Question about Pasta
 

Hello:

I recently bought a food scale to help me with tracking. From Weight Watchers material, I understand that one cup of regular cooked pasta is four points and that one cup of whole wheat pasta may be three points.

If I weigh eight ounces worth of pasta on my food scale, will that give me the correct amount of pasta so I can then assign it to a point value (4 ww point for regular, 3 ww point for whole wheat)? The reason I am asking- when I put the amount of what weighs eight ounces on my plate it seems like a lot of pasta. The whole plate was filled with pasta. With Lean Cuisines and Smart Ones, you get such little pasta in your meal, I feel like I may be overdoing it somehow with the amount.

I used to use a liquid measuring cup to try and figure out the cooked pasta amount, but I think it would underestimate the right value, so I didn't want to keep using it.

If I was only cooking for one, I know I could go by two ounces of dry pasta, but I am not usually cooking for one.

Thank you for your insight!

Hmm... see I am having issues with Pasta as well. I have regular and wheat at home, but both equal 4 points for 2oz.. I always thought the wheat pasta was better for you, but the nutrition values almost match completely. It's so strange. And 2 oz, just doesn't seem like a lot. I could be wrong though bc I haven't actually tried it..

Well, I did some more research and spoke to my WW leader. I checked my regular and whole wheat pasta nutrition labels. They are both 4 points for one cup cooked servings. I think Ronzoni Smart Taste may be 3 points for a single 2 ounce uncooked serving.

I cooked a single two ounce serving of spaghetti and then I weighed it cooked on the food scale. The spaghetti weighed 143 grams or 5 ounces (in weight, not volume).

When I add vegetables to the two ounce serving of spaghetti, plus 1/2 cup of spaghetti sauce, I find it is a decent amount of food.

Hope this helps.

Thanks so much! I actually felt like a loser when I got home. I reread my label and saw where it said 2oz DRY hehe. So I measured out enough for my husband and I. I didn't add the veggies, but did have the 1/2c. spaghetti sauce and you're right! It WAS a decent amount of food.

Just curious. What veggies do you add to it? And do you eat on the side or mixed in?

Well, feeling like a loser can be a good thing, as long as it is a "weight loser" lol. I tend to like to use frozen mixed vegetables. However, because they are somewhat starchy, they are not completely "pointless". I also like broccoli, caulifower, brussel sprouts or spinach. I tend to favor the vegetables mixed in, but that is just my preference.

I like Zucchini, onions and mushrooms in my pasta.

Sounds awesome! Especially the spinach and zucchini. I will have to try it sometime :)