Noodles are a staple of several cuisines and entrees. While you may enjoy including noodles in your meals, measuring your portion size helps control calories. Many entrees have excessive portions of cooked pasta -- as much as quadruple the proper portion size. A serving of pasta is equivalent to 1 oz. of dry pasta, which equals 1/2 cup of cooked pasta, reports ChooseMyPlate.gov. Keep cooked noodles a healthy addition to your diet by limiting portions and selecting whole-grain varieties over white pastas.
Nutrition Breakdown
Most of your caloric intake should come from carbohydrates. Noodles are well-known for their high carbohydrate content, offering 80 percent or more calories from carbohydrates. Most noodles don't contain much protein or fat, but noodles often offer a little fiber. Women need 21 to 25 g of daily fiber, while men require 30 to 38 g, says the Mayo Clinic. Most 1/2-cup servings of cooked noodles provide around 1 g of fiber. Additionally, noodles add several types of key vitamins and minerals into your diet. Vitamins and minerals work hand-in-hand to support your skeletal structure, help pull energy from the food you eat and regulate all biochemical reactions in your body.
Wheat Noodles
Wheat noodles are a way to sneak vitamins, minerals, fiber and protein into your diet. A 1/2-cup serving of cooked wheat noodles provides 105 calories, which comes from 19 g of carbs, 5 g of protein and 1 g of fat. Carbohydrates and protein provide 4 calories per gram, while fat is more concentrated and has 9 calories per gram, according to the McKinley Health Center. Noodles are also high in fiber, offering 2 g per 1/2-cup cooked portion. Wheat noodles offer as much as 17 percent of your dietary thiamine, 7 percent of niacin, 20 percent of your daily folate and nearly 8 percent of your iron for the day.
Rice Noodles
Rice noodles contain 96 calories per 1/2-cup cooked serving, which mainly all come from carbohydrates. This portion of rice noodles has 22 g of carbohydrates, less than 1 g of protein and only a trace amount of fat. Rice noodles offer some of the minerals you need in your diet. Each 1/2-cup serving provides 4 mg of calcium, 4 mg of potassium, 18 mg of phosphorous and 4 mg of selenium. Rice noodles are not a good source of vitamins, but one serving does provide about 1 g of fiber.
Egg Noodles
A serving of 1/2 cup of cooked egg noodles offers 110 calories, consisting of 20 g of carbs, 3.5 g of protein and 1.5 g of fat. Egg noodles have higher amounts of minerals and B vitamins than other noodles, due to their egg content. Each serving offers 10 mg of calcium, 61 mg of phosphorous, 30 mg of potassium and 19 mcg of selenium. Egg noodles are an excellent source of folate, a B vitamin. One portion has 67 mcg of folate, as well as 1.5 mg of niacin and small amounts of B-6 and B-12. Additionally, this serving of cooked egg noodles has 1 g of fiber.
References
- ChooseMyPlate.gov; What Counts as an Ounce Equivalent of Grains?; June 2011
- USDA National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference
- McKinley Health Center; Macronutrients: The Importance of Carbohydrate, Protein, and Fat; March 2008
- MayoClinic.com; Dietary Fiber; November 2009
- Barilla: PLUS Pasta Nutrition Facts
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