Don't Be Afraid To Eat Pasta

With a little thought, a bowl of pasta can be a fabulous meal packed with flavor + fun! Noodles and pasta alike can be a healthy source of energy without the guilt when prepared with thoughtful sauces + toppings! Let me show you how to make a healthy bowl of pasta that still tastes good. Trust me + don’t be afraid to eat pasta!

Tara’s Tuesday Tips:

Don’t Be Afraid To Eat Pasta

Why are we so afraid of eating pasta?!?! A bowl of noodles or spaghetti or macaroni or gnocchi can be a blank slate for an extremely healthy + nutritious meal! As I have discussed in prior Tuesday Tips, we need carbs! You do not need to be afraid of eating pasta or carbs in general! Not so sure? Start here: The Truth About Carbs.

You Don’t Need To Be Afraid To Eat Pasta +

You Can Make It A Healthy Meal,

Here’s How:

Pile On the Veggies

This helps increase the amount of fiber + vitamins you are getting with your meal. Always a good idea!

Add Smart Sauces

The smartest sauces are full of color, fiber, veggies, herbs, spices + flavor!

Careful With the Fats

Pasta gets its bad reputation from the things we love to pile on top of it. More fat doesn’t necessarily equal more flavor. Try to add your favorite fat first. For example, if you choose an olive oil based dressing, maybe don’t add olives and cheese and nuts. Pause + think + choose your favorite. Then the next time you can start with a cheesy sauce as your favorite fat instead. All foods fit but maybe not all at once!

Be Picky with Your Pasta

There are SO MANY new pasta choices now! We are so fortunate to be living in a time when we can choose from pastas made from lentils, chickpeas, brown rice, quinoa, and many whole grain flours! Taste test them … you will be surprised how wonderful they can be! Some of my favorites are Modern Table lentil pasta, Trader Joe’s yellow or red lentil, brown rice + quinoa, Jovial brown rice pasta, and Tolerant Foods red lentil pasta.

Choose a Zoodle

Make your spiralizer your new go-to gadget. You can spiralize zucchini, sweet potatoes, cucumbers, carrots, and more. No, it isn’t exactly like eating noodles but if it is the toppings you are going for why not simplify your base and go crazy with piling whatever on top you are craving?

Have Fun with Proteins

Beans, tofu, tempeh, hummus, chik’n (Gardein, Beyond Meat, Alpha Foods, Light Life are my favorites), ground ‘beefy’ crumbles (Beyond Meat, Gardein). This takes your bowl of pasta from bowl of carbs to a hearty + tasty meal.

Trust Yourself

There are no bad foods. If you feel like eating a bowl of pasta, learn to trust your body, keep your healthy habits in mind, ask yourself if it is something you want or need. Pause … and enjoy!

Food For Thought

If all you can think about when I mention eating a big bowl of pasta is “OMG Tara, I am afraid of all those carbs”, remember, your body needs carbs especially if you are an endurance athlete. Let me say it again for the people in the back of the room: carbs are not the enemy!

PLEASE check out my other really great articles where I unpack this issue in different ways: Your Health Goes Way Beyond Food, The Vegetarian’s Guide To Mindful Snacking, How To Improve Your Health With Fiber, 10 Things On My Grocery List Every Week, Eat, Move, Live, Repeat.