South Beach Diet Fat Chicks on the Beach!

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Old 01-20-2008, 01:40 PM   #1  
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Default Barilla Plus pasta ok?

I tried whole wheat pasta once several years ago and it scared me so bad I ran and never looked back. Is Barilla Plus multi grain ok, or is there a particular brand of whole wheat pasta that tastes good and not like wet cardboard? I'l like to be able to look forward to this option next Sunday when I start phase 2, but that stuff I tried before was really scary!
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Old 01-20-2008, 01:45 PM   #2  
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The Barilla pasta is really good. Nothing like the stuff you remember. I don't find that taste to be much different.

Hope you like it.

Annie
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Old 01-20-2008, 02:48 PM   #3  
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I've looked at the ingredients of Barilla Plus before but I seem to recall something was in it that isn't the best. I use several brands of whole wheat pasta and we love them. Hodgson Mills, Heartland, Gia Russa and the local store brand are all good. Target even has whole wheat lasagna noodles in their Archer Farms brand. I think the key is to remember you need to cook them a little longer. We prefer whole wheat now.
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Old 01-20-2008, 03:27 PM   #4  
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You don't have to be afraid of whole wheat or non-wheat whole grain pastas but you may have to experiment. There are some very good whole wheat, whole grain, and multigrain-pastas, but there are also many that have weird tastes or textures. It's a bigger gamble, but when you find the ones you like, it's worth it. In general, they're all a LOT better than they were a few years ago.

Barb0522 gave you some suggestions, so you could start there. I also recommend grocery stores and health food stores that carry whole grain pastas in bins, because you can buy a very small amount to try. When I make a new pasta, I only make a small amount and also make a known favorite at the same time (in different pot). If it's horrible, it goes in the garbage, and I write down what we tried and whether we liked it (otherwise, I'm likely to forget and we have to re-experiment).
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Old 01-20-2008, 03:52 PM   #5  
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Dreamfields pasta is very good, and it's compatable for South Beach. I've discovered with using ww pasta, that if you rinse it really well after cooking it, it tastes much better. I still can't get Jake to eat it, though.
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Old 01-20-2008, 03:58 PM   #6  
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Barilla Plus is excellent. The local newspaper did a taste test awhile back and it won out over other brands.

I also have Smart Taste in my cupboard to try based on recommendations of others.

Lori
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Old 01-20-2008, 04:16 PM   #7  
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I feel better now-thanks for all the input everyone!
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Old 01-20-2008, 10:38 PM   #8  
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My diabetic father uses Dreamfield pasta and it is wonderful. It isn't in the grocery stores locally here so we used Heartland. I was pleasantly surprised with the taste. Not at all cardboard-y.
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Old 01-21-2008, 12:32 AM   #9  
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Barilla Plus IS multi-grain, but the bulk of the grain is durum semolina, which is the regular pasta flour. While it's better than regular pasta, it's still not WHOLE grain.

I can't get my husband to eat whole grain pastas so we just really don't have pasta that much anymore. (I'm not cooking two kinds of pastas!)

The kids and I like the whole grain twists better than the spaghetti noodles, though, so sometimes on nights when Tom is working I'll make those with a huge scoop of (soy)meat sauce.

Hope that helps!

Kara
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Old 01-21-2008, 10:42 AM   #10  
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Kara, What brand are the twists? We have tried Barilla and like it. We were reading labels the other day on Barilla and Dreamfield and bought the Dreamfields, havent tried it yet though. Is the Dreamfilds "whole wheat" seems for what I remeber, I couldnt tell.
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Old 01-21-2008, 10:58 AM   #11  
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Lightbulb Not much more to add here.....

Over the years I have tried different whole wheat pastas and I agree that the ones they used to make were not very tasty at all. I do think that with the overall trend in this area the food producers are stepping up to the plate (so to speak) and working on making a more desirable pasta.

The interesting thing that I have found is that having now been on the Phase One for the required two weeks and then being on Phase Two for a week my taste for carbs in general has fallen off quite dramatically and those that I have eaten do not seem to me to be as tasty as I remember them.

I have decided that instead I am going to choose the carbs that I need to keep me "regular", if you know what I mean, since that seems to be somewhat of a problem. If I am not craving carbs per se I would rather just have the minimal I need to continue to lose 2 lbs a week and get this weight lose behind me. If I knuckle down I could be starting maintenance by Thanksgiving. I like that idea a lot.

So, instead of looking for a better pasta, which I had been eating whole wheat pasta anyway for a couple of years before I began this weight lose plan this past fall, I am going to try and duplicate the taste of some of my favorite foods without the added carbs. I have already had psuedo pizza (all of the pizza toppings without the crust) several times and it does it for me.

thanks for sharing, I will add those products to my ever growing list.

Last edited by pamatga; 01-21-2008 at 10:58 AM.
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Old 01-21-2008, 11:13 AM   #12  
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I live in a very rural area with few shopping options, but even I have noticed more whole wheat pastas popping up on the shelves.

I've tried many different brands, and the Barilla Plus is probably one of my favorites.

I also buy the Heartland Whole Wheat Rotini, but honestly, I had to get used to that.

Luckily my husband and I aren't picky, or some of the one we tried may not have ended up on our plates again. *lol* I just have to keep experimenting

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Old 01-21-2008, 07:05 PM   #13  
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Wow-thanks for all the suggestions. I don't eat a lot of pasta but would like it as an option sometimes. I like the idea of trying small amount of some different varieties from the health food store (luckily I have one within a mile of me) and will keep an eye out for the Dreamfield!
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Old 01-21-2008, 08:05 PM   #14  
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We LOVE Barilla pasta! I have to share a cute story though, the first time I served it I dimmed our lights over the table so my son wouldn't notice the obvious color change in his pasta (which he eats without sauce -- a heartbreaking fact to a half-Italian mom who makes her sauce from scratch!!)... he of COURSE noticed right away anyway... and we lied and said it was just the lighting, he ate it, loved it, and two seconds later, his older sister shows up (late) to our meal and announces 'Ah! whole wheat pasta!!' .... gotta love teenage girls!!! grr..... lol! He still eats it because he cannot tell the difference!!

An interesting fact I read somewhere (can't remember where though) is that the longer you cook pasta, the more the glycemic index goes up in it (because the longer you cook it the more starches are released). So, for low-carb (good carb) diets, it's best to eat pasta al dente. Barilla tastes great al dente. Manga!!
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Old 01-21-2008, 11:32 PM   #15  
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Quote:
Originally Posted by ThinAgainBeginAgain View Post
<snip>

An interesting fact I read somewhere (can't remember where though) is that the longer you cook pasta, the more the glycemic index goes up in it (because the longer you cook it the more starches are released). So, for low-carb (good carb) diets, it's best to eat pasta al dente. Barilla tastes great al dente. Manga!!
Wow! I had no idea. That's great info! I guess my husband was right all along when he asked me to quit overcooking the pasta.
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