Pasta Substitutes: The Best Healthy Alternatives

Healthy pasta substitute: These are delicious alternatives

If you want to make your diet low-carb, eat only a few carbohydrates. Instead, the body draws the energy it needs from fat and protein. However, pasta fans do not have to do without pasta completely during their low-carb diet. There are a few healthy alternatives.

• You can now find pasta made from legumes, such as chickpeas or lentils, in almost every supermarket and from well-known brands.
• They don’t really fall under low carb as they still contain some carbs, but less than wheat pasta. However, the legume pasta has so-called complex carbohydrates. Blood sugar levels rise slowly in the body. The feeling of satiety lasts longer.
• Pasta made from legumes has a high protein content. They can be served with various Italian or Asian-style sauces.

Vegetable noodles are low carb

Vegetable noodles are usually very low in carbohydrates. They can be used in many ways.

• Zoodles, i.e. noodles made from zucchini, are particularly popular with vegetable noodles. You can also process carrots, beetroot, or pumpkin into noodles using a spiral cutter.
• Pay special attention to the cooking time with vegetable noodles so that they don’t lose their bite.
• Depending on the type of vegetable, this means a short cooking time of two to five minutes in salted water.
  To round off the dish, you can add a sauce, pesto, or other vegetables.
• Vegetables contain hardly any carbohydrates. For example, there are only about 2.2 grams of carbohydrates in 100 grams of zucchini. That is why vegetable noodles are particularly suitable for losing weight.

Shirataki noodles or konjac noodles

Konjak noodles, also known as Shirataki noodles in Asia shops, contain almost no calories.

• Konjac noodles consist of water, calcium hydroxide, and flour from the konjac root.
• This type of pasta is not only carbohydrate and fat-free, but also vegan and gluten-free.
• Usually, you buy Konjac noodles pre-cooked. Don’t be alarmed if the pasta smells like fish at first. Just rinse them well. After that, the smell goes away.
• Konjac noodles are tasteless and can be served with different types of sauces.

Soy noodles as a source of protein

Soy noodles are not only good in Asian dishes, but they are also a good noodle substitute for a low-carbohydrate diet.

• With around 36 grams of carbohydrates per 100 grams of noodles, soy noodles are low-carbohydrate noodles compared to wheat noodles.
• With their high protein content, they are a good source of protein, especially for vegans or fitness enthusiasts.
• Soy noodles have a slightly nutty note, but overall they are rather tasteless and can be combined with different sauces.