South Beach Diet - Can't get over the WW pasta....

I would love to try the SB diet. I have been lurking around on the board and everyone's food looks amazing! The problem is I cannot "get over" the texture of WW pasta! I don't have one of the newer copies of the book, only the very first edition that was ever done, so does the newer book allow for pasta's like Barilla plus that does not have the whole wheat texture?


(btw...I can and do eat it in bread, no problem!! strange I know....) :smug:

The only whole wheat pasta I can tolerate is fresh pasta and I can't get it around here. I just don't eat pasta anymore. I make my homemade sauce with extra veggies in it so it's very thick and just eat it like stew. that way I get the flavor but no pasta necessary.

We have Giant grocery here...and it's funny. The nastiest looking WW pasta is their brand, Nature's Promise....it's the darkest pasta with the most "flecks" you can see.

Reluctantly, I bought it. I actually think it tastest the best! I cook mine longer, I think 'al dente' is not as good.

Hope you'll adapt! I eat pasta all the time again!

Have you tried the brand ronzoni? That is my fav brand and really the only kind of ww pasta that i like. You can cook it longet to get the softer kind of texture as reagular pasta. The little spiral noodles seem to be the closest in texture and taste to regular pasta. It comes in a brown box. Might be worth a try to try a few differnt kinds and see if you like any of them.

I'm with you -- not eating WW pasta. Yuck! I'll add carbs back in other ways. Brown Rice is pretty good.

I adore whole wheat pasta of any kind so I'm not any help.

I don't eat ww pasta very often, but the Garofalo brand is the best one I've tried. Most of the other brands I've tried taste like cardboard, but this brand tastes pretty good.

I love whole wheat pasta too. I got used to it by making my pasta half n half for a while.
Like, at first i used the barilla plus, then i made it half barilla plus, half whole wheat.
Now my whole family likes the whole wheat. I don't think they even noticed when i began changing it.

I love WW pasta too. :) It's funny because I can't do WW bread.

Maybe it's because I'm not a huge pasta fan in the first place, but I really don't notice the difference between white pasta and WW pasta. I don't like either al dente and always cook pasta for the maximum time on the box. My DD really doesn't like the WW pasta and she could eat white pasta several times a week if it were an option.

I also like WW bread.

I don't even like regular pasta any more. We've used whole wheat so long that it tastes better to us. I like DaVinci or the Tom Thumb organic storebrand but I've used other brands and like them too. Any that is 100% whole wheat is allowed on South Beach.

I tried the Ronzoni and it is pretty darn good....I did cook it for longer and used the spirals and I really could not taste the difference.

Thanks!!!!

I cook mine longer, I think 'al dente' is not as good.

Twynn, your post was really helpful! However, everyone should note that the longer you cook pasta, the more starch (for our purposes, that means "sugar") it has. I'll leave Alton Brown to explain why, but it's true. So you want to cook it as little as you can while still being able to eat it.

I'm sorry you don't like WW pasta, ckatgo! I love it, but there are lots of things I don't like that others love (like shrimp), so I understand how you must feel. Here are some ideas:


Try looking for a pasta made with "Durum Semolina." This is okay at all times on P2. It's basically a whole grain of the type usually used to make pasta--if you look at a box of "regular" pasta, you'll see that it's enriched semolina. You might like this version (durum, which means "hard") better than whole wheat
Try pasta made from other whole grains. You can experiment with spelt, kamut, and even quinoa. I find these in natural health stores and in the "Nature's Market" section of my local grocery store, Wegman's. If your grocery store has a "health food" or organic section, you might find them there. Just make sure they're whole grain.
Check out the "gluten-free" section at your grocery store. They might have pasta made from brown rice that would work. Avoid anything made with enriched or white rice or other partial (not whole) grains, though.
Look at the ingredients on the boxes of things like Barilla to see if the first ingredient is "enriched" flour. If so, it's a no-go for SBD. However, if the first ingredient is whole wheat, you can try it and see how you react.
Try buckwheat (whole) noodles. These are often called "soba" noodles and are sometimes found in the Asian sections. They are especially delicious in peanut noodle recipes. :T

Laurie, Great information! I'm going to look for other options. I actually like soba noodles.

Also, I've found that multigrain pastas are sometimes much tastier than whole wheat.

Also, I've found that multigrain pastas are sometimes much tastier than whole wheat.

Multigrain doesn't mean whole grain, though. It has to be whole grain to be
SBD friendly.

DeBoles makes a decent Tomato & Basil pasta, made with artichoke flour and durum wheat.

I like it (ww pasta) ok, but I very often use spiral sliced zuchinni or quinoa in place of pasta with sauce on top.

A lot of folks substitute pasta with Spaghetti Squash.

And if you truly desire pasta once in a blue moon.... everyone of us, ok, probably 99% or more of us ;) has a vice they refuse to give up! Mine is keeping my creamora for my coffee! Other's have kept the fat in their cheeses, and still others have regular pizza instead of a south beach friendly.

CAUTION: If you choose a vice, do not go overboard and allow yourself so many it wipes away all your gain! If you eat regular pasta once a month, have a smaller portion and add a side salad, or other veggie! Do not go back for seconds... and don't have it every other day! ;)

Another thing you may want to try, Some professionals suggest one meal a week as "whatever you want"... to keep you from eating "whatever you want" all week! They say this gives you the motive to stay on plan the rest of the week while looking forward to "rewarding yourself". Also, they say it helps with weight loss.

HOpe that helps!

Note: this is just another user, not professional advice!

I haven't had a 'whatever you want' meal yet, but am planning one for Mardi Gras (end of February). I make a mean pot of seafood gumbo, and white rice is a must. I'm looking forward to it. :)

Closing this as we've given the OP lots of ideas and are wandering off topic.