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It’s one of those foods that is such a comfort food. And because it is such a comfort food, it is VERY easy to over eat it!
Seriously…it is easy to eat an enormous bowl and still go back for more. Sound familiar?
But for people with diabetes or prediabetes, it’s not really possible to eat an enormous bowl of pasta because you will soon see your blood sugar skyrocketing. Not to mention, all those extra pounds stacking on if you over consume the carbs!
So let’s go over some pasta nutrition facts and talk about the best pasta for diabetes – including options and alternatives.
Pasta Nutrition Facts
Let’s compare the nutrition facts for 1 serving of pasta. One serving is equivalent to half a cup.
As you can see from these comparisons there is between 18-22 g total carbs and between 15-20 net carbs.
While whole wheat pasta (the brown kind) is somewhat better than it’s white counterpart, overall there’s not too much difference between the carbohydrate content in most forms of regular pasta.
Also, we’re often told whole grain pasta and other whole grains are high-fiber foods, but they’re actually not that high. Two carrots provide more dietary fiber than 1/2 cup whole wheat pasta!
Realistic Serving Sizes
The images below show the reality of pasta servings. The first one is only half a cup and as you can see it doesn’t really amount to much when put on a normal sized dinner plate.
Then we have what might be someones typical serving of pasta (if not more). In the second image we see about 3 times as much, so 3 serves of white spaghetti like this amounts to 64.8 g total carbohydrates.
The Issue of Too Many Carbs
Visual comparisons are great because it really lets you see the difference.
While you could try to justify that eating whole wheat spaghetti would be okay with 2 serves being around 30 g net carbs, over the long term this is just too many carbs and you will most likely find you can’t control your blood sugar properly.
Why?
Carbohydrates are the nutrient that has the greatest impact on blood glucose and A1c levels.
Even keeping portion size small with pasta (1/2 cup), still contributes around 20 grams of carbs, before you add anything else. There’s not a lot of fiber to slow down that large influx of dense carbs, and unfortunately, that brings blood sugar levels up, plain and simple – pasta is a high carb food.
Pasta contains very little nutritional value in terms of vitamins and minerals. Whereas eating lots of non-starchy vegetables – zucchini, broccoli, cauliflower, eggplant etc – provides your body with an abundance of nutrition, along with many other valuable beneficial health properties.
In terms of glycemic index, surprisingly pasta is a low glycemic index of around 50. Anything below 55 is considered low. But the glycemic index doesn’t subtract all those carbs, which will still end up in your bloodstream.
And, with the portion sizes we’re commonly eating today, UP goes the calories (and subsequently, your weight) too!
What’s The Best Pasta For Diabetes?
Sure, the traditional pasta might not be the best pasta for diabetes, but you’ve still got plenty of options.
Have you heard of konjac noodles before?
They are zero carb Japanese style noodles and come in fettuccine, penne, and even lasagna – check out the full details on konjac over here.
Konjac noodles make a great replacement for all your pasta needs and you can purchase it directly from a supplier like Miracle Noodles or even from Amazon.
They do have a different texture to pasta and are a little chewy. But you can eat them with a bolognese, a carbonara, an Italian sauce, a cheesy white sauce (pictured below), or anything you choose.
And at least you know they aren’t going to send your blood sugar soaring. You can eat a BIG bowl of konjac noodles without any worry because they contain zero net carbs!
That dish above is a Creamy Mustard Chicken Noodles and uses konjac noodles.
Another bonus with konjac noodles is you don’t really have to cook them, you just rinse them off and add them to your sauce. They are best when rinsed very well, then soaked in hot water, before rinsing again. This removes the strange smell that konjac has.
Check out the nutrition chart with konjac noodles in the picture – zero net carbs!
What About Other Pasta Options?
There are still even more options because many companies make lower carb pasta options. Here’s some you can explore.
Ciao Carb Traditional and Proto Pasta range
Netrition has a lot of great low carb diabetic friendly foods and one of those is the Ciao Carb pasta range.
The regular range has 12 g carbs for a 50 g serve, which isn’t too bad if your sauce doesn’t contain too many carbs – and there’s no need for it to!
Ingredients: Isolated soy protein, egg white, wheat gluten, wheat flour, wheat fiber, stabilizer, guar gum E412, psyllium.
This penne pasta costs $3.49 for a 8.8 oz/ 250 g pack.
Ciao Carb also have a Proto Pasta range, which comes in at just 7 g carbs per 50 g serve. That’s about a half cup serve, so if you doubled your intake you’d still be keeping your intake to around 14 g net carbs.
It’s $4.99 for a 10.5 oz/ 300 g pack. It comes in a fusilli, pasta rice, a penne, and a tagliatelle. All versions of the Proto Pasta range are 7 g per serve, so it is a much better option to their standard low carb range.
Ingredients: Isolated soy protein, pea protein, wheat flour, wheat gluten, wheat fiber, egg white (5%), stabilizer: guar gum.
Explore Asian: Organic Soybean & Black bean Spaghetti
The organic soybean spaghetti contains 7 g net carbs per serve, at $3.49 for a 7.05 oz. (200g)pack.
Ingredients: Organic Golden Soybean, Water.
The black bean spaghetti is a black spaghetti!
It’s the same price as the soybean spaghetti and comes in with a little less carbs at 5 g net carbs per serve.
Ingredients: Organic Black Beans 92%, Water 8%.
Carba-nada low carb egg pasta
This Carba-Nada pasta is low carb compared to traditional pasta. Traditional pasta has around 20 g carbs per 1/2 cup pasta, whereas this Carb-Nada pasta has 18 g carbs per 1.5 cups pasta. So if we cut the serve in 3, we’re left with 6 g compared to 20 g for the same size serve, which isn’t too bad.
Egg pasta still uses some flour but they use eggs to make up the difference, and since eggs are a protein, that significantly lowers the carb count.
Ingredients: Enriched Semolina Flour, wheat gluten, malto-dextrin (fiber), digestive resistant cornstarch, soy flour, water, whole eggs.
A 10 oz. bag will cost $7.07 but you can get it cheaper by buying a pack of 6 for $19.97 bringing it down to $3.32 bag.
Quest Pasta
If you were to do a search for low carb pasta options, you might come across Quest pasta.
Quest is a popular low carb brand that does have a lot of diabetic friendly products. Their Quest pasta is basically just konjac noodles. For an 8 oz / 226 g pack you’re looking at $8.95 per pack, which is for 2 servings.
But if you buy it in bulk, you can slash the price to $3.49 per pack. A 12 pack of spinach flavor costing $41.99.
Quest pasta has zero carbs.
Ingredients: Water, glucomannan fiber, calcium hydroxide.
ThinSlim Foods Impastable Low Carb Pasta
These pasta noodles are made from various fibers, and because of the high amount of fiber the carb count per serve is only 8 g.
Ingredients: Oat fiber, wheat fiber, wheat protein isolate, egg whites, durum flour.
For a 6 pack of ThinSlim pasta costs $49.99 on Amazon, which is $8.33 per pack, so they are on the higher price side.
But if you buy them from Netrition you’ll get them for $7.99 per pack.
Kelp noodles
Kelp is seaweed, so to make the noodles they remove the outer layer of the seaweed to reveal the inner ‘noodle’ like structure. Kelp noodles are very nutritious, full of vitamins and minerals.
Sea Tangle kelp noodles are the brand you’ll most likely find. They are okay but their texture isn’t soft like pasta, it’s more a crunchy style noodle. This means they work well in salads, or where you don’t mind having a bit of a crunch.
Like konjac noodles, they have zero carbs. They also have no flavor so they can be included in almost anything.
A 12 oz pack of kelp noodles will cost around $6-7 per pack on Amazon, or from Netrition you’ll pay just $3.09.
Carb Counters Skinni Spaghetti
This spaghetti does seem great with only 3 g net carbs.
It’s made with soy flour, soy protein, and fiber.
But again the price seems a little on the high side at $8.49 for an 8 oz. serve. And it doesn’t seem to be all that popular, only having 2 reviews on Amazon, one good, one bad. So if you’re really looking to manage your blood sugar properly you still have lots of pasta options that are far better than the traditional pasta.
Low Carb Bread Co: Fettuccine
The Low Carb Bead Co, who make all kinds of low carb breads, buns and bagels, now make a pasta too.
Their 227 g pack contains 7 g net carbs per serve, at around $14 pack (4 serves).
Ingredients: Pea Protein Isolate, Oat Fiber, Wheat Fiber, Egg Whites, Wheat Gluten, Semolina.
Skip the Pasta for Veggie Alternatives
There’s something about a fresh basil pasta sauce or that tomato sauce topped with Parmesan cheese, or even a deliciously creamy Alfredo as one of your main dishes – Mmmm, even the thought gets your mouth watering, right?
We understand, a good pasta dish happens to be one of the favorite foods in most people’s meal plans.
And although having alternatives will never be exactly the same, it is something you can get used to.
For instance, make some delicious Italian meatballs and serve over Zoodles – zucchini spaghetti.
Cook up your chicken breasts and serve a fresh basil pesto over some Zoodles – zucchini noodles.
Get yourself a veggie noodle maker – they will become a most-used kitchen item.
There are many different veggies that make great noodle substitutes. And you’ll be pleasantly surprised how well veggie alternatives work.
You can also serve sauces over salad or steamed veggies. The point is, replacing carb heavy pasta with veggies is going to help you lower blood sugar and A1c!
Conclusion
Some people may find small amounts of pasta can be included in their meal plan, but most often, pasta is not a food that’s great for diabetes management – it’s a food that’s best avoided.
The highest carb foods – pasta, rice, potatoes and bread – are those ‘staple’ foods that are easy to consume too much of. They have become staples because they are cheap fillers, but they aren’t really necessary in our diet.
In terms of blood sugar and A1c control, you will definitely be better off excluding pasta from your diet. Use low carb alternatives and you’ll soon see lower numbers all round!
Gail
Hi Jedha
I have just been diagnosed with type 2 diabetes, with the right exercise , and food is it possible to go in remission
Jedha
It is possible, in many. Some call it remission, others call it well-controlled. Your goal is to get your levels down to healthy range and keep them there.
Lauretta
Jed ha and Elizabeth, I have a question about my husband who was diagnosed with pre-diabetes.
What foods/meals can he eat that are safe for his condition yet still satisfying for us both. Thank You
We are both 58 yrs old.
Jedha
Hi Laurette, You can find lots of info on prediabetes here.
Vallaing
I have something different but maybe I’m getting confused with cooked and uncooked. I buy from several grocery stores and several online stores here in the UK. We don’t use net carbs they are already separated from the fibre which is listed separately on packaging. My package says (this information is per 100 grams of cooked bulgur wheat or 3.5 oz. of cooked. 14.1 grams of carbs so that would be net here. If my math is correct, 26.5 grams of cooked would be 3.7 grams of net carbs. I guess it has more fibre and protein than rice or pasta so maybe that’s why it’s recommended in small amounts for blood sugar levels. I can’t go lower than 70-100 grams carbs per day as it creates other problems so maybe a couple times a week would be better for me and maybe mix it with zoodles and butternut squash noodles. I’m not on meds as they think I can control with diet so will see what happens and look at your meal plans. Thanks Jedha so much info here need to have a good read.
Jedha
Hi Vallaing, I think you’re still confused about food labels, which is why we are putting a tutorial together. No food labels list net carbs. Food labels list total carbs, sugars and fiber, that’s it. The carb amount is total carbs. Bulgar wheat is 26.5 grams of total carbs per quarter cup – this does not change depending on where you live. The fiber amount is 6.5 g. If you minus the fiber from the total carbs you get net carbs. It is the same wherever you live in the world. We recommend around 80 g carbs per day, it seems to work best for most of our readers and subscribers. And to do that, bulgar wheat or any kind of wheat product is best avoided. Just one quarter cup is giving you 26.5 grams of total carbs in one hit!
Vallaing
Just getting to grips with my recent diagnosis and loving this site for resources. I like bulgar wheat, it seems to be a lot less carbs than rice and pasta. Is this a good alternative?
Jedha
It’s not actually Vallaing. Bulgar wheat is a high carb food, roughly 26.5 g total carbs per 1/4 cup, 20 g net carbs. Since we encourage a low carb diet, we don’t recommend it.
Alfred Clark
I HAVE CRIPPLING DEPRESSION WHAT PASTE IS BEST?????? CAN I EAT THE PENNE STILL??? OR IS IT JUST SPINNAGE NOODLE”S NOw????
Jedha
Penne is high in carbs Alfred. So is spinach noodles. They deceive you with the word spinach but they are really just wheat noodles. If you’re going to eat those, you will need to stick to very small portions. As for what pasta is best, you can see some lower carb alternatives outlined above.
You might find this info on depression helpful, too.
stefano
Dear Jedha,
thank you for your clarification, I could not agree more with basically everything you wrote. You’re correct when yu said that I misinterpreted your first Posting. I will share with you some of my research once I can sum it up together so we can exchange views and let all the readers benefit from it. Thanks again
stefano
Hello Jedha,
thank you for your Posting but I’d avoid statements like “you’re not just going to get diabetes if you eat an Italian diet high in pasta and bread, but if you’re diabetic your carb tolerance is lowered ” because they are not only not Scientific but also carry a negative energy within them. E.G. I have been Studying carb diet and diabetes Incidence and if what you were saying were true, italians should have the highest Diabetes in the world as they east big portions of pasta and bread every day and possibly more than once.. but Italy places at a very low diabetic rate thus posing a scientific evidence that you are NOT going to get diabetes if you eat pasta every day.. and you do NOT get lower carb tolerance. I think you are right when you say to stay away from highly processed foods. although I may personally agree with many of the things you said, as a Biologist I tend to adopt a scientific approach which merely Analysis the facts
Jedha
Thank you for your posting Stefano but perhaps you have misunderstood or haven taken what you read the wrong way, it was not a inaccurate statement, it is scientific fact and there is absolutely no negative energy there. Firstly, there is a BIG difference between someones risk of developing diabetes and diabetes treatment. Just because an individual eats a higher carb diet DOES NOT mean an individual will get diabetes – there are various other factors at play. As you have said, this is observed in some populations. BUT, if a person already has diabetes their body IS in metabolic crisis and can no longer manage energy efficiently, mainly carbs, diabetics ARE carb intolerant to varying degrees. I was not saying, it you eat pasta every day you will get a lower carb tolerance – you interpreted that incorrectly. Overall, what’s observed is that dietary patterns matter most. In a diet where whole foods, fiber, and nutrients are consumed, it appears that individuals do not have as higher risk of diabetes. Whereas, in a Western high carb diet filled with junk – sugar, refined carbs, additives, presevatives there is a higher association. And of course, there are various other factors at play – stress, sleep, lifestyle, genetics, etc. As for science, we invest substantial efforts into evidence-based info here, particularly in the area of diabetes treatment.
stefano
have you aver checked diabetes incidence in Italy? Home of all Pastas and high carb consumers, what are the facts about diabetes incidence in Italy when compared to other countries who eat much less carb? It’ll be interesting to know
Jedha
Around 415 people in the world have diabetes and 3.5 million people in Italy. Not sure what countries you think eat less carb because most eat the same or more. Pastas and breads are not necessarily the problem within a healthy dietary pattern, you’re not just going to get diabetes if you eat an Italian diet high in pasta and bread, but if you’re diabetic your carb tolerance is lowered so high carb foods like pasta are best avoided. The majority of issues have occurred due to junk and processed foods that are very high in carb and low in nutrients, and now this is happening worldwide. Of course, diet is only one factor of diabetes too – lifestyle, sleep, stress, genetics, all play a part.
Janet Sharpe
Are there any gluten free low carb choices in these noodles? I have Celiac disease along with being a type 2 diabetic & I am morbidly obese. (100 lbs to lose). THANK YOU!
Jedha
Konjac noodles, also known as shirataki noodles. Zucchini noodles made with the Paderno veggie spiralizer are the best. And these ones are wheat free, though not sure about 100% GF. Hope that helps 🙂
Marly boucard
I’m diabetic need to know the best food to eat rice or spaghetti
Jedha
Neither is great Marley, as they are both high carb foods which most diabetics find spike their levels. Try cauliflower rice, or these pasta alternatives. Or, if you’re really confused by carbs, join our free 2 week carb course.
loraine
Thank you Jeddah and team for the helpful tips. I always thought that food prep for Diabetics was a difficult task but you all have made it so simple. Your foods look so colourful and I can imagine the taste. Keep the good work up you are helping lots of people who come across your meal plans and recipes. God bless you all.
Jedha
Awesome Loraine, glad to hear our info helps, that’s why we’re here 🙂
Marly boucard
I’m Diabetic i need to know what is good for me to eat as diabetic
Jedha
Check out our diabetic food list Marly. And keep reading our blog, we’re always adding new info to help you eat better. 🙂
Judith barris
Oh i eat the zucchini noodle also with shrimp and garlic delich live
Judith barris
Just got diagnosed with diabes 2. I was very very upset im am 66. But like a child anyway thanks so much on the tips about pasta extremely helpful god bless you
Jedha
Welcome Judith, great to have you here in our community. Keep your head up, you’ll get through it 🙂
Brewster
LOl, I use zucchini spaghetti, bought the gizmo to turn it into noodles. i let it simmer in a pan to burn off some of the water content but throw on the sauce after and it’ sfine
Jedha
LOVE those zucchini noodles! The Paderno Vegetable Spiralizer is such a great kitchen tool. I’ve gifted it to several people too. Everyone should own one 🙂
Natalia
Is the texture okay on zucchini noodles? Pasta is a HUGE favorite of mine…it will be very difficult to exclude it altogether 🙁
Laura: Dietitian (MS, RD)
You can easily create an al dente texture similar to traditional pasta using zucchini noodles and while it’s not exactly like pasta, knowing it is far better for blood sugar usually encourages people to make the switch. When cooking the noodles, first, to prevent a super squishy noodle, drain the noodles for at least 30 minutes in a colander. Second, don’t boil them but sauté them for about 5 minutes on the stovetop (medium heat) in 1-2 tablespoons of oil. Use some salt and pepper to taste. Also keep in mind you may need to try a few different pasta alternatives before you find the perfect one for your palate and preference so don’t get frustrated. Keep experimenting until you find your perfect pasta alternative.
Karen
Being newly diagnosted as type 2 diabetic, reading these articles has left me depressed and in tears.
Jedha
Oh Karen, there’s no need to get upset, it’s just that it’s all overwhelming. There are still PLENTY of food options to be enjoyed. 🙂
Check out our free recipes over here https://diabetesmealplans.com/diabetic-recipes/
And if you need a hand getting started, just shout out. We’d be happy to point you in the right direction.