Is Pasta Plant Based Food? – Let’s Figure Out!

Pasta is a popular and favourite food of many people. This famous Italian dish can be served in all kinds fo ways, with different sauces, vegetables, meat and fish. Since it’s so popular, it’s only natural to be curious if you can fit pasta into a new diet you may be trying.

Is pasta plant based food? Yes! If you’re enjoying a plant based diet, then pasta is totally safe to consume. Although most contain no animal products, always check when buying pasta refrigerated rather than shelf stored. These may contain egg in their ingredients.

Without any animal ingredients, pasta can be a perfect fit for a vegetarian or vegan diet. If you avoid dairy products and other animal products, then it can be vegan as well. In the modern age, vegetarian and vegan diets are well catered for, so why not try throwing in some mock meats with your next pasta.

Imitation meats should also be monitored for ingredients, as not all are vegan products. Dairy products are often included as binding agents, so make sure you’re sticking to your plant based diet when buying faux meat and normal pasta.

Is Pasta Vegan?

As previously stated, pasta is perfect for a plant based eater. Angel hair pasta, penne pasta, and any other traditional pasta can be enjoyed whilst on a vegan diet. If you’re looking to enjoy a traditional pasta dish however, be careful with what you add to the meal.

While pasta is fine for plant based eating, many Italian recipes call for the inclusion of animal products. These non-vegan products can complicate your plant based diet, by calling for meat, fish, dairy products, or egg. Instead of plant based protein. 

Plant based pasta brands are usually stored on supermarket shelves, and as previously mentioned you should avoid buying ‘fresh’ pasta from store fridges. Unless you check to verify the pasta will fit your plant based lifestyle, they are more likely to contain animal products.

Is Pasta Gluten Free?

Although you can enjoy a completely plant based meal with pasta, most pasta is made using wheat flour. Wheat protein is up to 80% gluten, and can cause problems for those who suffer from celiac disease or other unrelated gluten sensitivity. 

Thankfully, just as you can easily find simple plant based recipes for vegan pasta, gluten free homemade pasta recipes are also prevalent on the internet. These can still be made vegan if you’re seeking plant based nutrition, so try chickpea or lentil flour.

A whole food, plant based diet can be just as exciting as living with animal products. So don’t shy away from trying something new. For example, plant based milks and breakfast cereals provide a great alternative to dairy products, helping tou enjoy healthy plant based diets even easier.

Whole food, plant based food is typically gluten containing, but gluten free pasta alternatives can also contain animal products. Noodles are a popular, Asian alternative to Italian pasta, and remain popular for those on a gluten free diet. 

If you want to be gluten free and enjoy a whole food, plant based lifestyle, then you may struggle. Egg noodles contain animal products as the name suggests, and remain the most popular substitute for gluten free noodle and pasta dishes. 

Rice noodles are also available as gluten free alternatives, and the grain is filled with grams of carbs and totally plant based. You may struggle to enjoy full pasta, but over a longer period of time you will find recipes and solutions to eat this great Italian classic.

Plant Based Foods

If you’re looking to follow a gold standard plant based diet, then you can’t afford to slip up. While some vegetarians and vegans on a healhy plant based lifestyle may opt to have cheat days, in which they indulge in animal products, plant based experts suggest this is a leading factor in people quitting.

A whole food, plant based diet has a variety of food available to you, so let’s take a look at some. The first group will be very familiar to you hopefully, as they’re integral to a balanced diet. Not just a vegan or whole food, plant based diet.

• Fruit (a natural plant based food)
  • Apples
  • Oranges (a good source of Vitamin C and plant based nutrition)
  • Tomatos 
  • Peas (including chickpeas and yellow peas)

Although you might think fruit belongs with a yoghurt or enjoyed alone, many fruits are commonly cooked in dinnertime meals. Peas and tomatos are both fruits, and can pair perfectly with nontraditional plant based pastas. Just like our second group, vegetables.

• Vegetables (Optimal, tasty plant based dish enhancer)
  • Broccoli
  • Bell peppers (red, yellow, and green)
  • Cauliflower (a good protein substitute)
  • Bamboo shoots (for Asian health packed plant based diets)
  • Cabbage and lettuce (ideal salads for simple plant based recipes)
  • Potatoes (starchy vegetables)

Animal derived ingredients are easy to miss nowadays, especially with the wide range of choice for a plant based diet. People often assume that a vegan or whole food, plant based diet will miss out on essential nutrients and a host of vitamins.

However a whole food, plant based diet gives more than a sufficient nutrient intake, with the exception of vitamin B12. You’ll get exceptional carb intake with 25 percent vegetable puree and 75 percent whole wheat pasta, especially with the major benefit of our next group.

• Legumes (less starchy vegetables)
  • Black beans (including black bean flour, pairs well as black bean spaghetti pasta)
  • Kidney beans (perfect as a chili with beans)
  • Soya beans (the bean of choice for tofu)
  • Lentils (available in all kinds of colours, for plant based wellness)

You’ll also be able to enjoy plant based fats on a vegan or whole food, plant based diet with our bean based ingredient list. However, our final group in this list is not for the faint of heart, or faint of stomach. Celiacs beware, a healthy plant based lifestyle may end up including gluten!

• Grains (whole food, plant based meals)
  • Wheat (a common plant based primer in baked goods)
  • Rye (perfect for whiskey, or a filling carb meal)
  • Barley 
  • Rice (Healthful ingredient, rich in carbohydrates)
  • Maize (also known as corn, filled with grams of carbs)
  • Semolina (the gold standard plant based diet ingredient for pasta) 

How to Enjoy Plant Based Pasta

With the exception of vitamin B12, you can get all your essential nutrients while on a whole food, plant based diet. Most people will assume that protein will be the missing factor in your healthy plant based lifestyle, but protein is actuall very easy to come by.

Chili with beans, starchy vegetables, grams of carbs, plant based fats, and essential nutrients, you’ll be much healthier eating less meat over an extended period of time. With so many ways to keep enjoying your favourite pasta, what’s stopping you from a plant based makeover?

Whole food, plant based food like pasta can be enjoyed with fake meats, a variety of fruit, vegetable, and legumes. Not to mention the sweet sauces common in pasta dishes, and Italian cuisine in general, with their love of tomatos and herbs.

Why not try a chili with beans, put over spaghetti pasta? Healthy plant based diets don’t need to be boring, and you can make them as exciting as you need. Your new plant based makeover could be good for your health, the health of animals, and the health of the planet!

A whole food, plant based lifestyle is not majorly disruptive. you may have plant based questions concerning nutrition, or cooking (like how many cups pasta go with marinara sauce). In today’s world, you’ll never have a shortage of meat free friends ready to guide you on the way.

Benefits of a Plant Based Diet

Plant based experts note that one of the major benefits of the gold standard plant based diet, is the improvement of arteries over time. Excessive salt in take from processed meats will wear on the arteries over time, and damage their lining. 

All your essential nutrients are in healthy plant based diets, with only the exception of vitamin B12. This can easily be made up for with supplements however, so don’t let the excpetion of vitamin B12 be the turn off sign for your whole food, plant based diet. 

If you have any more plant based questions, then look no further than here! In a report plant based diets were found to be low in saturated fat (not to be confused with the healthier monounsaturated fats). High fibre content also promotes a healthy bowel.

Fibre content can not only help ease constipation, but regulate blood sugar and encourage the proper absorbtion of nutrients in the body. Much better than the artificial chemical ingredients commonly added to animal products!

Insulin resistance, a primary risk factor for diabetes type 2, is lowered by a healthy plant based lifestyle. A plant based makeover can reduce the risk of heart disease according to plant based experts, and promote a healthy cardiovascular system.

Avoiding a primary risk factor and the risk of heart disease can be difficult, but not putting your health at risk can be achieved. Improved arteries over time, vegetarians have also been shown to live a longer period of time, all thanks to the nutrition and grams of carbs in whole food, plant based meals.

Vegan Versus Vegetarian

Whole food, plant based meals can include some animal products and dairy products. While plant based milks and breakfast cereals (namely almond milk, oat milk, and soy milk) have reduced the need for dairy products, it’s still an option. 

With the exception of vitamin B12, whole food, plant based meals can be nutritious. You know what nutrient rich dairy products have vitamin b12 in them? That’s right, milk! A very nutritious set of animal products from cows and goats alike. 

So if you’re looking to reduce the risk of heart disease and dodge a primary risk factor for diabetes, you probably don’t need to go full vegan. Over a longer period of time, the effects will largely be similar. While a gold standard plant based diet can be healthier, full veganism is more of a moral choice. 

Plant based milks and breakfast cereals will have less vitamins than plain old milk from animal products. Whole food, plant based food can be enjoyed with some animal products, as fresh pasta even includes eggs. So if you want a whole food, plant based lifestyle consider between vegetarian and vegan.