Can This Rebalanced Pasta Deliver the Taste You Crave Without the Carbohydrate Load?
They put the carb into carpe diem when they made Carbe Diem pasta. Shoutout to Hillary H., who requested that I take a look at this product!
As a Health and Lifestyle Coach, I’m often sent food products with the question, “What do you think of this?” attached. I love receiving client, listener, and reader requests. If you’re ever wondering about a topic or product, submit it through my website.
With Carbe Diem pasta, one nutrition fact immediately caught my attention. They tout a whopping 24g of fiber per serving.
Fiber can make food more filling, however that much at once may create gastrointestinal discomfort, especially if you aren’t used to it. This is very individual, so remember, you are the expert on your own body. Pay attention to how you feel after eating that much fiber. The type of fiber can make a difference, too.
I typically start on a company’s website. Carbe Diem says, “real pasta that cooks like real pasta, just rebalanced with 55% less net carbs than traditional pasta,” on their shop page. I appreciate that they get right to the point.
Carbe Diem is 100% wheat-based pasta, which may be why the taste and texture are similar to traditional pasta. If wheat or gluten challenges you, this may not be the product for you.
The website explains that they mill wheat and separate it into individual components. They then add back protein through vital wheat gluten and fiber through modified wheat starch. This formulation allows them to reduce net carbohydrates and calories.
Here’s the thing. This is still a processed food. You can easily buy flour from Italy online. One of my colleagues says her kids are obsessed with the pizza and pasta she makes with it, and that it doesn’t affect her gluten sensitivity the same way some grains grown in the U.S. do. Try it if that interests you.
Individual responses to wheat and gluten vary, and many factors may be involved. For more on this topic, listen to this episode where I discussed ancient wheat versus modern wheat.
Back to Carbe Diem, which was a startup funded by General Mills. Do what you want with that information.
The founder, Katie, explains in a video that she started the business to close the gap between choosing what supports you and choosing what you’re craving. Her goal was to create something people could truly enjoy eating, and I respect that.
They offer several pasta shapes. Hillary said she liked the Penne, so that’s the one we’ll evaluate. The serving size is 2 ounces dry and provides 110 calories, 0.5g of fat, 40g of total carbohydrates, 24g of fiber, 0g of sugar, and 8g of protein.
When assessing the macronutrients, the fat, fiber, and protein meet our trusty old Rule of Five for evaluating a single processed food. Next, we look at net carbs.
With 40g of total carbohydrates minus 24g of fiber, we get 16g of net carbs. Our general guideline is single-digit net carbs for a single food. Despite the high fiber content, you may still notice a blood sugar response that isn’t what you expect.
This isn’t necessarily a deal-breaker. You may work with it by having less than a full serving or pairing it with protein and quality fat, which may help blunt the impact of those carbohydrates.
The ingredient list is short, with only modified wheat starch, semolina wheat, and vital wheat gluten. That’s a thumbs-up from me! Modified wheat starch provides the fiber, while vital wheat gluten contributes protein.
They mention using European-style semolina. Notice the wording, European-style, not semolina sourced from Europe. Where and how wheat is grown, along with the variety used, may affect the final product and how we feel after eating it.
Also, pay attention to serving size. Two ounces of penne can look very different from two ounces of elbow noodles. I’m not big on living life attached to measuring cups and a food scale, though measuring a serving a couple of times can help you visualize the portion.
Finally, consider nutrient diversity. Looking beyond the high fiber number matters. This pasta provides significant fiber without much in the way of micronutrients. Fiber-rich foods like vegetables and fruit may also provide vitamins and minerals, and fiber behaves differently depending on factors including type, structure, and fermentability.
My verdict? I think I would try Carbe Diem. I appreciate the short ingredient list, added fiber, and the fact that it still cooks and tastes like pasta. At the same time, I don’t know if I would make it a staple.