Noodles and Rice

I have a problem with starch, mainly pasta and rice. I know not to eat more than 1/2 cup per serving but it doesn't seem like much. Is there anything anyone else eats that tastes close to these two t hings? Thanks.

Replies

VegjoyP

I love these!

vanmep

I'm not sure what you are asking - what is the problem? You are eating more of it than you want?

paperpudding

I doubt there is anything that tastes the same - but you could experiment with alternatives like cauliflower rice or zucchini noodles

33gail33

I sub quinoa for rice but it depends what you are looking for - it doesn't have less calories but it is lower carb and more nutrient dense so that is why I do it.

Whatsthemotive

I use cauliflower rice sometimes. And I don’t think there’s a rule that you can only eat 1/2 a cup of pasta. Unless that’s a keto thing. I’m not doing low carb, just calories. You can eat more is if you build it into your calories.

goal06082021

VegjoyP wrote: »

-snip-

I love these!

I like how the label specifies it's "plant-based rice."

Guys. Y'all. Folks. Rice is already plant-based.

Fettuccine/spaghetti/other Italian-style noodles, okay, a lot of those contain eggs so I guess there's call for a vegan alternative there. I'm really dubious as to what these are made of, though, if they're truly 5 cal per "serving" (however much that is - the pictures look like they might be single or 2-serving pouches?). They've got to be mostly indigestible fiber or something.

*literally ten seconds of googling later*

Okay yeah they're mostly cellulose. That's not food. If it's working for you, great, but I think I'll just keep eating smaller portions of my (already plant-based) rice and (not vegan but IDC) pasta.

To address the OP: There's nothing out there that tastes exactly like rice or pasta. The most common substitutes (zoodles/other spiralized veggies, cauliflower rice, etc) are good in their own right, but if you go into it expecting your zoodle bolognese to replicate the experience of spaghetti, you will be disappointed. You can keep eating your beloved carbs (and mine, I'm right there with you), just measure and log your portions honestly.

corinasue1143

What about pastas made from beans? Do they count? I like pasta made from garbanzo beans cause it tastes better, is more filling, more satisfying, not because it’s healthier, so I’m not sure if it is?

WeatherJane

I might not be understanding the question do you mean half cup of the dry amount, or half cup of the cooked amount? About half cup of dry rice cooks up to about a cup.

hipari

goal06082021 wrote: »

Okay yeah they're mostly cellulose. That's not food. If it's working for you, great, but I think I'll just keep eating smaller portions of my (already plant-based) rice and (not vegan but IDC) pasta.

To address the OP: There's nothing out there that tastes exactly like rice or pasta. The most common substitutes (zoodles/other spiralized veggies, cauliflower rice, etc) are good in their own right, but if you go into it expecting your zoodle bolognese to replicate the experience of spaghetti, you will be disappointed. You can keep eating your beloved carbs (and mine, I'm right there with you), just measure and log your portions honestly.

I agree with this. Also, I’m assuming you’re here because you’re controlling your calories for a weight loss goal. I boldly assume you aim to keep the weight you lose off, and not just gain it back when you’re ”done with your diet”. So, to maintain your eventual results, you need to learn how to incorporate the things you love in a healthy and manageable manner, unless you’re prepared to say goodbye for good.

My husband and I also had an issue with our rice and pasta portion sizes. We made a conscious decision to start making smaller portions, but we didn’t cut into the recommended serving size right away. Instead, we did it little by little over a few weeks and now we’re both satisfied with what is actually a normal serving instead of 1.5-2 servings per person. In the transition phase, we also started adding more veggies, either directly to the main dish or as some sort of side salad.

Other strategies you might try: fill your stomach with something else beforehand, like drinking a glass of water and munching a handful of cherry tomatoes (or some other veggie you like) while you cook, or making an appetizer salad. After eating your smaller portion, quit eating ”for real”, at least for 10 minutes, before going back for seconds. That way, if you go for seconds, it’s more likely because you’re actually still hungry (in which case I’d say it’s good to eat more) instead of your taste buds just wanting more of the good stuff.

If you put your small-looking portion of rice on a smaller plate, it will look bigger. It sounds ridiculous, but it’s true at least for me. I tend to make similarly balanced portions regardless of plate size, so a huge plate will have huge portions to make it look proportionate on the plate. This is why I only use my biggest plates for foods that truly need a big plate, like pizza.

If nothing else works and you aren’t satisfied with the small portion of rice or pasta, you could replace it every other time with salad or some other low-calorie veggie alternative and eat bigger portions when you do eat.

VegjoyP

First of all shiritaki- Miracle noodle, tofu noodles, etc. Have been around for decades. In Asian culinary they use yam flour, glucomannan and tofu shiritaki. I ( personally) am in maitenance and have maintained since 2010. I use them in my life, not " dieting". Also personally I do not enjoy rice or pasta in small amounts and I don't want to base my calories on rice. It leaves me starving. However for some it can work.

Zucchini noodles, miracle noodles, veggie spirals etc can also be used WITH rice, pasta, etc. to volumize the dish. Adding mixed vegetables also helps maximize the meal.

yirara

sandit60 wrote: »

I have a problem with starch, mainly pasta and rice. I know not to eat more than 1/2 cup per serving but it doesn't seem like much. Is there anything anyone else eats that tastes close to these two t hings? Thanks.

Why only eat half a cup? Eat as much as you like, weight it dry by grams, log it, log the other things you eat with it. Done.

hipari

VegjoyP wrote: »

First of all shiritaki- Miracle noodle, tofu noodles, etc. Have been around for decades. In Asian culinary they use yam flour, glucomannan and tofu shiritaki. I ( personally) am in maitenance and have maintained since 2010. I use them in my life, not " dieting". Also personally I do not enjoy rice or pasta in small amounts and I don't want to base my calories on rice. It leaves me starving. However for some it can work.

Zucchini noodles, miracle noodles, veggie spirals etc can also be used WITH rice, pasta, etc. to volumize the dish. Adding mixed vegetables also helps maximize the meal.

Good for you, and congrats on your successful weight maintenance. I agree that mixing veggie noodles, that miracle noodle stuff etc. might be an option.

The main reason I’m advising against the miracle product stuff you brought up is that the OP mentioned they want the taste of pasta and rice, in which case I think it’s healthier and more sustainable to learn moderation of their favorites now unless they truly are prepared to say goodbye for good, which seems to have worked for you.

Another thing is, a quick Google search tells me that stuff costs $37.99 per 70oz pre-cooked ready-to-eat ”rice” (their own website). My google tells me that 1oz uncooked white long-grain rice will make about 3oz cooked rice, so you’d need 23.33oz regular uncooked rice to get the 70oz cooked. One statistic I googled mentions the price of white un-cooked long-grain rice in the US at $0.80 per pound. 23.33oz is 1.45lbs, making the same end-result of 70oz in ready-to-eat form cost $1.16 in regular white rice, and $37.99 in the miracle rice you mentioned. (I’m not American so pounds and ounces are foreign to me, apologies for any potential conversion errors, as well as potential math errors.) This is a free site, many users need more affordable options and affording expensive miracle products isn’t necessary to reach health and weight loss goals. Absolutely nothing wrong with them working for you, I’m glad they do. Pointing out other solutions is not a personal attack on yours.

goal06082021

VegjoyP wrote: »

First of all shiritaki- Miracle noodle, tofu noodles, etc. Have been around for decades. In Asian culinary they use yam flour, glucomannan and tofu shiritaki. I ( personally) am in maitenance and have maintained since 2010. I use them in my life, not " dieting". Also personally I do not enjoy rice or pasta in small amounts and I don't want to base my calories on rice. It leaves me starving. However for some it can work.

Zucchini noodles, miracle noodles, veggie spirals etc can also be used WITH rice, pasta, etc. to volumize the dish. Adding mixed vegetables also helps maximize the meal.

Glucomannan, the "active ingredient" as it were in the miracle noodle products, is basically cellulose. There's a lot of weird diet *kitten* that's "been around for decades," that doesn't make it food. Again, if you like it, you're an adult and you can choose to eat indigestible fiber to artificially fill your stomach if you want to, that's your choice.

@hipari Your math checks out. For US$40, you can buy a ludicrous amount of real rice, like 150kg - enough to have a generous portion of it at every meal for a year or two. That $40 will get you ten meals' worth of ready-to-eat Miracle Rice. It looks like they do also sell it dry but it's similarly expensive - another $40 for 80 oz dry Miracle Rice. 80 oz is a bit less than 3kg.

penguinmama87

I would second the advice to bulk up the "regular" carbs with vegetables. I think substitutes have their place, but to me they don't taste the same and I would be much more tempted to overeat if I was trying to replicate the flavor with another thing that wasn't quite right. Adding volume with vegetables, while still using the regular stuff, is much more satisfying to me.

As I lose weight I have gotten more comfortable changing up the proportions on my plate, but there's no reason to stick super firmly to the serving size on the box. Depending on the recipe that's often super impractical anyway. Log what you actually eat and stick within your calories. If that means eating more pasta and rice, because you enjoy it, then that's fine as long as you're within your daily/weekly calorie budget.

PAV8888

I don't think that anyone should be making the argument that alternative products are less costly than staples. It would be highly unlikely for this to be the case as most "diet" products cost more--point me to the exceptions to the rule if any exist!

So I find the pricing argument spurious.

if finances are hurting it would be a silly waste of your money budget to be trying to fit in $3.50 bags of fake rice worth 50 Calories instead of using your $3.50 towards a bag of flour, or if slightly better off, towards a lb of potatoes.

Have you checked out the price of lentils or chickpeas cooked with some rice and oil? What's the point of considering anything else if that would be the maximum calories per dollar you can get (and it would also give you all the amino-acids you need)? So price is A consideration.. but probably not THE major one when someone is considering these products.

Price aside, it also makes no sense to me that we are discussing whether most low calorie products (artificial sweeteners, low cal dressings, cellulose based imitation rice) are more nutritious, i.e. dense with nutrients as compared to the food they are replacing!

More nutrient dense tends to imply less air and less non-digestible material thus containing more nutrients in a given quantity... which is the exact opposite of what you're trying to accomplish when you $pend on 0 Cal stuff!

So yes: they're $pendy and they are nutritiously void. But they occupy space. And they're edible. That's the point!

So on to our good friend the konjac root.

I discovered shiritaki noodles while losing weight going back almost 5 years now. Do I use them every day? No. far from it. Do I still have a bag or two in the fridge that I occasionally dump into a lower calorie higher volume meal? You bet ya!

And I've actually found the rice one better for the type of food I eat as I tend to dump it into soups instead of regular rice to reduce the caloric load.

At the end of the day I, personally, would much rather spend my calories on ice cream and chocolate than on rice which I consider to be a sauce holder, thickener, or portion bulking agent (such honest words when you then consider the calories)... but that's me! (and by the way, for the calories... I am boiled or oven roasted baby potatoes all the way!)

This year, while maintaining, not while trying to lose or gain, I also started using cauliflower rice. Both by itself, mixed 50-50 with rice, and, I admit wastefully when it comes to cost, mashed with boiled potatoes! I actually probably like it better (than other alternative products) and the big frozen bag at Costco is probably more cost effective than most even more over-priced alternatives.

And spaghetti mixed with beetroot spirals/noodles (they add a sweetness and color but taste great combined with tomato sauce especially if you don't add any sugar to the sauce while making it). A bit monochromatic.. but tasty!

All these "options" increase volume for small calorie hits while yes, changing the taste a bit. The taste change can be viewed as good or bad depending on your own desires and expectations.

As mentioned above, if taken on their own merits a lot of these are more than fine!

If you have the expectation that you will end up consuming something that is indistinguishable from eating regular rice or pasta... you will end up disappointed.

But, all these products CAN be part of the experimentation that takes place in terms of the ongoing food management choices we get to make.

We can have anything we want at any point of time that we want... but we probably can't have everything we want, at any quantity, all the time.... right?

--most shiritake products I've tried have a faint "fishy" tinge which makes them, for me, more "natural" to served either with seafood or with a strong/spicy sauce. Think Asian noodle stir fry as opposed to bolognaise.

Luke_rabbit

We generally stick to a serving size of pasta (56 g) and close to a serving size of rice (don't eat rice often, but I think it's about 200 calories). I've found a couple pastas that incorporate beans in them that I use for the extra protein, but I only repeat purchase the ones that have a texture close to regular whole grain pasta (our standard for many years).

In pasta recipes, I tend to at least double the vegetables or add vegetables if the original recipe doesn't include them, so the final meal has a lot of bulk for a reasonable amount of calories and a good amount of nutrition.

I've never tried any of the replacement products other than cauliflower rice which is okay and spaghetti squash (as a teen when my dad grew it) which I hated but plan to give another chance.

bcust

I love spaghetti squash in place of noodles.

AnnPT77

Besides chickpea/garbanzo pasta of the normal sorts (many different shapes), there is also chickpea "rice", which is really orzo pasta if you ask me, but it's labeled "chickpea rice". If you're trying to reduce starch, these products have relatively more protein, relatively less carbs (starch is a carbohydrate), compared to wheat pasta or regular white/brown rice.

The flavor and texture are not identical to regular pasta or rice, but they are similarly neutral-flavored so go well with many other foods. They're not zero calorie; they have similar calories to rice/pasta but a different nutrient profile that can be more helpful in some contexts.

Just an option to consider.

VegjoyP

I do not EVER feel any satisfaction from a half cup to cup of rice or pasta, and never feel like it's worth it. Shiritaki is used in Asian cuisine as a staple. I do not use it daily either and the fact that it's 3 a bag is just like calories- if it fits in your budget and enjoy it why not? It works for me fabulously.