How much pasta is too much pasta in a vegetarian diet?

Question

So I just became a vegetarian a month ago,and I love pasta,but I dont want to eat to much and have an unbalenced diet(Also i'm not talking about eating a huge plate of pasta dripping in oil)

So how many days a week should I limit myself to having pasta?

Answer 1

i love pasta too, i eat it all the time =)
try mixing it up, maybe have ravioli one day, fettucine the next, etc. i think one serving a day is fine as long as it's not too big and you get plenty of fruits and vegetables (and dairy if you eat it) to balance it out.

Answer 2

I completely understand where you are comming from considering I also became a vegetarian about a month ago and love pasta. I have a friend who is a nurse and working on becoming a certified nutritionist so I actually asked him some questions regarding a balanced vegetarian diet. The best thing you could do would be to 1st- look for whole wheat or whole grain pastas (in my opinion they are a bit tougher than regular pasta but the taste is still there, and they are more filling) 2nd... you could eat pasta 3 times a day if you wanted...after all 45 to 65 % of your daily diet should be carbohydrates. Healthy carbs that is...and whole grain or whole wheat pasta could count as a healthy carb...the carbs in ice cream are an example of bad carbs. If you would like to check out this same information on carbs (which is what pasta is) you can check out the website http://www.webmd.com/solutions/hs/diet-and-nutrition/nutrition-101 which will give you some more helpful advice. Hopefully this will help you out.

Answer 3

Many good answers here. And a few silly ones.

Why would you limit yourself?? Pastas rule!

The key is, as others have said WHOLE GRAIN.

If you're eating whole grain pastas, eat as much as you like. Take a look at the vegetarian food pyramid in the link posted below. You'll see whole grains take up the largest portion of the pyramid.

I can have whole wheat Couscous porridge for breakfast, then quinoa pasta for dinner. MMMMMM yummy!

Answer 4

Try maybe switching to whole wheat pasta. And remember that a pasta serving is like a tennis balls worth (or a little more than half a softball, i think.) But don't eat just carbs! Use beans and veggies in colorful ways to make a healthy diet.

Answer 5

When I was thirteen and left to cook for myself for a week I had pasta EVERY day - I'm still standing but I was left feeling a bit sluggish!

My personal experience is that 2-3 times a week should more than suffice, although if you are worried about varying your diet try some rice pastas, vegetable pastas, wholewheat, etc, rotating the vegetables served with it.

Answer 6

I am a veggie and I have been for six years. I probably eat pasta 3-5 times a week. It's fine. Just make sure you are getting all of your other nutrients in other ways (ie. add veggies to your pasta) or take vitamins.

Answer 7

Can I recommend vegetable spaghetti squash. This winter squash hard shell. Has the same look and feel of pasta but has more vitamins and minerals then pasta. You will get the feeling of being full but not adding unwanted calories. Now you can used marinara sauce or butter and salt and pepper. and still be in your vegetarian diet.

Answer 8

I eat it 2-3 times a week but only whole wheat pasta (no taste difference at all). Whole wheat pasta is a good source of protein and fiber and a GOOD carb unlike it's non whole grain counterpart.

Answer 9

Pasta is generally simple carbohydrate and generally pretty nutrient free, so it should be avoided complely in favor of whole foods. At least is can easily be vegan, but read the ingredients - look for egg. Also, get over adding cheese - cheese is not vegetarian and contains cholesterol (just as much as meat) and antibiotics and homones passed down from dairy cows/

Answer 10

there shouldn't be a specific limit...a lot depends on your other eating habits. but do try to improve your pasta from just pasta with oil or tomato sauce (although lycopenes do you good)...there're a couple of really good recipes out there for cavatelli and broccoli, and my personal fave, asparagus with gemelli...just mix it up a bit!