Speaker 1 (00:33):
You know, sometimes there’s nothing better than a decadent hearty bowl of pasta. But you may be saying, Dr. G, isn’t pasta loaded with lectins? Well, yes, traditional wheat pastas are terrible for your health, but luckily there are plenty of delicious and healthy alternatives. In today’s episode, I’m sharing my favorite pasta alternatives that you can enjoy right at home while staying slim and healthy. All right, let’s start with millet pasta. Millet is a seeded grass that most of you know, like sorghum, is actually not a grain, even though it’s marketed as a grain, that has absolutely no lectins. And it’s actually very efficient in producing a grain with very low water. So as water becomes scarcer and scarcer, millet and sorghum become much more important grain alternatives for multiple reasons. Now, it can be made into a pasta that supports both heart and gut health. It’s rich in magnesium and potassium, and it can work wonders for your gut.

(01:45):
It’s great for digestion and may also support better nutrient retention. There’s a lot of dietary fiber in millet. And as you know, the dietary fiber in millet is what feeds your good gut bugs. And this has actually got a great mouthfeel like aldente pasta, and it kind of holds up to cooking. Uh, this one’s made by Big Green. We use these, we like them, and that’s why I’m showing you. All right, next up, Shirataki noodles. Now, Shirataki noodles are often called miracle noodles, a brand name, or conject noodles. They’re about 97% water and about 3% glucamon and fiber. Glucamonin is a fiber that comes from the conjack root. Glucamonin is viscous, which means it absorbs water aggressively, and it’s a type of soluble fiber that has been shown to absolutely feed good gut bacteria. Now, these noodles move through your digestive system quite slowly, which makes you actually really feel full.

(02:56):
And they are not absorbed by us, but our gut bacteria think they’re dessert. So anytime you can find shirtaki or miracle noodles, and I have a lot of recipes on YouTube, a lot of recipes in my books that use shritaki noodles. There’s also shirtaki rice. Next up is sorghum pasta. Now, this virtual spaghetti swabs is one of the great super foods. Sorghum is full of polyphenols and gut-boosting compounds that contains a lot of B vitamins, which play an essential role in metabolism, nerve cell development, and healthy skin and nails. It’s also a great source of magnesium that unfortunately, almost all of us are deficient in. What’s more, a half a cup of sorghum provides seven grams of fiber, which is about 25% of all you need on a daily basis. And quite frankly, I love my Gundry MD sorghum pasta. To me, it’s got the best mouth veal of any of the pastas you’re gonna see here today.

(04:05):
Orgum is high in antioxidants that include flavonoids, phenolic acids, and tannins. These antioxidants can absolutely go a long way in reducing oxidative stress. Finally, this grain is a great source of plant-based protein. In fact, it provides as much protein as quinoa, a cereal grain renowned for its high protein content that unfortunately is loaded with lectins. Next up, fairly new one, green banana pasta. This is organic green bananas. You’ve heard me talk about the benefit of green bananas, and now it’s available in a pasta. The great thing about this is it’s loaded with dietary fiber, and it also has a really good mouth feel. The other wonderful thing about this, it is ready in four minutes of cooking. So if you’ve got kids who are screaming for pasta and no time on your hands, great new product, uh, with green banana flour. Next up, Palmini pasta made from hearts of palm.

(05:16):
Now, I love this because very much like conject noodles, there’s virtually no sugar, and it’s mostly fiber. So I prefer this mouthfield to that of conjact noodles, but it’s a, it’s an individual preference. It’s so easy to fix. You fix them almost exactly like conject noodles, but the beauty of this and conject noodles is it’s all fiber and no sugar. And before we go, after we’re done with all this, I wanna give you a warning about the carbohydrate content. And all of these except conject and palmiti. Next up, there are sweet potato noodles and vermicelli. This one is made from sweet potato and purple sweet potato, which you can kinda see the purple color. Sweet potatoes are another great source of dietary fiber, and these cook up pretty quick. It takes about, oh, uh, six minutes, not very long. They’re ready. Don’t overcook these. These become slimy.

(06:23):
But another great change of paste, um, this particular one is bee green as well. And it’s lectin-free. Yay. Finally, the old standby cappellos. Cappellos make spaghetti. They make fetuccini. They make other forms. Now, this is made primarily from almond flour, peeled almonds. Uh, it does have eggs, so those of you who are egg sensitive, be careful. This, to me, tastes the closest to fresh-made pasta. In fact, you’ll find this in your freezer section, often in the vegetarian area. It cooks up quick. Again, I think it is closest to fresh pasta that you make at home. Now, word of warning. I have a lot of people who say, “Wow, I had no idea. Uh, you know, this is great. I’m gonna have it every day from now on. ” Not so fast. Most of these, with the exception of the Palmini and the Shirataki noodles, still have a significant carbohydrate content.

(07:35):
And that carbohydrate, even though it may break down slowly, is sugar eventually. And I have a number of my well-meaning patients who wanna go lectin-free, want to avoid traditional pastas that latch on to all of these and use it almost on a daily basis. And they often gain weight. They often raise their triglycerides. They often raise their insulin, and they’re apoplectic when they see their blood work, because they’re eating healthy. View these as treats. Have them on the weekend, have them as a special occasion, but don’t make them a mainstay of your diet. Lastly, you’ll see a lot of other pasta alternatives out there, made from pea protein, made from, uh, legume protein, made from bean protein, made from, uh, lentil protein, made from corn. Please, please, please stay away. These are lectin bombs, hidden in pasta. You don’t wanna come near them, particularly since there are so many great lectin-free alternatives, and you’re gonna find one or more of these that’s gonna hit your taste button the exact right way, and make it part of your diet, but don’t overdo it.

Speaker 2 (09:04):
I hope you enjoyed this episode of the Dr. Gundry Podcast. If you did, please share this with family and friends. You never know how one of these health tips can completely transform someone’s life when you take the time to share it with them. There’s also the Dr. Gundry Podcast YouTube channel, where we have tens of thousands of free health insights that can help you and your loved ones live a long, vital life. Let’s do this together.