The Serotonin-Plus Program recommends a high protein/low carb approach and most certainly, pasta does not really qualify as a “Phase One” type of food. However, after Phase One, carbohydrates are re-introduced and pasta definitely falls into the category of “carbs”. For those of us that enjoy a good plate of pasta, are there “healthier” pastas than others?
“White pasta” (the usual ones you see lining the shelves of the grocery stores, especially the ones you see on sale for about $1 dollar a box) are often stripped of a number of “healthy” components (such as bran and vitamins) during the milling process. Therefore, these pastas are to be avoided during your weight control journey.
However, “healthier” pastas will include:
- Shirataki Spaghetti or Macaroni
- whole wheat pasta
- quinoa pasta
- buckwheat noodles
Often, protein is combined with pasta to make delicious dishes, such as meatballs and spaghetti, shrimp and pasta, chicken over pasta etc.
My advice: Be heavy on the protein, light on the pasta and utilize one of the aforementioned pastas instead of the traditional white pastas we are accustomed to using.