What is a good alternative to eating pasta?

Wow, am I in that same boat! In fact, even though I eat healthfully, I find that I need to make a big effort to reach for other food categories beyond the starches when I am hungry or planning meals. I love and agree with all the suggestions above, so will offer a new one from my arsenal. One of my favorite books on nutrition and diet, is the book "Volumetrics" by Dr. Barbara Rolls at Penn State University. You can read about her studies on "volumizing" your food, but she has a great recipe where you cook the pasta, then during the last 5 minutes you throw in a couple handfuls of vegetables into the same pot. Pour the pasta and veggies out into a colander when done, sprinkle with parmesan cheese and you are done. Now--when you serve it into your bowls, the veggies take up a certain amount of space that would have otherwise been pasta--so you will feel just as satisfied, but without the calories of a bowl full of pasta by itself! Does that make sense? So, sometimes, you CAN have your cake (pasta) and eat it too.

A good alternative to pasta (especially the processed, refined flour kind) is spaghetti squash. It is easy to cook and when you use a fork to remove it from the rind, it looks just like spaghetti!! Works great with spaghetti sauce, sauteed veggies or butter, herbs and parmesan cheese.
Brown rice pasta is a healthier alternative to wheat pasta, if you REALLY want pasta. Just make sure you watch your portion size. A serving of pasta is 1/2 cup!!
I also just saw a recipe for thinly sliced zucchini in place of pasta. Just saute it in a little olive oil and use like pasta.

Spaghetti squash! You bake it and add sauce or other grilled veggies.

How about trying spahgetti squash.

Hello Meredith,
An alternative to pasta is brown rice as well as spaghetti squash. Egg noodles and gluten free noodles are another good alternative.

Sincerely,
Michael

I've heard good things about quinoa-prounced keenwa and kashi.

I steam the spaghetti squash, then I scoop it out and let it cool.
While it's cooling I saute onions and garlic and basil and then add the spaghetti squash and saute for a few minutes longer - than I push it to the side of the pan and add spinach to the pan and a little olive oil and salt the spinach and then let that wilt and then fold it into the spaghetti squash. It is so yummy. I usually season with oregano and a little hawaiian sea salt too.

There is a high fiber pasta available online from The Fiber Gourmet. Because the pasta is higher in fiber, it is lower in calories. It is available for purchase in bulk or in packages. I find this is a nice swap for regular pasta, though I don't care for their version of macaroni and cheese. Your taste may vary.

There is a product called Tofu Shirataki that is available in grocery stores in the produce section (near the tofu, no big surprise). It is a noodle-like product you can use like spaghetti. It has little taste of its own, so you'll want to sauce it up. Some of my friends enjoy this as a spaghetti alternative, but I do not find it to be as satisfying as actual pasta. You can try it and see how you feel.

Instead of avoiding pasta, you might also try simple swaps to help you choose to eat less of it, or to reduce the overall calories in the meal with which you eat pasta. For example, you could use a different sauce. One way I find effective is to add vegetables to the meal. Start with a salad. Make your pasta main dish with a little flavored olive oil and steamed broccoli, carrots, sauteed red onions, and fresh basil. The bulk of the vegetables means less room in your stomach for the pasta.

The best way to enjoy your favorite pasta is to add protein in it. This is a very good solution to have your pasta without to add fat on your stomach. Avoid pasta at night and especially before you go to bed.

Salmon, chicken and fish are very good proteins for your pasta.

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Perhaps eliminating feels like deprivation? Try whole wheat pasta that has more nutritional value combined with a healthy protein source. One serving of pasta is 2oz. Depending on the pasta this is 1/2 cup to 3/4 cup. Add veggies and your 3 to 4 ounces of chicken breast and you have a complete meal.

I would definitely feel deprived and irritated if I tried to "make-do" with spaghetti squash. I do, however, agree with the idea of "volumizing" by cooking pasta and putting a lot of vegetables and meat in it, and then adding sauce over it.

Some questions to your question:)

-Have you tried whole wheat pasta? (considered better than the white version).
-How much pasta do you eat? I don't think it's a big deal to have regular pasta occasionally.
-How 'bout trying: risotto, brown rice, sweet potato, lentils, barley, etc...

Also, like others have mentioned, it's really good to round out a pasta meal with some protein (chicken, fish, bit of cheese, maybe), a good tomato sauce, and a hearty dose of veggies, and you're all set!

I like to replace traditional pasta with quinoa, brown rice, beans (garbanzo, black, any!), and spaghetti squash. My tips are to watch the servings with quinoa, it looks like extremely small beads and always makes me want to add more than an appropriate serving. I also prefer to boil my spaghetti squash when I cook it even though it loses a little nutritional value. I prefer boiling because I can season the water and give the squash a bit more flavor.

Happy cooking!

I switched to whole wheat pasta and I really like it. I always watch serving size and usually add tofu crumbles to my sauce.

Brown rice pasta is actually pretty good, it' s chewy!

Brown rice and sweet potatoes will do the trick. Also, couscous could be a good alternative.