This Is What ONE Serving Of Pasta Looks Like

[staci76]

I eat like 10 servings. I don't know this "one" of which you speak.

LOL!! I can totally relate to this...

 

[House Cat]

 

[iLander]

Hmm...maybe you can make your own BBQ sauce?

I'll bet some paleo recipes or whole30 recipes may hit the mark? Some are not sweetened at all, some with apple juice.

If you have a sprouts market, I remember they had some BBQ sauces with xylitol or stevia. Not sure they would taste good, but the sugars might be close. I think the tomatoes might be pushing the mark a bit...

edit: and thanks for the info about the black bean pasta!

Here comes my whine: I was kinda hoping to just buy some BBQ sauce, somewhere. I'm so tired . . . This whole thing is a lot of work, lots of deep research and frankly the American Diabetes Association is not a lot of help. They have recipes that include literally cups of white sugar with the resulting foods being 15+ sugars per serving. WTF? That's higher than a piece of cake! Honestly. . .

Some artificial sweeteners are actually worse than regular sugar! http://www.sugar-and-sweetener-guide.com/glycemic-index-for-sweeteners.html It's the glycemic index that is the secret decoder ring, and table sugar is 65, while some stuff found in "sugar-free" (maltodextrin, I'm looking at you!) food is a nightmare.

But I'm thinking of finding some kind of spice rub and adding it to organic pure tomato sauce, and see what happens. The tomato sugars (fructose) are only a 25 on the index and those are okay.

If you go to Costco, do try the black bean spaghetti, you can always return it if you don't like it.

That baby is so funny!

 

[iLander]

I eat like 10 servings. I don't know this "one" of which you speak.

LOL!! I can totally relate to this...

Exactly! I used to eat a TON of spaghetti.

And Mac n Cheese.

And chicken noodle soup.

And RAMEN! I miss thee, Ramen . . .

 

[iLander]

When I try to cut down on carbs I like to have Japanese konnyaku noodles, Korean sweet potato noodles (in moderation) or mung bean vermicelli noodles. The latter three still have carbs but are better than wheat pasta.

Where can I get these, I'm willing to try them. Not a local store, because my local American groceries have only ONE flavor of ramen. Not even any spicy ramen. Is there an internet place, maybe Amazon?

 

[iLander]

Spaghetti squash is an excellent sub for pasta too. I always forget it, because I've basically given up on the thought of spaghetti now, but it is definitely a great alternative.

About the brown rice burn out. Yes, just the thought of it really bothers me now. It was what I ate daily for a couple of years when I was being super duper strict. I think it's also a texture problem for me, same with all the gluten free pastas. I can't do quinoa either, but that one actually does upset my stomach.

How does this work, exactly? I've heard of spaghetti squash, and I'm willing to try it. Where do I buy it? It is an actual squash? Then what do I do?

I don't care for quinoa, or chia, or hemp seeds or any foods that weren't around in 1975. Brown rice is just too chewy for me. I think I burned out on that in 1975 (are you old enough to remember it was Everywhere in Everything back then?) !

 

[iLander]

I'm hypoglycemic, so no diabetes here. Fasting blood sugar for me is around 65-70. I do fine with it but my window is pretty narrow, and my current doc totally freaked out the first time he saw my numbers...lol. Thats always been a bit of a problem but I manage it pretty well (I've known about it since I was 16).

I don't eat much pasta, and when I do its very small amounts, like the size of my fist. Not that I have a big fist or anything! I'm not big on it, and I hate that it makes my mouth all gummy afterwards. Same with rice, though I do like brown and wild rice the most.

I will however chow down on some buttered and salted popcorn (covered in hotsauce)

Thankfully I like meat. Man a big ol rare steak... I'd do it every night if I could! As it is, veggies, some meat, I'm usually good. I do like my wine though, always a glass with dinner. (sometimes after )

Yes, DH looooooves that new Smart Food popcorn, it's really a great substitute for potato chips. Thank God. He loved his chips.

Interestingly, sweet potato chips and other "veggie" chips are just as bad for you as regular potato chips, even though they "seem" healthier.

 

[packrat]

I eat like 10 servings. I don't know this "one" of which you speak.

LOL!! I can totally relate to this...

We ate at Spaghetti Works last night..ask me how many baby sized servings came w/my chicken parmesan. And ask me if there was any left.

I REGRET NOTHING!

 

[packrat]

I'd like to try spaghetti squash. But-I don't like squash. And I think I'd feel it was squash w/a nose/mustache/glasses disguise. no, really, I'm spagehtti! See, you just don't recognize me right now, but for serious, I'm *totally* really pasta.

 

[House Cat]

I'd like to try spaghetti squash. But-I don't like squash. And I think I'd feel it was squash w/a nose/mustache/glasses disguise. no, really, I'm spagehtti! See, you just don't recognize me right now, but for serious, I'm *totally* really pasta.

If you put pasta sauce on spaghetti squash, it is like having sauce on zucchini.

Spaghetti squash isn't sweet like butternut.

 

[jordyonbass]

Mrs. jordyonbass and I have basically cut out pasta for the last 6 months to try and lower our carb intake to lose a bit of weight, this thread is making me miss and want a nice bowl of spaghetti bolognaise

LESS UPSETTI, MORE SPAGHETTI!!!!!!

 

[packrat]

I'd like to try spaghetti squash. But-I don't like squash. And I think I'd feel it was squash w/a nose/mustache/glasses disguise. no, really, I'm spagehtti! See, you just don't recognize me right now, but for serious, I'm *totally* really pasta.

If you put pasta sauce on spaghetti squash, it is like having sauce on zucchini.

Spaghetti squash isn't sweet like butternut.

Hmmmm I do like zucchini I think. I like zucchini bread and fried zucchini...that probably doesn't count...

 

[madelise]

Spaghetti squash is an excellent sub for pasta too. I always forget it, because I've basically given up on the thought of spaghetti now, but it is definitely a great alternative.

About the brown rice burn out. Yes, just the thought of it really bothers me now. It was what I ate daily for a couple of years when I was being super duper strict. I think it's also a texture problem for me, same with all the gluten free pastas. I can't do quinoa either, but that one actually does upset my stomach.

How does this work, exactly? I've heard of spaghetti squash, and I'm willing to try it. Where do I buy it? It is an actual squash? Then what do I do?

I don't care for quinoa, or chia, or hemp seeds or any foods that weren't around in 1975. Brown rice is just too chewy for me. I think I burned out on that in 1975 (are you old enough to remember it was Everywhere in Everything back then?) !

I JUST BOUGHT MY BF A SPIRALIZER! TO MAKE ZUCCHINI PASTA! He's a major health nut, and I'm fat... so I tried. I feel like zucchini pastas are one way of eating super healthy without losing that many points on the 'yum' factor. It's actually not bad!

I bought this one, iLander: http://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B00AW3B5MM?psc=1&redirect=true&ref_=oh_aui_detailpage_o03_s00

It's so fun to 'spirals' too...

 

[KaeKae]

Serving sizes have gone so out of control, in general. I wish I still had the link. I once read a article that compared 1950's restaurant portions to today's. There was no comparison. Today's honestly were double to triple that of the past. This, in itself is a concern because we've been conditioned to believe that portions should be larger than what is truly recommended and healthy. Thus, the issues with obesity and diabetes and other related condition.

 

[missy]

Serving sizes have gone so out of control, in general. I wish I still had the link. I once read a article that compared 1950's restaurant portions to today's. There was no comparison. Today's honestly were double to triple that of the past. This, in itself is a concern because we've been conditioned to believe that portions should be larger than what is truly recommended and healthy. Thus, the issues with obesity and diabetes and other related condition.

This is probably not exactly what you were looking for but perhaps it makes the same points.

http://naturalsociety.com/portion-sizes-restaurants-quadruple/

Just a snip

restaurant portion sizes have quadrupled since the 1950’s.

Portion Sizes Grow 4 Times Bigger Since 1950’s

The infographic created by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that hamburgers and french fry meals have tripled in size over the decades, while a cup of fountain soda is a whopping 6 times larger today than it used to be. A 2.4oz portion of french fries has grown to 6.7oz; hamburgers from 3.9oz to 12oz; and soda from 7oz to 42oz.

Honing in on the specific increase in portion sizes along with the average increase in weight, there has been a:

28 pound increase in average weight of a man since 1960s
24.5 pound increase in average weight of a woman since the 1960s
4.56 increase in size of restaurant portion compared to the 1950s
1,233 percent increase in chocolate bar size since early 1900s
223 percent increase in hamburger size since 1950s
500 percent increase in fountain soda size since 1950s

 

[jazzoboe]

Madelise, I have that same spiralizer, and it works quite well.

When I make zucchini pasta with it, DH just gives me *that* look. But he has no complaints when he's eating it! With some homemade tomato sauce, it's awesome. I'm celiac, so regular pasta isn't an option for me anyway, but I don't miss it so much anymore. I like spaghetti squash, too, but DH does not, so I don't buy it often.

 

[House Cat]

I'd like to try spaghetti squash. But-I don't like squash. And I think I'd feel it was squash w/a nose/mustache/glasses disguise. no, really, I'm spagehtti! See, you just don't recognize me right now, but for serious, I'm *totally* really pasta.

If you put pasta sauce on spaghetti squash, it is like having sauce on zucchini.

Spaghetti squash isn't sweet like butternut.

Hmmmm I do like zucchini I think. I like zucchini bread and fried zucchini...that probably doesn't count...

You are always making me laugh!

Chocolate, chocolate chip zucchini bread is my favorite...especially the recipes with a little bit of cinnamon!

 

[star sparkle]

How does this work, exactly? I've heard of spaghetti squash, and I'm willing to try it. Where do I buy it? It is an actual squash? Then what do I do?

Definitely get yourself a spaghetti squash and try it out! I LOVE it, my DH and I don't eat carbs like pasta/rice/bread anymore in our daily diets.

You should be able to find a spaghetti squash at a regular supermarket, I just picked one up at Safeway yesterday. All you have to do is poke it a few times with a knife or fork, place it on a baking sheet, and bake at 375 for an hour. Once you remove it from the oven, let it sit for 5 minutes or so, then cut in half lengthwise. Scoop out the seeds and discard, then use a fork to scrape the squash into "spaghetti."

It's truly SO easy and quite delicious! You can top it with whatever sauce you'd like, we usually do ground turkey with spaghetti sauce or grilled chicken with a light alfredo type sauce and parsley.

 

[packrat]

I'd like to try spaghetti squash. But-I don't like squash. And I think I'd feel it was squash w/a nose/mustache/glasses disguise. no, really, I'm spagehtti! See, you just don't recognize me right now, but for serious, I'm *totally* really pasta.

If you put pasta sauce on spaghetti squash, it is like having sauce on zucchini.

Spaghetti squash isn't sweet like butternut.

Hmmmm I do like zucchini I think. I like zucchini bread and fried zucchini...that probably doesn't count...

You are always making me laugh!

Chocolate, chocolate chip zucchini bread is my favorite...especially the recipes with a little bit of cinnamon!

ooo I've never had chocolate chip zucchini bread..mmmmmm

 

[chemgirl]

Serving sizes have gone so out of control, in general. I wish I still had the link. I once read a article that compared 1950's restaurant portions to today's. There was no comparison. Today's honestly were double to triple that of the past. This, in itself is a concern because we've been conditioned to believe that portions should be larger than what is truly recommended and healthy. Thus, the issues with obesity and diabetes and other related condition.

Exactly! I tend to just eat an appetizer or a salad at restaurants now because I always throw out more than half of the main. It is ridiculous.

I think restaurants feel pressure to offer huge portion sizes. I looked up reviews for a few of my favorite restaurants and many reviewers complain that the food is too expensive for the small portions.

It's expensive because it's fresh and the portions are totally adequate.

Restaurants sell huge portions of over-salted, reheated junk because that's what most of us want. Sigh.

 

[Calliecake]

Thanks ILander, This was a real eye opener. Now I understand where those extra pounds have come from considering I can eat 5 times that amount for dinner. Sure wish I didn't love pasta!

 

[House Cat]

http://paleomg.com/almost-5-ingredient-pizza-spaghetti-pie/

This recipe is really, really, really good! I actually made my own italian sausage by buying ground pork and adding seasonings to it. It really only took about 30 seconds, but that is how I ensured there was no added sugar.

I used Muir Glen Pizza sauce. The sugar content is 3 grams per serving.

 

[mochiko42]

When I try to cut down on carbs I like to have Japanese konnyaku noodles, Korean sweet potato noodles (in moderation) or mung bean vermicelli noodles. The latter three still have carbs but are better than wheat pasta.

Where can I get these, I'm willing to try them. Not a local store, because my local American groceries have only ONE flavor of ramen. Not even any spicy ramen. Is there an internet place, maybe Amazon?

Hi iLander,

I realize now that I mistyped. The latter TWO have carbs, but the first one is carb-free.

Konnyaku (aka konjac, aka shirataki noodles) is gluten-free and supposedly zero carb, calorie, sugar, protein, etc. They are almost pure soluble fiber. Perfect diet food. In Japan people eat them stewed in a soy-fish (dashi) stock as "oden", it's a traditional street food in the winter. They don't taste of much but soak in flavor (they're good for noodle soups). You can usually find them in Asian supermarkets. I did a quick google and here's a website with more info: http://www.konjacfoods.com/
It seems like you can also get them on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Konjac-shirataki-Noodle-Angel-24bags/dp/B00HNJLQT0/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1438923700&sr=1-2&keywords=konjac


For the below two, I eat them when I crave a carb fix but want to eat something slightly healthier than wheat pasta and want to avoid the blood sugar spike afterwards:

Korean sweet potato noodles (aka glass vermicelli or "dangmyun") are used for traditional Korean stir fry like "jap chae" , they're transparent and a bit soft when cooked. They do have carbs like wheat but are low-glycemic compared to wheat pasta. http://www.amazon.com/Assi-Noodles-Korean-Vermicelli-Dangmyun/dp/B00SERD2JW/ref=sr_1_4?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1438923816&sr=1-4&keywords=sweet+potato+noodle

Mung bean vermicelli is also transparent and soft. If you have had Thai or Vietnamese tossed vermicelli salads, it's exactly those types of noodles.They also have carbs like wheat pasta but are low glycemic. http://www.thaifood.food-recipe-cooking.com/glass-noodles-01.htm

 

[KaeKae]

Serving sizes have gone so out of control, in general. I wish I still had the link. I once read a article that compared 1950's restaurant portions to today's. There was no comparison. Today's honestly were double to triple that of the past. This, in itself is a concern because we've been conditioned to believe that portions should be larger than what is truly recommended and healthy. Thus, the issues with obesity and diabetes and other related condition.

This is probably not exactly what you were looking for but perhaps it makes the same points.

http://naturalsociety.com/portion-sizes-restaurants-quadruple/

Just a snip

restaurant portion sizes have quadrupled since the 1950’s.

Portion Sizes Grow 4 Times Bigger Since 1950’s

The infographic created by the Center for Disease Control and Prevention shows that hamburgers and french fry meals have tripled in size over the decades, while a cup of fountain soda is a whopping 6 times larger today than it used to be. A 2.4oz portion of french fries has grown to 6.7oz; hamburgers from 3.9oz to 12oz; and soda from 7oz to 42oz.

Honing in on the specific increase in portion sizes along with the average increase in weight, there has been a:

28 pound increase in average weight of a man since 1960s
24.5 pound increase in average weight of a woman since the 1960s
4.56 increase in size of restaurant portion compared to the 1950s
1,233 percent increase in chocolate bar size since early 1900s
223 percent increase in hamburger size since 1950s
500 percent increase in fountain soda size since 1950s

Missy, that may as well be the very same article I read!

It's mind boggling. What are our restaurant owners thinking? Honestly, they could charge me 60% of today's prices, serve me 50% of the food and they would be the financial winner, while I wasn't overstuffed and feeling ill on the way home.

I'm always telling my girls how a meal at McDonalds, which was a RARE treat, anyway, was just the regular hamburger, small fries and small drink. The quarter pounder was only for those with huge appetites. I'm not sure they can fully believe that.

 

[iLander]

When I try to cut down on carbs I like to have Japanese konnyaku noodles, Korean sweet potato noodles (in moderation) or mung bean vermicelli noodles. The latter three still have carbs but are better than wheat pasta.

Where can I get these, I'm willing to try them. Not a local store, because my local American groceries have only ONE flavor of ramen. Not even any spicy ramen. Is there an internet place, maybe Amazon?

Hi iLander,

I realize now that I mistyped. The latter TWO have carbs, but the first one is carb-free.

Konnyaku (aka konjac, aka shirataki noodles) is gluten-free and supposedly zero carb, calorie, sugar, protein, etc. They are almost pure soluble fiber. Perfect diet food. In Japan people eat them stewed in a soy-fish (dashi) stock as "oden", it's a traditional street food in the winter. They don't taste of much but soak in flavor (they're good for noodle soups). You can usually find them in Asian supermarkets. I did a quick google and here's a website with more info: http://www.konjacfoods.com/
It seems like you can also get them on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Konjac-shirataki-Noodle-Angel-24bags/dp/B00HNJLQT0/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1438923700&sr=1-2&keywords=konjac


For the below two, I eat them when I crave a carb fix but want to eat something slightly healthier than wheat pasta and want to avoid the blood sugar spike afterwards:

Korean sweet potato noodles (aka glass vermicelli or "dangmyun") are used for traditional Korean stir fry like "jap chae" , they're transparent and a bit soft when cooked. They do have carbs like wheat but are low-glycemic compared to wheat pasta. http://www.amazon.com/Assi-Noodles-Korean-Vermicelli-Dangmyun/dp/B00SERD2JW/ref=sr_1_4?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1438923816&sr=1-4&keywords=sweet+potato+noodle

Mung bean vermicelli is also transparent and soft. If you have had Thai or Vietnamese tossed vermicelli salads, it's exactly those types of noodles.They also have carbs like wheat pasta but are low glycemic. http://www.thaifood.food-recipe-cooking.com/glass-noodles-01.htm

Mochiko!

I have ordered the shiritaki noodles and we're giving them a try next week!

Thank you so much for the suggestion!

Cross your fingers that picky DH thinks these are close enough to Italian pasta.

 

[ennui]

Mrs. jordyonbass and I have basically cut out pasta for the last 6 months to try and lower our carb intake to lose a bit of weight, this thread is making me miss and want a nice bowl of spaghetti bolognaise

LESS UPSETTI, MORE SPAGHETTI!!!!!!

“Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” ― Sophia Loren

 

[tuffyluvr]

For anyone looking for a healthy alternative, like ChemGirl said, zucchini noodles are a good low-carb option. I really like Shirataki noodles too. They are better for stir-fry in my opinion, but if you put enough sauce on them they're decent as a pasta substitute--and only 45 calories and 6g carbs for a 9oz package.

But I agree, that's a really sad serving. I think I eat about 3x as much when I have pasta. I love carbs!

 

[House Cat]

When I try to cut down on carbs I like to have Japanese konnyaku noodles, Korean sweet potato noodles (in moderation) or mung bean vermicelli noodles. The latter three still have carbs but are better than wheat pasta.

Where can I get these, I'm willing to try them. Not a local store, because my local American groceries have only ONE flavor of ramen. Not even any spicy ramen. Is there an internet place, maybe Amazon?

Hi iLander,

I realize now that I mistyped. The latter TWO have carbs, but the first one is carb-free.

Konnyaku (aka konjac, aka shirataki noodles) is gluten-free and supposedly zero carb, calorie, sugar, protein, etc. They are almost pure soluble fiber. Perfect diet food. In Japan people eat them stewed in a soy-fish (dashi) stock as "oden", it's a traditional street food in the winter. They don't taste of much but soak in flavor (they're good for noodle soups). You can usually find them in Asian supermarkets. I did a quick google and here's a website with more info: http://www.konjacfoods.com/
It seems like you can also get them on Amazon: http://www.amazon.com/Konjac-shirataki-Noodle-Angel-24bags/dp/B00HNJLQT0/ref=sr_1_2?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1438923700&sr=1-2&keywords=konjac


For the below two, I eat them when I crave a carb fix but want to eat something slightly healthier than wheat pasta and want to avoid the blood sugar spike afterwards:

Korean sweet potato noodles (aka glass vermicelli or "dangmyun") are used for traditional Korean stir fry like "jap chae" , they're transparent and a bit soft when cooked. They do have carbs like wheat but are low-glycemic compared to wheat pasta. http://www.amazon.com/Assi-Noodles-Korean-Vermicelli-Dangmyun/dp/B00SERD2JW/ref=sr_1_4?s=grocery&ie=UTF8&qid=1438923816&sr=1-4&keywords=sweet+potato+noodle

Mung bean vermicelli is also transparent and soft. If you have had Thai or Vietnamese tossed vermicelli salads, it's exactly those types of noodles.They also have carbs like wheat pasta but are low glycemic. http://www.thaifood.food-recipe-cooking.com/glass-noodles-01.htm

Mochiko!

I have ordered the shiritaki noodles and we're giving them a try next week!

Thank you so much for the suggestion!

Cross your fingers that picky DH thinks these are close enough to Italian pasta.

How were the shiritaki noodles? I just bought a package at our local Sprouts market. I also found the black bean pasta!!! woot!

 

[Calliecake]

A serving size of rice is also very small. My 7 pound furbaby has been eating two serving a day the past few days. She is still hungry after a normal serving size.

 

[missy]

We bought this a couple of months ago from Costco and we both really like it.
Organic Edamame Spaghetti. Very tasty and nutritious too. High in fiber and protein, gluten free and also suitable for vegans.

http://costcocouple.com/organic-edamame-spaghetti/