This week’s healthy substitution recommendation of the week is spaghetti squash vs. pasta. A spaghetti squash is a large, yellow, melon-shaped gourd that’s usually harvested in early fall but is available in most grocery stores throughout the year. The flesh of the inside of the spaghetti squash is able to be shredded into long strands of “noodles” and thus can be used in most traditional pasta dishes.
Cooked spaghetti squash has 42 calories per cup compared to a whopping 196 calories in
cooked pasta. The cooked spaghetti squash contains .4 grams of fat per cup while cooked
pasta has 3 times as much fat at 1.2 grams per cup! Cooked pasta has almost four times as many carbs at 38 grams per cup vs 10 grams with cooked spaghetti squash. The health benefits go on and on!
It’s easy to prepare the spaghetti squash “noodles”. Cut the squash in half lengthwise, scoop out the seeds, rub the insides of the squash with olive oil and sprinkle a touch of salt and pepper then place both halves face down on a baking sheet. Bake at 400 degrees for 25 minutes. Once done baking, using a fork, scrape the inside of the spaghetti squash to create your noodles. You can eat AS-IS or prepare your favorite pasta dish using your spaghetti squash noodles!
SJD Health and Fitness 