Pasta Alternatives

Happy Tuesday everyone! I am seeing that we may have a few new readers, so welcome! For those of you who have been with me since the beginning, welcome back!

As I mentioned in an earlier post (I believe it was the one about my Taco Salad recipe), once you have a Gastric Sleeve surgery, you are not supposed to eat pasta. This is because of the texture of pasta once it has been chewed. Because Pasta becomes so doughy, and your stomach is so small, it becomes difficult for your new tiny stomach to digest, and can even get stuck causing stretching and extreme pain. Now, I don't know about you, but one of my MAIN vices is Pasta. I mean just look at it!

It's so pretty! And it comes in so many different shapes! Not to mention, it's super cheap and super filling, so for someone on a budget, It's a good way to make sure that your family gets enough to eat without spending a ton of money. So if there's all of these great things about pasta, why is it so bad for you?

One thing that makes pasta so unhealthy for us, is the fact that most pastas are made from highly refined flours, similar to the flour used to make white bread. This flour has been highly processed and bleached to make it as fine as possible, but in the process of doing that, you lose a lot of good nutrients. If you absolutely have to use pasta (maybe you have a picky eater in the family, or maybe you're like me and you're going to eat pasta until you can't anymore), I suggest going with either enriched pastas or whole wheat pastas. These pastas have more nutrients in them than regular pasta, so they are slightly better for you.

If you want to eliminate pasta all together, there are some great alternatives you can use. These are a few of my favorites:

1) Zoodles. Zoodles have recently become more of a trend in healthy eating, but people have been doing this for years. Put simply, a zoodle is a zucchini noodle. In order to make these, you need either a spiralizer or a specific grater. These work great and have a great taste. The only downside, in my opinion, is that you do have to have a specialized tool in order to make them, and it does take a little bit of time to prepare them for cooking.

 

 

2) Quinoa. I personally love quinoa. I cook with it about once a week, and you will see many quinoa recipes from me. Quinoa is a seed or grain that is related to the spinach plant, but it's not a spinach seed. These cook just like rice does, and just like rice, the red version is better for you than the white version. Quinoa has the highest protein out of any grain. That's what makes these little guys great. Not only are they pretty darn tasty, but they are high in protein! Now Quinoa can be an acquired taste. I love it, and my Dad likes it, but my Mom doesn't like the texture of it. But another great thing about Quinoa is that, similar to rice, it is used to make flour, and hence can be formed into pasta shapes. This type of pasta is not only healthier for you, but the texture is something that a post-Gastric operation patient can tolerate.

                                        

 

3) Cauliflower! Cauliflower, in my opinion, is a true superveggie! It is so incredibly versatile! When I was growing up, my Mom would make home made Mac and Cheese, and she would always put Cauliflower in it. Now you see a lot of places making cauliflower crust pizzas, or even cauliflower steaks. This food is finally getting the attention that it deserves. For years I have been using cauliflower instead of pasta. One of my favorite things to make with it is Spaghetti and meatballs, with cauliflower instead of pasta. It has such a mild flavor, that it really can be used in anything!

 

These are just a few of the MANY alternatives to pasta out there, but these are some of my favorites. I would love to hear your ideas for pasta alternatives. Feel free to email me at jenellesjourney@gmail.com or to leave a comment on any of my posts.

 

Have a great day!

Jenelle