Pasta Serving Views
It is true that one serving size of pasta is just ½ cup of cooked pasta. However, according to the American Diabetes Association, the serving size of pasta for a diabetic is only 1/3 cup of pasta. Eating large portion sizes is one of the biggest problems leading to weight gain. The best way to look at your plate is to divide your plate into 4 parts. When eating a pasta dish, ¼ of the plate should be equal to your pasta portion. One fourth should equal your meat portion. And, the remaining 2 fourths or ½ of your plate should be filled with watery, non-starchy vegetables. This does not mean that you need to stick to one portion of pasta at a meal, but you should stick to the total recommended amounts in a day.
Do you feel like pasta but don't have time to babysit a pot of boiling water? Or maybe it's just that boiling a whole pot of water seems like overkill for just a single serving. Microwaving pasta isn't foolproof--if you don't do it right, it can turn out gummy or rock hard. So, here's how to cook up a single serving of yummy pasta in the microwave.
The idea is not to eat one serving of pasta and that's your meal - it's a guideline so that you maybe eat two servings of pasta for lunch or dinner, but you know that you are consuming two servings. The problem is that many Americans have distorted ideas about what is considered a portion. The food guide pyramid is designed to give people plenty of calories (I believe it is based on 2,000 calories a day). You just have to learn to understand what you are eating. If you think that a plateful of pasta is a serving, you probably are consuming way more carbs than you need.
The food pyramid allows for plenty of servings, and the assumption is not that you only eat one serving per meal. You could eat a two-serving dish of pasta with tomato sauce (probably around one serving of vegetables, maybe half a serving or so of protein if you add meat), a green salad with light or non-creamy dressing (easily two servings of veggies), a piece of bread (one serving of carbs) and a glass of milk (one of dairy) and you have a balanced dinner. With somewhere around 10-12 servings of carbs to work with, that leaves plenty for breakfast, lunch, and snacks!
Pasta Serving Images
