5 NOODLE ALTERNATIVES THAT ARE HEALTHY

Pasta dishes are delicious, but if you’re like most people, you want to enjoy those flavorful dishes without all the carbs and guilt. Fortunately, with recent advances in nutrition, there are many healthier alternatives to traditional pasta that offer great taste and better nutrition.

Growing up in an Italian household, pasta was always a comfort food staple. A simmering pot of marinara with a side of pasta was the ultimate family meal. Over the years, I’ve found healthier ways to enjoy the same satisfying dishes—without sacrificing flavor. Below, I’ve listed my top 5 favorite noodle alternatives. These options are gluten-free, nutrient-dense, and much lower in refined carbohydrates.

Most traditional pasta is made from highly processed white flour, which offers little nutritional value. The options I recommend below are packed with fiber, protein, and vitamins—giving you delicious meals and better nutrition. Enjoy experimenting with these swaps in your favorite recipes!

5 GLUTEN-FREE NOODLE OPTIONS

1. Black Bean Pasta

Black bean pasta has a mild flavor and works beautifully in cold salads, Thai dishes, or even a classic tomato basil pasta.

Nutrition per serving: 11g fiber, 22g protein
Features: Gluten-free, vegan, organic

Use it as a base for stir-fries or hearty salads to boost your protein intake effortlessly.

2. Quinoa Pasta

Though quinoa pasta isn’t low-carb, it offers far more nutrients than typical wheat noodles. With its mild taste, it’s great for Italian dishes.

Nutrition per serving: 4g fiber, 4g protein
Key Benefit: Quinoa is a complete protein with all essential amino acids.

Perfect for those looking to stay full longer and power up their meals with plant-based protein.

3. Adzuki Bean Spaghetti

Adzuki bean pasta offers an earthy flavor and is loaded with fiber, making it ideal for anyone managing their carb intake.

Nutrition per serving: 15g fiber, 20g protein, 11g net carbs
Features: Gluten-free, organic, vegan

This is a fantastic choice if you’re looking to feel satisfied while keeping your carbohydrate count low.

4. Edamame Spaghetti

Edamame spaghetti has a neutral flavor, making it a versatile pasta replacement. It's especially ideal for those following plant-based or gluten-free diets.

Nutrition per serving: 11g fiber, 25g protein, 11g net carbs
Features: Vegan, kosher, gluten-free

It’s a powerhouse noodle that will fuel your body while keeping your dishes light.

5. Soba Noodles

Made from 100% buckwheat, soba noodles are a nutrient-dense option traditionally used in Japanese dishes but versatile enough for any cuisine.

Nutrition Highlights: Rich in protein, fiber, and magnesium
Features: Gluten-free (when made with pure buckwheat), vegan, soy-free

Soba noodles are a great way to elevate your meals with their nutty flavor and added minerals.

Bonus: Zoodles & Vegetable Noodles

For a super low-carb option, swap traditional noodles with vegetables like zucchini, squash, or spaghetti squash.

Pro Tip: Salt your veggie noodles and let them rest on paper towels for 30 minutes to remove excess moisture and avoid watery dishes.

These are fantastic in marinara sauces or even layered in lasagna for a lighter spin on comfort food.

Additional Options to Explore

Brown Rice Pasta – A mild-tasting, gluten-free alternative.
Garbanzo Bean Pasta – While it’s not my favorite, it’s still a solid choice for variety.
Jovial Brand Gluten-Free Pasta – My personal top pick for a satisfying gluten-free pasta.

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August 29, 2026

Food & Nutrition

10 Healthy, Budget-Friendly Breakfasts

Breakfast can look a little different when you’re eating with a GLP-1 in the mix. Appetite may be lower, so instead of focusing on eating a large breakfast, the goal is to make the food you do eat count.

That means prioritizing protein, fiber-rich non-starchy carbohydrates, and a little healthy fat to create a balanced meal that is satisfying without being overly heavy. These 10 breakfasts are simple, budget-friendly, and designed to provide approximately 25 to 30 grams of protein per serving.

You don't need specialty foods or complicated recipes. Most of these meals use simple ingredients you can find at any grocery store, and many can be prepped ahead for busy mornings.

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As summer starts to wind down, I find myself naturally reaching for meals that feel a little more substantial. Crisp salads still have their place, but there’s something really satisfying about a bowl of warm roasted vegetables, hearty grains, lentils and creamy dressings.

These three recipes are perfect for that in-between season. They’re packed with vegetables and plant-based ingredients, but they’re also easy to customize with your favorite protein if you want to turn them into a more complete meal.

And you don't need lettuce to make a great salad.

How Families Can Build Simple Habits to Boost Wellness Together

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Daily Wellness

How Families Can Build Simple Habits to Boost Wellness Together

Busy parents and caregivers juggling work, school schedules, and household demands often want family self-care to happen, but it keeps getting pushed to “later.”

The tension is simple: wellness becomes one more task, while stress, short tempers, and scattered days quietly shape the home. Without shared family health routines, even well-meant self-care strategies for families stay inconsistent and everyone feels it.

A clear, realistic plan builds family wellness motivation and supports holistic family wellbeing as a normal part of daily life.

Why Immersive Wellness Getaways And Health Retreats Are Essential For Mental Reset

August 23, 2026

General

Why Immersive Wellness Getaways And Health Retreats Are Essential For Mental Reset

Life’s pace has quickened as we are caught up in cycles of perpetual work, social and family obligations, screen time and the incessant need to be available. As a result of this, burnout is almost universal. Fortunately, people recognize this and are making positive changes to combat this burnout and exhaustion. Pausing, relaxing and resetting is in high demand. It is no surprise people are seeking out mental health retreats.

Vacations do little to nothing to reset. Wellness retreats, on the other hand, are purposed for just that. They offer therapeutic relief along with nature immersion, movement and community involvement. Changes can truly last for years following an intentional retreat.

This article will provide insight into the power of retreats. We will review the impact of retreats on participants and the reasons they work. We will explore how depression life coaching complements retreats. We will also explore negative thinking and how it consists of retreats. This article is intended to put the pieces of the “mental reset” puzzle together so that you can enjoy infinite renewal.

Mood Foods: 10 Foods That May Help Boost Your Mood Naturally

When we think about our mood, we usually look outside of ourselves for the answer. We look to the external.

Maybe you're stressed about work. Maybe there's tension in a relationship, you're worried about finances, you're overwhelmed by family responsibilities, or you're simply having one of those days when everything feels a little harder than usual. And, of course, all of those things matter.

Our mood is influenced by what is happening around us, how we're thinking about ourselves, how we're sleeping, how much stress we're carrying, and how we're feeling about our health and our lives as a whole. But there's another piece of the puzzle that we don't always think about:

What we eat can influence how we feel.

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30 High-Protein, Low-Carb Meals That Are Satisfying & Budget Friendly

Eating high-protein and lower-carb doesn't have to mean giving up the foods you love or living on salads and grilled chicken. The goal is to create meals that are satisfying, nutrient-dense, and easy to fit into real life.

For many people, increasing protein while being more intentional about carbohydrates can help meals feel more satisfying and make it easier to manage hunger throughout the day. The key is to focus on what you can add—protein, vegetables, healthy fats, and fiber—rather than simply focusing on what you need to take away.

And remember, lower-carb doesn't have to mean no-carb. Foods like berries, beans, lentils, vegetables, and whole grains can still be part of a healthy eating pattern. Your individual nutritional needs, preferences, activity level, and health goals matter, so use these recipes as a starting point and customize them for you.

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The Power of Unplugging: How Time Away Can Refresh Your Mind and Body

In the modern age, it can be difficult to step away from the hustle and bustle of day-to-day life. Your phone can be waiting for you to respond before you finish your breakfast, and the stress of work can follow you home. With social media, spending time outside of work can turn into a comparison of your life to others'. While being more connected than ever before, the constant stimuli of the modern age can lead to a busy, cluttered mind and leave us feeling restless. The only solution is to power down and take a break from the screens that surround us.

August 2, 2026

Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Oatmeal

As summer starts winding down and routines begin to return, having a few easy breakfasts you can prep ahead can make healthy eating so much easier.

This Strawberry Rhubarb Chia Oatmeal is a simple combination of creamy rolled oats and a naturally sweet strawberry-rhubarb chia topping. It's packed with fiber and made with just a handful of wholesome ingredients, making it a delicious option for busy mornings, back-to-school breakfasts, or meal prep.

And don't feel like you have to stick with strawberries and rhubarb. Once you have the basic idea down, you can use the same chia fruit topping with whatever fruit you have on hand.

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A client asked me a question yesterday that I thought was worth sharing because it gets at something I talk about all the time when we’re working on eating habits and sustainable weight loss. Often times, I draw inspiration from questions that I’m asked or certain scenarios that clients present to me. I figure if they’re asking - some of you are wondering too.

She said, “I always want a cookie. There’s a point almost every day when I want one. Is that just a thought distortion, or does it mean I’m weak-willed?”

My answer was simple: that cookie could mean a lot of different things.

And figuring out what it means is much more useful than deciding that you have no willpower.

This is actually what I teach on a daily basis and what I work with clients on - finding the source of the challenge and then learning how to decode it so you can take the steps to move forward.

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The Real Reason Diets Don't Work

A client told me recently, "I hope this is the one. I've tried everything else."

She was talking about a new high-protein plan. And I've heard some version of that sentence more times than I can count — keto, low-carb, macros, whatever the current program happens to be. There's always this quiet hope attached to it: maybe this is finally the thing that works.

Here's what stands out to me every single time. It's never about the diet.

If you're someone who keeps searching outside yourself for the right diet, the right protocol, the perfect plan — you're probably always going to be searching. Not because you haven't found the right one yet. Because the thing you're actually looking for isn't a plan at all.

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THE MIND + BODY LAB

5 Gluten Free Noodle Alternatives

5 NOODLE ALTERNATIVES THAT ARE HEALTHY

5 GLUTEN-FREE NOODLE OPTIONS

**THE MIND + BODY LAB - SAY HELLO TO A NEW WAY TO APPROACH YOUR WELLNESS**

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