Let’s face it, everyone loves a stacked plate of spaghetti and meatballs or a couple of thick slices of lasagna once in awhile. As harsh as they may seem to your midsection, carbs can only do some serious damage if you’re not eating good ones, or consuming them during the right time of day. The truth is, carbs are not entirely kryptonite and don’t have to be avoided at all cost.
Let’s get back to pasta. Here, we’ve compiled a few white pasta alternatives that obviously still contain carbs—but less of them—and other nutritional value.
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Brown Rice Pasta
If you’re doing the gluten-free thing, brown rice pasta is a great choice. It’s also easy to digest. One drawback: It has the least amount of protein of the five pastas shown here.
If you love regular pasta, eat this. The taste is comparable to white pasta, but it contains omega-3s from flaxseeds (to help with joint pain) and extra protein from egg whites.
This is a gluten-free option with more protein than brown rice pasta. It’s also a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. Look for ones that list quinoa as the first ingredient.
Because the grain is left whole, you get about three times as much fiber and 25 percent more protein than with regular pasta. The downside: The taste is a bit grittier.
