Pasta may be delicious, but let’s face it: Depending on your physique goals, traditional pasta isn’t always the most diet-friendly choice.. Luckily, there are plenty of alternatives to choose from if you want to get your fix without throwing your diet out of whack.
Click through for the healthiest alternatives. In our Men’s Fitness July/August issue, we look at the best brands you can substitute with.
The grain is left whole (hence the name), so you get about three times as much fiber and 25% more protein than with regular pasta. The downside: The taste is a bit grittier.
If you’re doing the gluten-free thing, brown rice pasta is a great choice. It’s also easy to digest. One drawback: It has the least amount of protein of the five pastas shown here.
This is a gluten-free option with more protein than brown rice pasta. It’s also a complete protein, meaning it contains all nine essential amino acids. Look for ones that list quinoa as the first ingredient.
If you love regular pasta, eat this. The taste is comparable to white pasta, but it contains omega-3s from flaxseed (to help with joint pain) and extra protein from egg whites
This one packs the most fiber and protein of the five pastas here. If portions are your problem, grab one of these. You’ll fill up on less volume.
BY JENNA WERNER, R.D