When it comes to portion control, there are few foods that are more confusing than pasta.  Some questions I get frequently are: What is a serving?  Is a serving based on dry or cooked pasta?  How do I know how I measure uncooked pasta, so I get the appropriate amount of cooked pasta?  Today, I will try to answer these questions.

So, what is a serving of pasta? According to the Food Guide Pyramid and the Diabetic Exchange System, a serving of pasta is ½ cup of cooked pasta (this is equivalent to about 2 ounces of cooked pasta).  This would provide approximately 80-100 calories and 15-20 grams of carbohydrate.

How do I measure pasta? Pasta can be measured before or after cooking.  A good rule of thumb to keep in mind is that pasta doubles in size and weight when it is cooked.  Here are some guidelines to follow when measuring pasta.

• Cooked pasta can be measured by using a measuring cup or a food scale.
  • 1 serving = ½ cup or 2 ounces of cooked pasta

If you would prefer to measure the pasta before you cook so you are not making too much food, the following tips can be helpful:

• The most accurate way to measure uncooked past is to use a food scale.
  • 1 ounce uncooked pasta = 1 serving
• If you are making strand pasta (spaghetti, angel hair, etc.), they do make tools to measure pasta.  Typically on a pasta measure, there are several holes that are different diameters.  This allows cooks to know that they are making 1-4 servings by filling the holes.  Pasta measures are inexpensive and can be a great way to achieve portion control when making strand pasta!   Take a look at my store to see what a pasta measure looks like.
• Measuring out pasta shapes can be a bit trickier for those who are not using a pasta scale.  Shapes vary in size, so they do differ slightly, but a good rule of thumb is:
  • Approximately ¼ cup of dry pasta shapes = 1 serving for elbow macaroni, shells, rotini, cavatelli, wheels, penne or ziti.

In summary, a good generalization to measure pasta measures is as follows:

1 Serving cooked pasta = 2 ounces or ½ cup

1 Serving uncooked pasta = 1 ounce or ¼ cup

Yes, I know that your thinking…a half-cup of pasta might not be enough to satisfy a hearty appetite.  Remember, the average person needs 6-11 servings from the Grain food group per day.  So, feel free to have more than a half-cup of pasta at a meal, just be sure to count it as more than one serving.  Also, try adding extra vegetables to the sauce, have a side salad or a small chicken breast along with the pasta.  This will help you to fill up while keeping your pasta portions in check.

Do you feel overwhelmed when it comes to menu planning?  Are you bored with the same old meals?  Eating healthy doesn’t have to limit you to plain chicken breasts and steamed broccoli day after day.  Adding variety keeps things interesting, and can help you to stick with a healthy eating plan long term.  Many people struggle to come up with new ideas for balanced meals, and it can often be a struggle to determine the nutritional value (i.e. calories, fat, carbs) of home prepared meals.

If you feel that meal planning is a struggle, MealsForYou.com could be a great website to check out.  On this website, you can do an “advanced search” for recipes which allows you to choose recipes that include or exclude foods (which is great for those with food allergies) or choose recipes that are high or low in certain nutrients.  For example, you could pick a chicken recipe that is low in calories and high in fiber.  Perhaps you are looking for a meal that is high in calcium that does not include dairy products.  The possibilities are endless!

If you are looking for help with planning a whole meal, then you can click on the “meals” tab at the top of the page.  They have several categories such as kid’s meals, international meals, meals by ingredients, etc.  I would recommend looking under the “Healthy Meals”.  If you are trying to control calories, their “weight loss” meals are all less than 500 calories.  One great thing about this website is that it gives you the nutrition facts (calories, fat, protein, carbs, etc.)  for each menu item and for the entire meal.

If you would like to know the dietary exchanges (how many servings it provides from each food group), you can click on “Tips & Guides” page and use the ”Dietary Exchange Table”.  One other great feature is that it creates a printable shopping list.  For any recipes that you put into your shopping list, it divides them into groups based on grocery store layout and includes the amount you need. 

I think MealsForYou.com makes meal planning as easy as possible…I hope you do too!