When I decided I was going to get my health - specifically my diabetes - under control, I knew that I was going to have to get creative. Why? Because I LOVE pasta. In case you didn't know, pasta is terrible for diabetes.
Everyone has to find the tips and tricks that wok for them, so I was on a mission to try different things. First I tried GF, it didn't cause as much of a spike in my blood sugar, but it wasn't great either. Then, I found edamame spaghetti. It doesn't get mushy like GF pasta, but the texture is still a little off. I still tend to lean more towards the edamame pasta when I want spaghetti with a tomato based sauce. It has a higher protein to carb ratio and tastes really good with sausage and cheese. It isn't cheap, but it isn't as expensive as my next pasta find.
ThinSlim has what they call a "Low Carb" pasta. The pasta is not actually low carb since it has 44 carbs per serving; however, they call it low carb because it has an extremely high fiber count. The idea behind this pasta is that the high fiber counters the carbohydrates, reducing the risk of blood sugar spikes. The taste and texture were good for the elbow macaroni. I used it to make macaroni and cheese (since tomato sauce can cause spikes as well) and I added chicken to increase the protein. The results were quite pleasing. I enjoyed the macaroni without the penalty of a blood sugar spike! Overall, the cost would prevent me from purchasing it frequently, but I would highly recommend having it on-hand for a splurge day - you know, those I'VE JUST GOT TO HAVE CARBS kind of days.
My "cheat" MacNChz Recipe
1/2 cup (1 serving) uncooked ThinSlim elbow pasta cooked
3-4 heaping TBS of Taco Cabana queso
1oz shredded Velveeta
2 TBS pico
3-4 heaping TBS of shredded chicken (recipe coming soon)
Yes, I know how to make a cheese sauce from scratch, but this was my "cheat" method because I had leftover queso (which I absolutely LOVE), leftover shredded chicken, and I wanted to make something easy while using up the leftovers in the fridge. I do plan to work towards losing weight, but right now I am more focused on finding foods that are close to my go-to comfort foods without the blood-sugar spike. As a single mom of a special needs kiddo, I have to find a way to do this without spending my life in the kitchen. :) Enjoy!
P.S. Please share your blood sugar and waist friendly, tasty, and low-carb pasta alternatives in the comments!
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