by Noom Team | Apr 9, 2015 | Last updated Feb 25, 2023
Carbs get a bad rap, but whole grain carbs, pasta included, can and should be part of a healthy diet. Whole grains are full of dietary fiber, a carbohydrate that your body is unable to digest. This isn’t a bad thing! Fiber is known to reduce LDL (bad) cholesterol and regulate sugar intake. Foods high in fiber have fewer calories per gram than their fiberless counterparts, keeping you fuller for longer. Not all recipes below call for whole grains, but whole grain pasta is a Noom green food so try to make the healthy swap if you can. Happy eating!
This baked ziti recipe requires only 6 ingredients — pasta, chicken, tomato sauce, mozzarella, parmesan, and basil. Chicken and cheese contain fill-you-up protein and basil adds delicious flavor with no added calories. Plus, it takes only 15 minutes to prep!
This tasty casserole can be made entirely in one skillet and takes only 20 minutes to cook. Pasta is topped with protein-packed chicken, filling broccoli, and homemade cream sauce for a filling and satisfying dish.
This tasty recipe uses turkey sausage to keep flavor while reducing calories and fat. Cover with low-fat cheese for a decadent but low-cal comfort dish.
Chicken breasts are stuffed inside lasagna noodles with superfood spinach and fat-free ricotta cheese to create a heart-healthy dish that is still extremely satisfying.
This mac & cheese is made with greek yogurt, creating a rich and creamy sauce that has a nice dose of protein. Use low-fat cheese and whole grain pasta for an extra health kick.
This recipe swaps white flour spaghetti with its fiber-rich whole-wheat counterpart and adorns it with kale, sun-dried tomatoes, and just a touch of cheese. The texture is rich and filling and the appearance is simply a feast for the eyes.
Start to finish, this tasty pasta takes only 15 minutes to make! The rich cream sauce uses greek yogurt to reduce calories, while plump shrimp add protein.
The Mediterranean diet is heralded for a reason. This quick 30-minute meal is filled with chicken and fresh vegetables for a light meal that’s full of flavor and good-for-you nutrients.
Pasta is made from grain, one of the basic food groups in a healthy diet that also can include vegetables, fruits, fish, and poultry. It's a good source of energy and can give you fiber, too, if it's made from whole grain. That can help with stomach problems and may help lower cholesterol.
Chicken is an incredibly versatile protein that can work with any kind of sauce or flavor palette. Chicken in a rich, creamy, pasta works perfectly, but so does some cut-up chicken in a red sauce. No matter what kind of pasta you are making, some chopped chicken is a perfect addition.
Whole-wheat pasta is easy to find and bumps up your pasta-night nutrition. Compared to noodles made from white flour, it contains more fiber. Most older people don't eat enough fiber, which is good for our digestion and heart health — and it keeps us feeling full for longer.
An experiment on the BBC TV show Trust me, I'm a Doctor, led by Dr Denise Robertson (senior nutrition scientist at the University of Surrey), showed that eating cooled or reheated pasta – turning it into 'resistant starch' – could help to reduce the rise of blood glucose levels.
Cheese is an excellent way to add flavor to your pasta without having to rely on sauce. Try mixing your angel hair pasta with goat cheese, and toss in sun-dried tomatoes to make an amazing meal with just a few ingredients. Garlic butter is a terrific way to season all types of noodles.
The Bottom Line. The best way to make traditional wheat pasta part of a healthy diet is to double up on vegetables and reduce the serving of noodles by a half or third. Pick a low-sodium sauce without any added sweeteners that uses vegetables as the first ingredient.
If you love pasta, there's no reason to cut it out from your diet, the experts say. It can be a great way to pack in vegetables, healthy fats from nuts, olive oil and pasta sauces, Linsenmeyer says. "It's fine to include in a regular diet as often as every day. It really is."
For lower calorie and carbohydrate content, rice comes out top. But if protein and fibre is your aim, pasta wins over rice. That said, both can play a part in a healthy diet - and as the nutritional differences are quite small, it often comes down to which you would prefer.
Carbs are not the enemy when you're trying to lose weight. While no one is suggesting regularly noshing on potato chips or cookies, including carbs like pasta, whole-grain bread and fruit can be a beneficial addition to your weight-loss plan—along with adding vital nutrients to your body.
Beef is often paired with a red pasta sauce featuring a spicier flavor to compliment the natural flavors of the meat. One of the finest cuts of beef to be served with pasta is chopped filet mignon. The tenderness of the steak paired with the flavor of the sauce creates an unforgettable pasta dish.
After enjoying a hearty dish of pasta, the breakdown of carbohydrates allows tryptophan to pass through the blood-brain barrier. From there, it's converted into serotonin, the mood-stabilizing neurotransmitter responsible for feeling calm, safe and satisfied.
"Vegetable-based pastas, such as zucchini noodles or hearts of palm noodles, tend to be lowest in carbs and calories," says Sassos. "They are also packed with nutrient-dense vitamins and minerals and are naturally gluten-free. Shirataki noodles and kelp noodles are also quite low in carbs and calories."
Introduction: My name is Msgr. Refugio Daniel, I am a fine, precious, encouraging, calm, glamorous, vivacious, friendly person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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