Pasta Alternatives/Healthy Pasta?

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  • skennelly1963
    skennelly1963 Posts: 18 Member
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    I go to a nutritionist and she told me that if I was going to eat pasta to eat whole wheat pasta. I can't tell the difference between that and regular ...... so maybe give that a try?
  • DancingMoosie
    DancingMoosie Posts: 8,613 Member
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    I don't like the whole wheat pasta, but I do like the Ronzoni Smart Taste(extra fiber) and Garden Delight(1/2serving of vegetables) pastas.
  • AmandaHugginkiss
    AmandaHugginkiss Posts: 486 Member
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    Get a food scale and stick to a serving of it. I will never give up real pasta.
  • JShailen
    JShailen Posts: 184 Member
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    Depending on the day and where I am calorie wise, I range from using 65-100 grams of pasta. 65 is perfectly fine and filling but it probably wouldn't be on it's own. My pastas always have a sauce and loads of veggies. Sometimes I add veggie mince and top with cheese. In general I'd say the calorie count for the whole meal ranges from 450-700.

    If it's as high as 700 then more than likely I used a lot of sauce and 100 grams of pasta.

    I'd also echo that spaghetti and linguine seem to give you more (I know it doesn't, it's just the way it appears to fill the plate)!

    Spaghetti squash and zoodles are tasty in their own right, but I wouldn't let them take the place of pasta.
  • arditarose
    arditarose Posts: 15,575 Member
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    I eat shirataki noodles. Pasta does not make a regular appearance in my diet. It is not helpful to me as far as losing or maintaining my weight. If I want it, I go out and get it handmade at my favorite Italian restaurant. I eat eat covered in butter with sausage and drink wine and my favorite crostinis.
  • LaMartian
    LaMartian Posts: 478 Member
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    Pasta already is healthy. Enjoy.
  • FitKat123
    FitKat123 Posts: 71 Member
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    I have to do gluten free pasta, but to answer your question, I didn't have enough pasta one night for both me and my husband, so I added zoodles to it. He really liked it. You could make a half serving of spaghetti and add zoodles to it.
  • Wynterbourne
    Wynterbourne Posts: 2,200 Member
    edited July 2016
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    I don't do low carb, but I do buy Ronzoni's 150 pasta because not only is it only 75% of the calories of the average pasta, but it also contains 13g of fiber. Right now it comes in thin spaghetti and penne.

    https://ronzoni.com/en-US/products/3395/Penne.aspx
  • ouryve
    ouryve Posts: 572 Member
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    I just eat regular pasta, small portion, plenty of sauce and don't eat it very often. It's the one thing I will never have a wholewheat version of, too, as that stuff is just rank.
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
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    Right now I am still eating whole wheat pasta, 70 gr at lunch with tomato sauce and half a tablespoon of olive oil. But I used to have FiberPasta in the past - not sure if this exists in other countries, anyway it's a fiber-rich pasta that has way less calories than regular pasta and should also help if you're having troubles reaching your fiber intake. It used to be way too expensive for me though so I stopped buying it. I know there are also a few algae substitutes or something, but haven't tried them yet - quite sure they're not as tasty as regular pasta, and they're probably not worth the money and effort.
  • jgnatca
    jgnatca Posts: 14,464 Member
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    To enjoy your pasta I suggest changing your perspective on what is an appropriate portion. Like so.

    my-plate.jpg

    You may also want to try black bean pasta, but it's texture won't be the same.

    mainimage__52508.1400810426.730.502.jpg?c=2
  • B4Rachael
    B4Rachael Posts: 155 Member
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    I love these because they are made of just Lentils and have 21g of protein per serving. https://amazon.com/Tolerant-Organic-Green-Lentil-Rotini/dp/B015W2X7T6/ref=pd_sim_325_4?ie=UTF8&dpID=51Q5VTvQ6ZL&dpSrc=sims&preST=_AC_UL160_SR160%2C160_&psc=1&refRID=15A6AKT2GRSR581QE1ZT
  • dragon_girl26
    dragon_girl26 Posts: 2,187 Member
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    I use Hodgson Mill whole wheat angel hair pasta. I've started to find, though, that the full 2oz (56g) of pasta is too much for me, so I tend to go 1 1/2 oz.
    My suggestion would be to bulk up the other parts of your dish with vegetables, and use less pasta so it still feels like you're getting a lot. That way you can still have some pasta while making it more calorie friendly. Eating food you love is never "cheating ". It's just part of learning how to have a healthy relationship with food.
  • mgobluetx12
    mgobluetx12 Posts: 1,326 Member
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    I don't eat pasta at all any more. Zoodles are a super-satisfying replacement with a ton less calories and carbs.
  • girlinahat
    girlinahat Posts: 2,956 Member
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    Interesting study on reheating pasta, which turns it into a resistant starch and less well absorbed. So less calories absorbed and less of a glucose spike:
    http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-29629761
  • violetvixen89
    violetvixen89 Posts: 17 Member
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    I never consider pasta a cheat. I log it like all of my other foods. I eat whole wheat pasta and spaghetti squash. I love spaghetti squash, but it depends on how it's cooked. I had a friend make it for me and it wasn't very good. I make it and love it. I also eat half of the serving size so only 1 oz of pasta and I always pair it with veggies, either roasted or in a salad.
  • amusedmonkey
    amusedmonkey Posts: 10,330 Member
    edited July 2016
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    No real low carb alternatives for pasta. You could make things take the shape of pasta that actually taste good, but they would never scratch the same itch. I don't do low carb so eating pasta is not cheating for me, but you could do whatever keeps you on course better. If "cheating" with real pasta every now and then helps you stick to it, then do that. If spiralizing zucchini or using a lower carb alternative does it for you, why not?
  • ColetteM6
    ColetteM6 Posts: 138 Member
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    Friend of mine got a fancy mill to turn her garden zucchinis into noodles. I tried them, they were delightful and went with all the usual goodies that a pasta recipe calls for.
  • Loperinnen
    Loperinnen Posts: 8 Member
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    I have only just started to mix normal/regular spaghetti with edamame fettucini. http://www.hollandandbarrett.com/shop/product/explore-asian-gluten-free-edamame-mung-bean-fettuccine-60021842
    It's really good to eat the fettucini alone too, cooking it like ordinary pasta and making a carbonara/bolognese etc., but I find that mixing the two types make the pasta a bit more healthy and filling due to the higher amount of protein, and when I mix it my better half doesn't notice the difference at all :)
  • berolcolour
    berolcolour Posts: 140 Member
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    I try to low carb (low starchy-carbs, not low veggie-carbs) and I do half and half. Half zucchini noodles and half pasta. I try to make the zucchini the same size as the pasta (tagliatelle and zucchini with a peeler) so it just seems like more pasta. I find that's enough pasta taste to satisfy the pasta craving.

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