasta isn't low carb like they claim. I've read reviews of people who have tested their blood sugar after eating it and it spikes.

    I've found Carba Nada at The Fresh Market. You can go to the Al Dente website and see where it is sold.


    Ooh Thanks! Something new and yummy to try! :drinker:
  • secretlobster
    secretlobster Posts: 3,566 Member
    Options
    I agree that nothing really replaces real, semolina pasta. If you can eat a small serving of pasta and fit it into your calorie allocation, then I think you should do that.

    I used to eat pasta almost daily... During and after losing weight, it is something I really rarely eat and hardly crave anymore at all. It's no longer a regular meal for me, and I've kept the weight off well.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,970 Member
    Options
    Just keep in mind that the difference between whole grain and regular pasta is minimal. They're both low GI and WW has a few more g's of fibre, which over the course of the day, heck the meal if your adding veg and other ingredients means absolutely nothing. WW is a diet industry darling that have people completely fooled. If it were actually whole grain it could never be rolled out and made into pasta......it's refined just as much except the bran was left on and the consistancy is very similar.....I like my fiber to come from something that resembles fiber.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
    Options
    Just keep in mind that the difference between whole grain and regular pasta is minimal. They're both low GI and WW has a few more g's of fibre, which over the course of the day, heck the meal if your adding veg and other ingredients means absolutely nothing. WW is a diet industry darling that have people completely fooled. If it were actually whole grain it could never be rolled out and made into pasta......it's refined just as much except the bran was left on and the consistancy is very similar.....I like my fiber to come from something that resembles fiber.

    This is true, except that the GI / GL of pasta is relative to cooking time. Pasta cooked beyond al dente has a high GI. And with wholegrain, even though the fiber is processed, our bodies still can't absorb it so those carbs don't count and help keep other things passing smoothly through our system.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 9,970 Member
    Options
    Just keep in mind that the difference between whole grain and regular pasta is minimal. They're both low GI and WW has a few more g's of fibre, which over the course of the day, heck the meal if your adding veg and other ingredients means absolutely nothing. WW is a diet industry darling that have people completely fooled. If it were actually whole grain it could never be rolled out and made into pasta......it's refined just as much except the bran was left on and the consistancy is very similar.....I like my fiber to come from something that resembles fiber.

    This is true, except that the GI / GL of pasta is relative to cooking time. Pasta cooked beyond al dente has a high GI. And with wholegrain, even though the fiber is processed, our bodies still can't absorb it so those carbs don't count and help keep other things passing smoothly through our system.
    Sure, the more you cook any starch the higher the GI......heat is basically digesting the protein. Put a piece of bread in your mouth and don't chew, soon you'll taste the sugars and it will get sweeter.
  • captainamy11
    captainamy11 Posts: 15 Member
    Options
    I just had a Lean Cuisine Lasagna with Meat Sauce and it was WONDERFUL! I'm stocking up on those!
  • mtaylor33557
    mtaylor33557 Posts: 542 Member
    Options
    Awe, I actually prefer whole grain pasta. You have to cook it a little longer, but it just holds up so well to red sauce to me.

    It's all I ever use!

    I didn't know there was so much widespread dislike of it!
  • Goosiesnougs
    Goosiesnougs Posts: 420
    Options
    Spaghetti squash
  • auroranflash
    auroranflash Posts: 3,569 Member
    Options
    Nothing replaces good ol' pasta, nothing. An Italian would rather jump head first into traffic than eat whole wheat pasta....just make sure you understand the portion and the other ingredients your putting in and enjoy the real thing. Last weekend I made some ricotta, spinach, pinenut ravioli with a butter sage sauce, there's no [diet or healthier] pasta that's going to compare. Diet and healthier are diet industry terms to seperate you from your money while giving you less. lol

    Wow, talk about some truth. Damn. I have never thought about it that way (the last sentence) .... :drinker:
  • JCDF
    JCDF Posts: 25
    Options
    Looking for any suggestions on low - calorie noodles or substitutes that you might use when you are in the mood for pasta. I tried wheat noodles and I would rather eat cardboard IMO.

    Just seeing if I am missing out on something awesome, or if I'll have to stick with the cardboard :wink:

    How about trying another brand? I use whole wheat pasta and fix it el dente. I have gotten so used to it that regular white pasta seems to lack flavor to me now. I fix the whole wheat pasta el dente because that keeps it in the low glycemic, anti inflammatory range.

    And I don't load up my plate with it. Just a serving.
  • AllyBooMommyof2
    AllyBooMommyof2 Posts: 171
    Options
    there are soy noodles that are really good after you boil them and everything I get them at a place called the fresh market but just look for soy noodles they are in a bag in the cold stuff at the store
  • mummum2
    mummum2 Posts: 415 Member
    Options
    make sure you understand the portion and the other ingredients your putting in and enjoy the real thing.

    Bingo!

    Losing weight is all about portion control. If you want pasta, have pasta. You just have to learn how to eat reasonable portions.

    ^this from me also^ enjoy!!
  • Stagezz
    Stagezz Posts: 124 Member
    Options
    I cut up fresh cauliflower steam it and put sauce on it...It is actually really good!

Categories