Low carb diets limit the daily intake of foods containing carbohydrates and help give you an edge in weight loss and weight management. Carbohydrates are found in fruits, vegetables, breads, rice, grains and starches. Pasta is especially high in carbohydrates with an average of 40 g per cup. Low carbohydrate pasta options need to have similar consistencies and versatility of pasta. Low carbohydrate options for pasta can be healthy and include good dietary choices.
Vegetables
Vegetables have carbohydrates, but some are low in carbohydrates and high in nutrients. These make good pasta substitutions nutritionally. Some vegetable options have similar traits as pasta. For Instance, spaghetti squash has only 10 g of carbohydrates per cup and is similar to spaghetti. It can be baked and then shredded using a fork for a similar spaghetti-like shape. It has a mild flavor and is good with traditional marinara or another low carbohydrate sauce option.
Eggplant has only 8.6 g of carbohydrates per cup and can be baked and then diced into pieces to resemble penne or another type of pasta. It is a mild vegetable with a firm texture that can stand up to different sauce types.
Shredded raw or cooked cabbage can add a new flavor twist to traditional pasta dishes. It comes in at only 3.9 g per cup and can be used raw for extra crunch and texture. Many Asian dishes use shredded cabbage as a pasta-like base for spicy meat sauces.
Tofu
Tofu is bean curd from curdled soybean milk. It can be shaped into any form and has an extremely mild flavor. It is a cheese like food popular in Asia for more than 2,000 years. It is rich in nutrients, easy to digest and helps reduces cholesterol. John Erdmand, University of Illinois professor of nutrition, noted in a 2000 advisory to the American Heart Association that consuming 25 to 50 g of soy protein daily helps reduce low-density lipoprotein, LDL, cholesterol, which is the bad cholesterol.
Three types of tofu are available: firm, soft and silken. The firm tofu comes in noodles and in cubes that can be cut or shaped into pasta like shapes. The noodles are a low carbohydrate substitute for spaghetti with only 6 g per cup.
Yam Noodles
Sometimes called Shirataki Noodles, yam noodles are mostly fiber with no carbohydrates and no calories. They are made from yam and can be used straight out of the bag with or without cooking. They are another low carbohydrate substitute for spaghetti.
References
- Mayo Clinic: Low Carb Diet
- Carbs Information: Carbs and Fiber in Spaghetti Squash
- Carbs Information: Carbs and Fiber in Cabbage
- EurekaAlert: Increased Consumption of Soy Protein May Help Lower Cholesterol
- Hungry Girl: Chew the Right Thing
- Huffington Post: Shirataki Noodles: Miracle Noodles Boast Health Benefits, Where to Buy
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