Table of Contents
- What makes pasta unhealthy?
- Veggie-craft Farms Pasta Made with Cauliflower
- Barilla red lentil penne
- Banza chickpeas pasta
- Trader’s organic black bean rotini
- Miracle Noodle Plant-Based Noodles Fettuccine Style
- Sea Tangle Kelp Noodles
- Nün Pasta Fusilli Made With Chickpea & Seaweed
- Cappello’s Almond Flour Fettuccine
- Explore Cuisine Black Bean Spaghetti
- Palmini Hearts of Palm Linguine
Carbs are not that bad if used in the right way. Essential nutrients, from digestion-friendly fiber to zinc, iron, magnesium, and folate, are filled with whole grains like oats, barley, and rye. Plus, carbs provide calories and provide the power they need to interact with our brains, red blood cells, and central nervous systems.
Not all carbs, however, are produced equal. Refined carbohydrates lack the bran and germ parts of the grain kernel that are fully fiber-free, RDN, nutritionist, and Tovita Nutrition founder: ‘They have been refined so that they are deprived of any nutritional value,’ says Silberman. “You get carbohydrates, but no nutrition.”
Of course, you will not be killed by a cookie here and some toast there, but if you always opt for processed grains (think white pasta), it might be worth moving to sly alternatives that taste better and provide health benefits. Here is a piece of good news that innovative brands make it easier than ever to eat noodles, and by using better-for-you ingredients instead of wheat, keep essential carbs to a minimum.
These modern low-carb pastas are more substantial in protein and much healthier than your classic penne, from lentil spaghetti to mushroom noodles. Silberman remembers the list of ingredients when it comes to choosing a low-carb pasta. ‘First, I look at the ingredients,’ she tells Wellbeing. “Ideally, only one or two ingredients, like chickpeas or green lentil flour, are present in the pasta.”
Silberman also considers the nutritional facts. “These kinds of pasta can provide a lot of fiber, unlike regular pasta, so I usually like to see at least six grams of fiber per serving when I pick an alternative pasta,” she says.
What makes pasta unhealthy?
Pasta doesn’t spell bad news immediately. It’s important to note that in a balanced diet, carbs have their place entirely. Although whole grains contain essential vitamins and minerals, they help provide fuel for vital functions. When these carbs are highly processed, and the serving sizes are too big, the primary problem is. If you want to hold the lower side of your regular carbohydrate load but don’t want to give up the concept of a good pasta dish, low-carbohydrate pasta will undoubtedly provide a solution. Bear in mind. However, low-carb pasta is not always associated with healthy eating, so it is paramount to look at the ingredient list and the nutritional count.
What you put in the pasta also matters. If you lack protein and fiber in your low-carb pasta, you can mix it with vegetables like broccoli or beans, i.e., chickpeas, to round out your meal’s nutritional value.
Here are some low carb pasta’s listed:
Veggie-craft Farms Pasta Made with Cauliflower
Three ingredients are derived from Veggie-craft pasta: lentil flour, pea flour, and cauliflower flour. This pasta has more fiber and protein (4 grams of fiber and 13 grams of protein per serving), and this choice stands out because of the short, natural ingredient list, although the amounts are not the highest on this list.
Barilla red lentil penne
A line of legume products is now made by the classic pasta brand Barilla. Their legume pasta is made with just one ingredient, red lentil flour, in this case. And in our book, that’s a big plus. This pasta type is a smart choice for those searching for high-protein decisions, with 13 grams of protein per serving. However, the 34 grams of carbs with only 6 grams of fiber make this a pretty carb-heavy choice, just like some other picks on this list.
Banza chickpeas pasta
Banza’s chickpea pasta comes in many different forms, which means you can make a balanced makeover of many of your favorite recipes. This plant-based protein pasta has fantastic texture (speaking as a long-time consumer) and will become a pantry favorite, boasting almost two times the protein and three times the regular pasta fiber. Banza doesn’t have the same amount of protein and fiber as some other pulse pasta brands, but it’s worth the taste and texture alone.
Trader’s organic black bean rotini
Trader Joe’s Black Bean Rotini is what you get for 100 percent of what you see. These noodles are made with just one ingredient, organic black bean flour, and have significantly more fiber and protein than similar pasta (15 grams of fiber, 14 grams of protein). A perfect pasta pick for pulses!
Miracle Noodle Plant-Based Noodles Fettuccine Style
Miracle Noodles is a shirataki noodle brand: a Japanese white, jiggly noodle made from the konjac plant’s root. It’s a low calorie, really low carb, pasta alternative with some fiber. The fiber is called and is soluble glucomannan. That means that once you eat it, it turns into a gel-like material, leaving you feeling full for longer.
This unique product is generated from three ingredients: water, konjac flour, and citric acid. There are zero calories in a 3-ounce serving, 1 gram of carbohydrates, and 2 grams of fiber. While you may be very excited about this nutrition panel (eating zero-calorie noodles? Yes, please!), you will need to decide if you like the taste and texture or not. Mind it that you’ll need to make sure that the rest of your meals are nutrient-dense if you opt for something that has zero calories, protein, and fat.
Sea Tangle Kelp Noodles
These noodles are seaweed that has been rinsed and dried. This noodle alternative, packed with minerals such as magnesium and calcium, is low in calories and carbohydrates; in a 4-ounce serving, you consume only six calories.
These noodles are more similar in texture to konjac noodles than to lentil or bean paste. Again, because the noodles themselves do not provide you with a ton of nutrition, keep your other foods packed with protein and good fats.
Nün Pasta Fusilli Made With Chickpea & Seaweed
The perfect middle ground between regular pasta and low carb pasta is Nün’s pasta. It is made with a mixture of durum wheat semolina, chickpea flour, and Chilean seaweed ground. In Chilean coastal communities, the company sustainably harvests its seaweed, which checks the environmental and community-enrichment boxes. There are 195 milligrams of sodium in one serving, the second-highest of any noodle on this list, but it also contains a reasonable amount of protein (7.6 grams).
Cappello’s Almond Flour Fettuccine
With almond flour, Cappello’s makes gluten-free products. It is said that this fettuccini is silkier and more “buttery” than traditional pasta. Made without gluten, grain, soy, milk, and the only egg-use noodle in the party. There is only almond flour, tapioca flour, xanthan gum, and salt on the ingredient list.
But with this range, be careful of the sodium levels. There are 760 milligrams in one serving. So actively schedule the rest of your day if you need to watch your sodium intake.
Explore Cuisine Black Bean Spaghetti
I was shocked to discover that this black bean spaghetti is made of black soybeans, not black turtle beans, usually what people mean when they say “black beans. “Since soybeans have a relatively mild flavor, without overpowering your sauce. We can use these noodles in a variety of dishes. The texture, too, is fantastic. This pasta was my favorite low carb pasta I tried, by far, but that could be because I included it in a delicious South-western dish with fire-roasted tomatoes, red bell peppers, jalapeños, and sweet corn. Avocado sauce drizzled on top was also present. What isn’t there to like?
Palmini Hearts of Palm Linguine
These noodles are made from palm hearts and, similar to the texture of daikon radish or jicama, they are very crisp right out of the container. Nice raw. They offer extra crunch to the salads. It would help if you soaked them in milk for a milder taste before using them. They can be eaten fried, too. You’ll love Palmini if you’re a fan of vegetable-based noodles, such as spaghetti squash and zucchini noodles. And you won’t have to pull your spiralizer out or clean it. Only boil them and serve them with Italian or Mediterranean sauces and seasonings to soften them.