Are these spaghetti noodles ok?

[dmay]

Let me start by saying breads and pasta make me nervous. So I found a spaghetti noodle my family likes and I wanted to make sure it was ok. It looks ok to me but would like a second opinion. Ronzoni Smart Taste is the name.

Ingrediants are; Semolina (wheat), durum flour (wheat), modified wheat starch, calcium phospate, niacin, iron (ferrous sulfate), thiamin mononitrate, riboflavin and folic acid.

Nutrition facts; sierving size is 2oz, total fat 1g (0 saturation or trans), 0 cholesterol, 5mg sodium, 43g carbs (6g fiber and 1g sugar) 6g protien.

Now to find a spaghetti sauce that isnt loaded with sugar. Thanks for any help.

[RedRox]

Sadly not really. They are still based on refined flours. Also, for SB purposes, a serving is 1 oz or about a 1/2 cup once cooked. Just an FYI.

You really need a 100% whole wheat flour based pasta which most people who are used to white pastas don't care for. I tend to prefer whole wheat pastas personally now, but I still fight an uphill battle with the wife and kids over it most times. I tend to just skip pasta and pizza nights these days, but I'm working most nights now anyway.

FWIW, you would need to see the word "whole" before either of the wheat components, e.g. whole semolina durum wheat flour would need to be the only flour component in it. Other than the addition of some vitamins and nutrients to "enrich" the stuff taken out, I have no idea why this is a "smart" pasta!

The other confusing thing to me is semolina IS a processed durum wheat flour for pasta. The first two ingredients seem somewhat redundant to me, although I guess the second just means it wasn't processed into semolina and left as just plain durum wheat flour.

But there is no mention of "whole" wheat or whole durum wheat or whole semolina anywhere in the ingredient list.

And finally, you just have to find a spagetti sauce that has no added sugars in them in the ingredients list. There will always be natural sugars present in the nutritional panel from the tomatoes in the sauce. You really don't even need to look at the grams of sugars at all unless you are curious. I have seen lower amounts of sugars on nutritional panels with added sugars in the ingredients that would not be SB friendly and higher amounts on the nutritional panel with no added sugars in the ingredients that would be SB friendly.

[RedRox]

BTW, Kroger store brand 100% whole wheat pasta is a good example of a SB friendly pasta if you have any Kroger type stores in your area.

[chris]

What about brown rice pasta?

Or have you heard of Dreamfield's Pasta which claims:

"Dreamfields pasta is 65% lower in glycemic index compared to regular pasta (based on Dreamfields pasta glycemic index of 13, regular pasta glycemic index of 38), is an excellent source of fiber and guaranteed great taste, making Dreamfields Pasta the perfect choice for your weight management and blood sugar plans. Unlike ultra "low carb" pastas that contain mostly soy protein and fillers, Dreamfields is authentic pasta made with premium durum wheat semolina. This unique pasta receipe means fewer carbohydrates get absorbed into your system, much like whole grains, so Dreamfields is a delicious way to enjoy healthy carb living."
????: South Beach Diet Forums http://www.southbeachdietbulletinboard.com/south-beach-diet-forums/5709-these-spaghetti-noodles-ok.html

I just finished week 1 of P1 and I'm researching what I should and shouldn't be choosing for P2.

I appreciate your help!!

[dmay]

Ok, its back to the whole wheat pasta. Family really doesnt care for it. I may be cooking it wrong. It seems to come out tough not soft, texture feels undercooked. Was hoping I found a good alternative. and thank you for the advise about the sauce. I have been reading labels and everyone of them contain sugar. But wasnt paying attention to whether it was "added" sugar. If I can't get them used to the whole wheat, like you I may be skipping the pasta and maybe fixing myself a chicken breast or something.

[dmay]

I will look for the Dreamfields. We also have a Kroger and I'll give thiers a try. Thanks everyone.

[RedRox]

FWIW, dreamfields is still not a whole wheat pasta. IMO, it's more of a low carb frankenfood. What the heck are "undigestible carbs" anyway? Why should we be eating things that are undigestible? Isn't the point of food to be digested and support our brain and body functions? It looks great on the nutritional panel though!

Dreamfields is authentic pasta made with premium durum wheat semolina.

-- This is the same as the other brand. It's just regular durum wheat semolina pasta.

much like whole grains

-- so it's kind of like whole grains, but not really whole grains!!

And you should be having a chicken breast or some other protein and veggies anyway. Have you ever measured out what a 1/2 cup of pasta looks like for a grain serving? It's flippin' minuscule! Grains are always a side dish on SB (even if they are physically under the main dish!) FWIW, I've never been able to stick to the 1/2 cup serving size, but do measure 1 cup which is still pretty small and try to stay with that. Either way, the structure of my plate on "pasta nights" is completely different than the way I used to eat pasta before. (2-3 cups of pasta, which is 4-6 servings of grains, or two days worth of starches in a single sitting, very little protein and no veggies.)

[dmay]

We tried the Kroger brand noodles and they were actually pretty good. Had that with the new sauce I found (with no added sugar) and a salad last night. was very good.

[RedRox]

YAY!! Always nice to find something that "works"!

[HouTXMom]

Have you or any others tried the spaghetti squash? A friend of mine cooked it for me and my husband with a marinara sauce and chicken breasts and it was awesome..no kidding. I think if we would not have told my husband, he would have thought it was real spaghetti..a great alternative honestly and it is SQUASH..! I would stay he heck away from pasta on phase 1 and 2 until you get your weight off..it is far too easy to overeat on noodles, pasta, etc. Good luck to you!