# Making Wheat Noodles savory?



## Zhizara (Nov 3, 2014)

Being diabetic (2), I no longer can eat regular pasta.  I'm trying to get used to the wheat pastas available, but compared to regular noodles, it has a fairly strong flavor.

  Does anyone have favorite sauce ideas that will make wheat noodles more palatable?


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## Andy M. (Nov 3, 2014)

Zhizara said:


> Being diabetic (2), I no longer can eat regular pasta.  I'm trying to get used to the wheat pastas available, but compared to regular noodles, it has a fairly strong flavor.
> 
> Does anyone have favorite sauce ideas that will make wheat noodles more palatable?



Z, I'm confused.  Regular pasta is wheat based.


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## GotGarlic (Nov 3, 2014)

Z, you mean whole wheat pasta, right? 

It's not true that you can no longer eat regular pasta; it has the same carb value as whole wheat, but WW pasta has additional nutrients that are removed from white pasta. You just need to account for the amount of simple carbs you're getting in a meal with white pasta by including lots of protein and veggies and have a proper portion size - 1/2 cup per serving. Most Americans have much more pasta in a serving than that. 

Here's a great source of info for planning a healthy diet for a person with diabetes: http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/DM/PUBS/eating_ez/index.aspx


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## GotGarlic (Nov 3, 2014)

Jump to the good stuff: http://diabetes.niddk.nih.gov/DM/PUBS/eating_ez/index.aspx#measuring


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## Zhizara (Nov 3, 2014)

Thanks, GG.

Yes, Andy.  The whole wheat pasta is good for Diabetes 2, but wheat flour is just flour.
It's a PITA.

I thought you have diabetes as well.


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## Zhizara (Nov 3, 2014)

I'm really having a bit of a tough time with the changes I have to make in my diet.

It seems that my diabetic foot pain is actually a benefit.  If it is too much carbohydrate, my feet will start up with the pain, twitching, etc., etc.

So... I change my diet to exclude that food.

I'm trying to adjust to these changes.  I loved egg noodles, but my body insists that they are no longer acceptable.  The whole wheat substitute doesn't taste like egg noodles.

It sucks that I have to change my favorite flavors just to keep my feet from attaking me.

It seems that with a little work, I could end up preferring the wheat flavor.


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## Steve Kroll (Nov 3, 2014)

Zhizara said:


> I'm really having a bit of a tough time with the changes I have to make in my diet.


I can relate completely to what you're going through. I just got the diagnosis myself a month ago. The thing that gets me is that I'm relatively active and eat healthy. I'm a little overweight - maybe 40 pounds. But both my parents had it, so I have the genes against me.

I've started by divorcing a few of my favorite foods - namely rice and bread - because I feel like that's the only way I can keep it under control. If I'm only limited to a tiny amount of something, I'd rather not have it at all. Because having that tiny amount is likely to trigger cravings, followed by a binge. I used to eat rice at least once a day on average. After giving it up a few weeks back, I find I don't think about it and don't miss it all that much.

Now bread, on the other hand... well, let's just say I'm having a little harder time with that one.


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## Kayelle (Nov 3, 2014)

What about corn pasta? I bought some at Trader Joe's recently, expecting it to have a corn flavor, but I was disappointed that it just tasted like ordinary pasta to me. 

If wheat is a problem maybe this would help?


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## Zhizara (Nov 3, 2014)

Thanks, Steve.   Fortunately, I found that brown rice is delicious, especially cooked in turkey broth, or onion soup mix.  

How do you manage to substitute whole what pasta?  It just doesn't taste the same.

It seems that some of the dishes we could come up with might just be even more flavorful

What do you think?


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## Andy M. (Nov 3, 2014)

Zhizara said:


> ...I thought you have diabetes as well.




No, not yet, Z.


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## Steve Kroll (Nov 3, 2014)

Zhizara said:


> Thanks, Steve.   Fortunately, I found that brown rice is delicious, especially cooked in turkey broth, or onion soup mix.
> 
> How do you manage to substitute whole what pasta?  It just doesn't taste the same.
> 
> ...


I found these at my grocery store in the refrigerator section, but haven't tried them yet. They are low calorie (1/5th of regular pasta) and very low in carbs.


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## Dawgluver (Nov 3, 2014)

Z, I always use whole wheat pasta.  I make my spaghetti sauce with hot Italian sausage, lots of ground fennel seed, and like to dump a can of chopped clams with their juice in.  Lots of grated parm.  I like a lot of sauce with my spaghetti.  The Dragon Lady noodles also work fine with whole wheat pasta.  I really don't notice much difference between regular and WW, though I'm not a big pasta fan overall.


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## Andy M. (Nov 3, 2014)

These guys make a low carb pasta Healthy Pasta That Tastes Like Traditional Pasta | Cook Delicious Pasta Recipes | Try Dreamfields Pasta


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## Aunt Bea (Nov 5, 2014)

I gave up on pasta made with white flour because it caused my blood sugar to spike and eating a half cup serving was more or less impossible for me. 

I tried various whole wheat pastas and have pretty much given up finding one I enjoy.

I do like Dreamfield's low carb pasta, but I read a series of articles  that indicated many of the low carb claims were not true.  I have  noticed those claims have been removed from the packaging.  I still use  it a couple of times a year to  make lasagna, heavy on the vegetables  and light on the pasta.

I still make meatballs or sausage in sauce, chicken parm using boneless skinless chicken thighs, eggplant parm and broccoli parm when I have a craving for sauce.  I just leave out the pasta and serve it with a green vegetable or a salad.

For me the whole diabetes thing is a constant experiment to find out what works.  It also gets a little frustrating because what works today may not work in six months or a year.

Good luck!


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## Zhizara (Nov 5, 2014)

Aunt Bea said:


> ...I just leave out the pasta...
> 
> For me the whole diabetes thing is a constant experiment to find out what works.  It also gets a little frustrating because what works today may not work in six months or a year.
> 
> Good luck!



I've been coming to the same conclusion, Aunt Bea.

Today I made a casserole with cheese sauce and broccoli.  I did make the last of my WW noodles, but kept them in a different dish for the freezer.

Why should I eat something I don't enjoy.  I'm sure the broccoli in cheese sauce will taste great and won't mess up my diabetes.  I can even add chunked up turkey ham to make it more carnivore.

My goal is to keep from having to use the Gabapentin to make up for lapses in food choices.  

The foot thing is a great awakener.  If my feet don't hurt, I did it right.

Several years ago, I went on the Atkin's Diet when you were to consume no more than 27 grams of carborhydrates a day.  I was able to drop 35# in a short period of time.  

It looks like I should do the same again, but now I include fruits, in a container with different salad dressings, and vegetables.

Eating just meats is just too expensive anyway.


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## Addie (Nov 9, 2014)

Z, like most new diabetics, you are going on a trip called a learning curve. For the first year it will be experimenting with what works and what doesn't. And the words you have to learn right away are, "No thank you. I am diabetic." 

Don't wait until your feet are attacking you. The gabapentin will help keep your feet healthy also and preventing more damage inside. I have been on them for ten years and they save me from a lot of pain. I take them because of the graft on my leg. The fact that they help any damage due to the diabetes is a side benefit. Every time you have an attack with your feet, damage is happening inside. I have been very fortunate. I still do not have neuropathy in my feet. Even after being a diabetic for more than 15 years. Only in my leg graft. 

As you keep your sugar readings on target, you will find that your A1c numbers go down. You will find that you can reintroduce foods that you had to give up. It is a struggle. But I worked on my numbers and now am off all medications for my diabetes. But that doesn't mean I am not still a diabetic. Because I will be one for the rest of my life. And so will every diabetic. 

When someone offers you food like a big  piece of cake, the answer is "No thank you. I am a diabetic." If they understand, they will stop offering you that cake. Ignore the stories you will hear about Uncle Willie who is a diabetic and he has cake all the time. You can bet Uncle Willie is not doing well keeping his numbers under control. 

I had my one candy bar the other day. A York Peppermint Patty. That's it for me for the year. Maybe next year around the same time I will have my Mounds Bar. 

When I was told I had diabetes, I tried every beverage sweetener on the market. They all left a metallic taste in my mouth. So I promised myself, if I can have sugar in my coffee, then I will give up all sugar laden foods. And I have. It wasn't too hard. I don't eat desserts every day, or candy, or other sugar laden foods. But I do have my coffee. I made a trade off and have stuck to it all these years. 

Keep at it. I know you are on a restrictive financial food budget. To eat exactly as a diabetic should, is very expensive. My daughter sends me a dish of her Italian makings. But she limits the size, Only two stuffed shells. A very small piece of lasagna. But there is always a couple of meatballs and Italian sausages for the protein to offset the carbs. All of it is smothered in her sauce. I will eat the meats first. Then I feel too full to eat the rest of it. 

Fill up on the protein foods first, you won't miss the carbs. And take that gabapentin before your feet attack you. It a way of being kind to yourself. 

Good luck and remember you have a whole forum to help you.


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## PrincessFiona60 (Nov 9, 2014)

Z, look for Soba noodles in the Asian section.  They are made from buckwheat and taste good.  Lower in carbs and a staple in Japanese cooking.  Steve's suggestion of shirataki noodles is good, too!


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## Zhizara (Nov 9, 2014)

Thanks for the great tips, everyone.

I added the soba and shirataki noodles to my grocery list.

I did find that whole wheat noodles taste much better after being mixed into a casserole, and left in the fridge overnight.  They absorbed more of the sauce and actually tasted much better.

Yes, Addie, it is definitely a learning curve!


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## Steve Kroll (Nov 10, 2014)

Z, I just want to share something.

Seven or eight years ago, I was told I was pre-diabetic. Since diabetes runs in my family, I immediately started following the dietary guidelines of the American Diabetes Association, hoping that the ship would reverse course. It didn't, and here I was diagnosed a month ago with full-blown diabetes, despite doing everything I could think of to avoid it.

When I went in to the doctor, my blood glucose was sitting at a whopping 280 mg/dl and my A1C was 12.5! This was despite eating "healthy" for a number of years. I was told that if I didn't turn this around quickly, I would have to start on medication.

I've since tried something completely different. I began cutting practically all carbs from my diet, except those that are present in vegetables. This means no fruits or grains of any kind, and starchy vegetables are out as well. I've also upped the amount of fat that I consume, including saturated fats (within reason). Within two weeks, my blood sugar dropped to almost normal levels of 90-115 mg/dl, with the highest levels being in the morning when I first get up. As a point of comparison, my wife, who was going in for her physical this morning, decided to use my glucose meter to see where she was at. Her fasting level was at 128, while mine was at 106. With my new dietary changes, I no longer have blood sugar spikes after meals, and, as an additional benefit, I've lost 14 pounds.

I hate to say this, but I feel like the ADA offers some very questionable advice. For example, they tell you it's okay to enjoy limited portions of pasta, whole grains, fruits, sweet potatoes, and other carb heavy foods. They also recommend eating a low fat diet. Everyone is different, of course, but none of that advice prevented me from getting the disease. In fact, going the other direction is the only thing that's helped me so far.

I don't expect anyone to go to the extreme that I have. But I just wanted you to know there are other options out there.

PS - and don't forget the exercise. Cardio is ok, but won't affect blood glucose that much. On the other hand, strength training.... all I can say is WOW. That has a big impact on how your body responds to insulin. My wife and I just joined a gym for the "over 50" crowd.


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