Alternative to Pasta

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Alycyn1980
Alycyn1980 Posts: 62 Member
in Food and Nutrition
Hi All

I am looking for something that I can switch with pasta. Never realised how many calories were in pasta until started in this site - I was probably having my daily allowance of calories for the day in pasta alone!!!! I have cut way back but I was wondering if there was something else that I could used that was just as filling and can be used in a variety of ways BUT has less calories in it.

All ideas appreciated :smile:

Thanks:flowerforyou:
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Replies

  • tim_fitbuilt4life
    tim_fitbuilt4life Posts: 301 Member
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    Switch to Whole Grain Pastas.
  • shelly_lee2000
    shelly_lee2000 Posts: 10 Member
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    Have you ever tried spegetti squash. You cut the squash in half and bake until pretty tender. Then scrap squash out it will look like spegetti. Then just eat it with marina sauce and parm cheese. Its really good and alot less carbs and calories.
  • veronicann
    veronicann Posts: 2 Member
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    spaghetti squash I love it and a nice change as well
  • Magenta15
    Magenta15 Posts: 850 Member
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    i eat pasta often, but i always measure out a serving size and bulk my sauce with ALOt of veggies. always whole grain pasta. and I usually measure and pack away the rest right away for lunch so that im not tempted to eat more.

    same with rice, brown.
    Quinoa yum.

    spaghetti squash instead of spaghetti.

    but as long as you measure and allot it into your calories, and bulk it up with veg, and a brothy soup or veggie side salad, there's nothing wrong with a lil pasta here and there. :)

    ps one serving is usually about 300-400 calories. lol gosh i can't even imagine all the cals i used to eat in pasta before measuring. two heaping plates full! eek! lol
  • gingerje
    gingerje Posts: 3
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    I could never flat out give up pasta -- LOVE it tooo tooo much. But I recently switched to whole wheat pasta which is (although the same amount of calories) half the carbs. Tastes good too!
  • aawh
    aawh Posts: 96 Member
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    Have you ever tried spegetti squash. You cut the squash in half and bake until pretty tender. Then scrap squash out it will look like spegetti. Then just eat it with marina sauce and parm cheese. Its really good and alot less carbs and calories.

    I was just going to post this! I had some for the first time last night and it was awesome!
  • sarahliftsUP
    sarahliftsUP Posts: 752 Member
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    Yes, yes, yes to the spaghetti squash! You just cut it in two and either bake it in the oven or nuke it if you are short on time. I usually bake it in the oven though after gutting it out (like a pumpkin) for 20 minutes or so.

    Then with a fork you just scrap it, and it will come out in little noodles. It's surprisingly very filling for half of the squash and super low on calories.
  • Oompa_Loompa
    Oompa_Loompa Posts: 1,099 Member
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    Have you ever tried spegetti squash. You cut the squash in half and bake until pretty tender. Then scrap squash out it will look like spegetti. Then just eat it with marina sauce and parm cheese. Its really good and alot less carbs and calories.

    I was just going to post this! I had some for the first time last night and it was awesome!


    can you buy spegetti squash or do you have to make it from scratch?
  • nanmosta1
    nanmosta1 Posts: 55
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    There is a tofu pasta. Try the refridgerated section of yourhealth food store. I get it at Sprouts MArket. iIt's like 20 calories a serving. It is a bit chewier then regular pasta but very good in soups
  • abyt42
    abyt42 Posts: 1,358 Member
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    You buy the whole squash. It's easy to cook, though.
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
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    Have you ever tried spegetti squash. You cut the squash in half and bake until pretty tender. Then scrap squash out it will look like spegetti. Then just eat it with marina sauce and parm cheese. Its really good and alot less carbs and calories.

    I was just going to post this! I had some for the first time last night and it was awesome!


    can you buy spegetti squash or do you have to make it from scratch?

    Spaghetti squash is a veggie that the flesh inside comes out stringy like angel hair pasta. So you buy the squash, cut it, cook it, and scoop out the insides.

    It's yummy. So another vote in the pot for it being a great option. Although, I never really considered it to be exactly like pasta. Looks like it, but the texture is different. Yummy tho!
  • melbhall
    melbhall Posts: 519
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    I know everyone is saying spaghetti squash...but it's true! I was scared to try it, but did this week and my husband even loved it. It was super easy to cook (just cut in half, scrape out seeds and stuff, place face down in a pan with water covering the bottom and cook at 350 for an hour...although I recommend cooking a bit longer). I then covered mine with homemade spaghetti sauce.

    I also have stopped eating regular pasta and have switched to whole wheat pasta.
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
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    There is a tofu pasta. Try the refridgerated section of yourhealth food store. I get it at Sprouts MArket. iIt's like 20 calories a serving. It is a bit chewier then regular pasta but very good in soups

    They're called Shriataki noodles, or at least one type is. I also found them in the organic/veggie section of my norma grocer (Publix)
  • Oompa_Loompa
    Oompa_Loompa Posts: 1,099 Member
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    Does it matter what type of squash you use?
  • lisalynn35
    lisalynn35 Posts: 250 Member
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    Have you ever tried spegetti squash. You cut the squash in half and bake until pretty tender. Then scrap squash out it will look like spegetti. Then just eat it with marina sauce and parm cheese. Its really good and alot less carbs and calories.

    Mmmmmm! Spaghetti squash! She's right, scrape it out with a fork and it even looks like pasta.
  • inforsey
    inforsey Posts: 35 Member
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    Quinoa... It's a yummy alternative.. and only has 100 calories per serving. It has a nutty taste and it cooks just like oatmeal. Plus I think it has more fiber in it than pasta and not a whole lot of sodium. I love it. It's my new favourite power food.

    (-:
  • AnnieeR
    AnnieeR Posts: 229
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    We eat a lot of couscous and brown or wild rice instead of pasta. Also, baby new potatoes are a less starchy carb. We also switched to a half and half (whole wheat and white) pasta which we have on very rare occasion - my other half can't stand pure whole wheat.
  • MzBug
    MzBug Posts: 2,173 Member
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    I saw something called Notta Pasta in the store the other day. It was made from rice flour instead of wheat. It seemed to compare with regular white flour pasta in calorie count though.
  • dlrcpa
    dlrcpa Posts: 114 Member
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    Try cooked pearled barley for a change. The calories are comparable but barley has much more fiber than regular pasta. It's a LOT more chewy in texture so you spend a lot more time chewing and may be satisfied with less.
  • TropicalKitty
    TropicalKitty Posts: 2,298 Member
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    Does it matter what type of squash you use?

    Spaghetti squash is the name of the type of squash. So, yes, it does matter.

    http://blubberbegone.files.wordpress.com/2007/08/spaghetti-squash.jpg

    or

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

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