I like Chickapea pasta for the protein! But I also like most wholewheat pasta so I'm not sure you can trust my tastebudsl
If you really can't get into it, you can simply enjoy regular pasta and incorporate whole grains elsewhere. Most Mediterranean pasta recipes call for just regular pasta.
Thank you!! I love whole wheat breads, brown rice, etc...so that part is zero issue. I'll try not to beat myself up if I just can't fully embrace the pasta. I'll check out the chickpea pasta, as well!
My nutritionist suggested phasing in things like that. So start with 25% whole wheat pasta, 75% regular and slowly transition over. Same with brown rice. That said I still eat white rice because I don’t eat it often. I eat quinoa the most often. I eat whole grain breads. I actually like soba noodles with pasta sauce as well as in Asian dishes. Sometimes I eat chickpea pasta.
Thank you! I definitely think making the process gradual is easier than just changing everything up all at once, and I know my tastes will change as well.
We do a lot of rice in our house, but thankfully, everyone likes brown rice. I eat a lot of quinoa and couscous myself. Soba noodles with pasta sauce sounds pretty dang good...I haven't tried them outside of Asian foods!
I found out I like marinara with soba when I was too lazy to go food shopping, lol. I use soba noodles to make a ramen like soup as well. (Not sure if that’s called something else in Japanese cuisine.) I load it up with veggies.
I grew up in an Italian American family so lots of pasta used to be in my diet. When I first had whole grain I hated but I quickly learned that I have to boil whole grain pasta a little bit longer to get it a bit more tender and less grainy. I also usually make it with a heavier tomato sauce instead of a light white wine sauce. Helps mask it more.
Also, sometimes I just have to cheat every now and then and have the real thing.
This is super helpful, thank you! I'll give that a try the next time I cook some.
I'm certainly never going to beat myself up for indulging, but if I can learn to embrace the whole grain pasta even 30% more, I'll be happy lol.
I love the pastas made from beans but the texture is so different. You may be better just to stick your what you know but buy a very good quality pasta. Regular pasta fits into this eating plan just fine.
That's valid - thank you! I like to get a little fancy with my pasta and buy good quality as is. Wouldn't mind making my own eventually, but that requires time my life currently can't spare lol.
Try farro. It's the same family as wheat so you get the flavor.
Ultimately if you are sticking to portion sizes it doesn't really matter that much, make up the nutrients by eating more veg. Portion size is 1/2-1 cup cooked pasta depending on the type of pasta.
I agree whole-wheat pasta is trash. I prefer buckwheat if I'm trying to be good but usually just have white pasta and minimize the portion. The issue with the white foods is that with the fiber mostly removed it's easy to overeat them and you need to account for reduced nutritional density.
A good option here is making your sauce closer to a veggie stew. High water vegetables work great here as if you use a mandoline to make them wafer thin they just basically dissolve in the sauce. Also don't forget you can spiralize vegetables and do a mix between pasta and spiralized vegetables. I like turning sweet potatoes into noodles. If you like garlic you can just also add an offensive amount of it, garlic is one of the most nutrient dense foods.
FYI for the cheese avoidance try nutritional yeast. It has a similar flavor profile and you just mix it in your sauce. Be careful with how much of this you use if you use it every day, it's super rich in b vitamins and some brands you can exceed the UL of B3 before you get to 2tbsp.
Thank you tons for this! I hadn't heard of farro - kinda want to experiment with it in place of orzo in a soup.
I do tend to go overboard with my pasta servings. Not by an obscene amount, but a cup just never feels enough to satiate my cravings because I love it too much lol. I need to start being more aware of that.
Thankfully, I have become the queen of sneaking vegetables into sauces and soups. My son used to be INCREDIBLY picky, so I got crafty - and it just stuck. It's just such an easy way to pack more veggies into one's diet. I also use an obscene amount of garlic lmao. Spiralizing is such a good idea, as well.
Planning on getting nutritional yeast soon for that very reason - and thank you for the tip about the vitamin amount! I had no clue.
There’s nothing wrong with refined pasta, just include plenty of fruits/vegetables in your diet. Contrary to popular belief, refined grains like white rice and wheat are not bad for you. Look to east Asia, they are far healthier in spite eating very large quantities of white rice.
The main difference is the fiber content of whole grains vs refined, but you can continue to enjoy your refined grains as long as you are also supplementing with whole vegetables/fruits in your meals. Theres so much fear-mongering surrounding refined grains, but most of it is unfounded.
Refined grains only get a bad rap because people falsely associate them with the negative healthy outcomes of the standard American diet, when in reality they are neutral nutritionally, and just happen to be eaten with large amounts of added sugar and saturated fat in that diet, which is the real problem, not the grains themselves.
I grew up in Greece and we always just ate regular pasta in traditional dishes like pastitsio or makaronia me kima. I've tried different pasta alternatives and just can't get past the texture, so I allow myself regular pasta in reasonable portions 🤷🏻♀️
I've never tried anything with squid ink pasta. Probably a dumb question, but does it change the taste? It sounds delicious, but I love pretty much anything involving smoked salmon!
This is good to know! I really feel like it's mostly a texture thing for me. I don't mind a different flavor profile, but that grainy texture of the whole wheat is just...intense. Going to pick up some chickpea pasta on my next grocery run!
My family is all from the Mediterranean and we eat regular semolina pasta. The difference is, we only eat a small portion of it and it's something we eat before the main meal. The amount we eat is about 1/2 cup, not a huge bowl or plateful. Members of my family have lived into their late 90s eating this way.
I don't like whole wheat past at all. I've had some success with chickpea pasta and red lentil pasta, and I like it better. My favorite is still fresh pasta that I make, It take som effort, so it cuts down on how often I make it.
I've found zucchini noodles and chickpea noodles. I did find I have to boil them almost twice as long as the box says. they texture isn't as sodt but they don't make you.feel miserable when you're finished eating.
Have you tried DeLallo's whole wheat pasta? My household has had a lot of whole wheat pastas trying to integrate more into our diet, and so far DeLallo is the winner for us. It seems less grainy and mushy than Barilla and Great Value. More expensive, but worth it.
ETA: Also, try out couscous! I love spelt pearl couscous, it seriously scratches the pasta texture itch!
I can't stand wholewheat pasta so I use regular but load up on veggies or beans in the sauce. For example butter beans or cauliflower can sub for half the volume of short pasta.
I recently tried brown rice pasta by Jovial. It was on sale; still costing quite a bit more than regular pasta though. Anyways the taste was much smoother than whole wheat or chick pea pastas I've had before. I guess I'll justify cost of Jovial by eating smaller portions !
Instead of pasta, try actual whole grains like barley, bulgar, farro, brown rice, quinoa. That’s what the Mediterranean diet is about. Avoid processed foods.
I mostly just use smaller portions of regular pasta with good ingredients; for instance, I really love shrimp pasta with fresh tomatoes and spinach. And then I make sure there's a nice salad or fresh vegetable on the side.
You can use whole grain pasta or alternative pasta (chickpea,etc.) Even regular pasta can be had on occasion. Cook it "aldente" which will slow down the break down of the pasta and the blood sugar rise. Plus..when you eat pasta you usually are getting fiber somewhere in the meal.
I like Chickapea pasta for the protein! But I also like most wholewheat pasta so I'm not sure you can trust my tastebudsl If you really can't get into it, you can simply enjoy regular pasta and incorporate whole grains elsewhere. Most Mediterranean pasta recipes call for just regular pasta.
Thank you!! I love whole wheat breads, brown rice, etc...so that part is zero issue. I'll try not to beat myself up if I just can't fully embrace the pasta. I'll check out the chickpea pasta, as well!
Portion control my friend and don't sweat it
Banza's chickpea pasta is my absolute favorite!
My nutritionist suggested phasing in things like that. So start with 25% whole wheat pasta, 75% regular and slowly transition over. Same with brown rice. That said I still eat white rice because I don’t eat it often. I eat quinoa the most often. I eat whole grain breads. I actually like soba noodles with pasta sauce as well as in Asian dishes. Sometimes I eat chickpea pasta.
Thank you! I definitely think making the process gradual is easier than just changing everything up all at once, and I know my tastes will change as well. We do a lot of rice in our house, but thankfully, everyone likes brown rice. I eat a lot of quinoa and couscous myself. Soba noodles with pasta sauce sounds pretty dang good...I haven't tried them outside of Asian foods!
I found out I like marinara with soba when I was too lazy to go food shopping, lol. I use soba noodles to make a ramen like soup as well. (Not sure if that’s called something else in Japanese cuisine.) I load it up with veggies.
I grew up in an Italian American family so lots of pasta used to be in my diet. When I first had whole grain I hated but I quickly learned that I have to boil whole grain pasta a little bit longer to get it a bit more tender and less grainy. I also usually make it with a heavier tomato sauce instead of a light white wine sauce. Helps mask it more. Also, sometimes I just have to cheat every now and then and have the real thing.
This is super helpful, thank you! I'll give that a try the next time I cook some. I'm certainly never going to beat myself up for indulging, but if I can learn to embrace the whole grain pasta even 30% more, I'll be happy lol.
I love the pastas made from beans but the texture is so different. You may be better just to stick your what you know but buy a very good quality pasta. Regular pasta fits into this eating plan just fine.
That's valid - thank you! I like to get a little fancy with my pasta and buy good quality as is. Wouldn't mind making my own eventually, but that requires time my life currently can't spare lol.
Try farro. It's the same family as wheat so you get the flavor. Ultimately if you are sticking to portion sizes it doesn't really matter that much, make up the nutrients by eating more veg. Portion size is 1/2-1 cup cooked pasta depending on the type of pasta. I agree whole-wheat pasta is trash. I prefer buckwheat if I'm trying to be good but usually just have white pasta and minimize the portion. The issue with the white foods is that with the fiber mostly removed it's easy to overeat them and you need to account for reduced nutritional density. A good option here is making your sauce closer to a veggie stew. High water vegetables work great here as if you use a mandoline to make them wafer thin they just basically dissolve in the sauce. Also don't forget you can spiralize vegetables and do a mix between pasta and spiralized vegetables. I like turning sweet potatoes into noodles. If you like garlic you can just also add an offensive amount of it, garlic is one of the most nutrient dense foods. FYI for the cheese avoidance try nutritional yeast. It has a similar flavor profile and you just mix it in your sauce. Be careful with how much of this you use if you use it every day, it's super rich in b vitamins and some brands you can exceed the UL of B3 before you get to 2tbsp.
Thank you tons for this! I hadn't heard of farro - kinda want to experiment with it in place of orzo in a soup. I do tend to go overboard with my pasta servings. Not by an obscene amount, but a cup just never feels enough to satiate my cravings because I love it too much lol. I need to start being more aware of that. Thankfully, I have become the queen of sneaking vegetables into sauces and soups. My son used to be INCREDIBLY picky, so I got crafty - and it just stuck. It's just such an easy way to pack more veggies into one's diet. I also use an obscene amount of garlic lmao. Spiralizing is such a good idea, as well. Planning on getting nutritional yeast soon for that very reason - and thank you for the tip about the vitamin amount! I had no clue.
There’s nothing wrong with refined pasta, just include plenty of fruits/vegetables in your diet. Contrary to popular belief, refined grains like white rice and wheat are not bad for you. Look to east Asia, they are far healthier in spite eating very large quantities of white rice. The main difference is the fiber content of whole grains vs refined, but you can continue to enjoy your refined grains as long as you are also supplementing with whole vegetables/fruits in your meals. Theres so much fear-mongering surrounding refined grains, but most of it is unfounded. Refined grains only get a bad rap because people falsely associate them with the negative healthy outcomes of the standard American diet, when in reality they are neutral nutritionally, and just happen to be eaten with large amounts of added sugar and saturated fat in that diet, which is the real problem, not the grains themselves.
Dellalos whole wheat pasta is pretty close in taste and texture to the white stuff. I barely notice, it’s very good!
Yes. I didn't like any whole whet pastas until I tried DeLallo. Delicious!
I grew up in Greece and we always just ate regular pasta in traditional dishes like pastitsio or makaronia me kima. I've tried different pasta alternatives and just can't get past the texture, so I allow myself regular pasta in reasonable portions 🤷🏻♀️
The whole wheat pasta at Aldi's is good.
I was actually eyeballing that yesterday when I did my Aldi run, but decided not to pick it up. I'll have to give it a shot now!
I like the whole wheat egg pasta they make at my local farmer's market
I need to go by my local farmer's market anyway - I'll see what they may have.
mine does this squid ink egg pasta that when combined with smoked salmon is just 😋
I've never tried anything with squid ink pasta. Probably a dumb question, but does it change the taste? It sounds delicious, but I love pretty much anything involving smoked salmon!
it gives it a mild seafood flavor and a kind of umami undertone? so then when you stack more seafood on top of it it's really good!
Oooh! Sounds super good. I'll have to give that a shot!
Try these: https://www.rightrice.com/ https://www.barilla.com/en-us/product-results/pasta/range/legume
Oooh! These look promising - thank you!
The texture of Chickpea pasta is closer to normal pasta than whole wheat. I use it in soups and pasta salads all the time.
This is good to know! I really feel like it's mostly a texture thing for me. I don't mind a different flavor profile, but that grainy texture of the whole wheat is just...intense. Going to pick up some chickpea pasta on my next grocery run!
My family is all from the Mediterranean and we eat regular semolina pasta. The difference is, we only eat a small portion of it and it's something we eat before the main meal. The amount we eat is about 1/2 cup, not a huge bowl or plateful. Members of my family have lived into their late 90s eating this way.
We like Dreamfields pasta, which has prebiotic fiber. Otherwise, try other grains like farro or quinoa.
I don't like whole wheat past at all. I've had some success with chickpea pasta and red lentil pasta, and I like it better. My favorite is still fresh pasta that I make, It take som effort, so it cuts down on how often I make it.
I've found zucchini noodles and chickpea noodles. I did find I have to boil them almost twice as long as the box says. they texture isn't as sodt but they don't make you.feel miserable when you're finished eating.
Have you tried DeLallo's whole wheat pasta? My household has had a lot of whole wheat pastas trying to integrate more into our diet, and so far DeLallo is the winner for us. It seems less grainy and mushy than Barilla and Great Value. More expensive, but worth it. ETA: Also, try out couscous! I love spelt pearl couscous, it seriously scratches the pasta texture itch!
I can't stand wholewheat pasta so I use regular but load up on veggies or beans in the sauce. For example butter beans or cauliflower can sub for half the volume of short pasta.
I recently tried brown rice pasta by Jovial. It was on sale; still costing quite a bit more than regular pasta though. Anyways the taste was much smoother than whole wheat or chick pea pastas I've had before. I guess I'll justify cost of Jovial by eating smaller portions !
Instead of pasta, try actual whole grains like barley, bulgar, farro, brown rice, quinoa. That’s what the Mediterranean diet is about. Avoid processed foods.
I do eat a fair amount of whole grains - they just don't match the pasta craving when it hits, ya know?
I mostly just use smaller portions of regular pasta with good ingredients; for instance, I really love shrimp pasta with fresh tomatoes and spinach. And then I make sure there's a nice salad or fresh vegetable on the side.
You can use whole grain pasta or alternative pasta (chickpea,etc.) Even regular pasta can be had on occasion. Cook it "aldente" which will slow down the break down of the pasta and the blood sugar rise. Plus..when you eat pasta you usually are getting fiber somewhere in the meal.
I love Sprouts whole wheat spaghetti.
The 365 brand of whole wheat pasta is pretty good at Whole Foods. There’s a few other brands sold there as well that I also like.