This week I thought I would share some ideas on what I do for alternatives to pasta, a question I often get asked. I also get asked whether I miss pasta!? At the start of my healthy lifestyle journey I have to admit that I did miss it but now with discovering so many different alternatives and different food options I don’t miss it at all. I now find if I do happen to eat pasta it makes me feel so bloated and I can feel my body using so much energy to process it.
Yes there are many different types of gluten free pastas available but I have found in the past that I do not enjoy them and if I’m going to have pasta I may as well have what I am used to. Although I did try a new gluten free pasta from Barilla a few months ago that was made from rice and corn and it was great and tasted very similar if not the same as pasta made from wheat. I think gluten free options including pasta, noodles and bread have improved significantly over that the last couple of years as many people are becoming gluten free by choice!
In the beginning I followed a clean eating diet which meant I ate pasta and bread but wholegrain, not the white super refined stuff that has loads of unhealthy sugars, preservatives and additives. I then started to try and follow the paleo lifestyle that includes no grains at all however am not strict and still eat some grains i.e. quinoa, soba noodles etc. So my healthy lifestyle is inspired by clean eating and the paleo lifestyle.
Here are the alternatives that I use to pasta:
Konjac Noodles
For those that are strictly Paleo I have recently discovered Konjac Noodles that can be found in both Coles and Woolworths in their Health Food Sections. Konjac is a root of a plant that has been used in China for thousands of years.
Soba Noodles
Soba noodles are gluten and wheat free made from buckwheat, despite its name buckwheat is actually the fruit of a plant related to rhubarb and sorrel. If you are gluten and wheat free check the ingredients when you buy soba noodles as wheat flour is often added. You generally have to purchase 100% buckwheat soba noodles from the health food store. Just stock up when you go!
Zucchini or Vegetable Spiral Noodles
Not that long ago I bought a spiral vegetable cutter to make zucchini pasta, my children loved it! You simply just add your choice of hot sauce to the zucchini pasta and it’s done. You could use a whole range of different vegetables including carrots, parsnip and sweet potato just to name a few.
Mung Bean Fettuccine and Black Bean Spaghetti
I recently also discovered a range of gluten free pasta alternatives made from organic mung beans and organic black beans. These were not a bad alternative to pasta made from wheat and worth a try!
So why not give one or all of these options a try, it’s amazing how much better I feel now from giving up pasta. If you simply cannot give it up why not try some gluten free pasta, as mentioned earlier there have been significant improvements in gluten free pastas and they are really enjoyable. This is another simple, easy, healthy change you can make to you and your family’s lifestyle, give it a go!
