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Is swapping pasta for a plant-based, grain-free version healthier?

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February 27, 2023 at 2:00 p.m. EST
Grocery stores are full of alternate versions of familiar foods. (Getty Images)

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Alternate versions of familiar foods — such as bean rice, hearts of palm pasta and plant-based chicken — are everywhere in supermarkets.

Many of them seem to be better for you than the foods they’re meant to replace, but are you really making a healthy swap when you choose them? We looked at five increasingly popular products and compared them with the original versions.

Plant-based creamers

Plant-based creamers are made from plant milks, such as oat, coconut, soy and almond, but they’re thicker, similar to half-and-half. Nutritionally, it probably doesn’t matter whether you opt for half-and-half or a plant-based creamer if you use it in small amounts, says Josephine Connolly-Schoonen, director of the nutrition division at Stony Brook Medicine in New York. A tablespoon of half-and-half has 20 calories and about 1 gram of saturated fat. Depending on the type of milk, creamers can have about 15 to 30 calories and 0 to 1 gram of saturated fat.

The amount of added sugars is different, though. Half-and-half has none, while plant-based creamers are often sweetened and flavored. “If you add a lot of ‘cream’ to your coffee or drink a lot of coffee, the sugars can add up,” says Amy Keating, a Consumer Reports nutritionist and registered dietitian.

Look for one that has little or no added sugars. If you prefer a flavored one, use it in place of sugar in your coffee. The American Heart Association recommends no more than 25 grams of added sugars a day for women and 36 grams for men.

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Another difference: Plant milk creamers may have added vegetable oils and emulsifiers, such as guar gum and carrageenan. These give them a thicker texture and creamier taste than plant milk itself. But “there are indicators that emulsifiers might be bad for the GI tract,” says Connolly-Schoonen, referring to limited research suggesting that some of them damage the gut lining. Again, though, if you use small amounts, the creamers are fine for most people, she says.

Grain-free cereals

Trading your morning shredded wheat or oatmeal for a grain-free cereal isn’t necessarily a healthy food swap. “These cereals can make you think that there’s something wrong with eating grains, but that’s not the case,” Keating says. “Many studies show that including whole grains in your diet reduces the risk of heart disease, cancer and more, and regular cereal can be a convenient way to get them.”

Still, some grain-free cereals can be good for you, such as grain-free granolas. These are typically made from a combination of nuts and seeds — which provide healthy fats, fiber, protein and nutrients such as magnesium and potassium — in place of traditional oats.

Just be mindful of added sugars and portion sizes. Ideally, a serving should have no more than 4 grams of added sugars. “But the serving size on the package is often just between one-fourth and one-half cup,” Keating says. It can look puny in your bowl, so remember that if you double the serving, you double the calories, fat and sugars.

Other grain-free cereals are often made with cassava, potato and tapioca starches, or chickpea or lentil flour instead of grains. With the exception of the bean flours, which have protein and potassium, these ingredients don’t have much nutritional value. A recent CR test evaluated six grain-free cereals. None were flavor standouts, and only one received top scores for nutrition.

Hearts of palm pasta

The latest low-carb pasta alternative is hearts of palm, which are cutup strips of the cream-colored vegetable. People say it’s close to the taste and texture of the real thing. It’s also very low in calories — about 50 per cup vs. about 200 per cup of cooked spaghetti.

“Considering most Americans don’t consume nearly enough vegetables daily, eating hearts of palm pasta is a great way to increase veggies in your diet,” Keating says.

Cauliflower and chickpea rices

Riced cauliflower is an excellent replacement for people looking to add in more fiber-rich vegetables with a negligible carb count, and it has about 20 calories per serving. Rice made from chickpeas isn’t much lower in carbs than the rice we know, but it does offer more protein and fiber.

These products contain added salt for flavor. “Sodium is one of those things that entices people to eat too much,” Connolly-Schoonen says. Regular rice has little sodium unless you add it yourself. As long as you keep tabs on sodium (the recommended daily limit is less than 2,300 milligrams), these items can be a good pick, Connolly-Schoonen says. But don’t expect either to have the flavor or texture of regular rice. Some bean rices may not have a firm texture, and cauliflower rice has more crunch than chew.

Plant-based ‘chicken’

Some consumers think plant-based “meats” are healthier than the types they’re supposed to resemble, but that’s not always the case. The protein often comes in the form of soy or pea isolates. These proteins have been extracted from the original plant, but they aren’t the same as vegetables you buy at a produce stand.

Another concern, Keating says, is that it’s not clear whether replacing meats with these alternatives has the same health benefits as eating whole plant foods like beans, vegetables and tofu. They can also be higher in sodium than the products they’re replacing. But if mock meats make it easier for you to start eating a more plant-based diet, having them a few times a week is fine.

Copyright 2022, Consumer Reports Inc.

Consumer Reports is an independent, nonprofit organization that works side by side with consumers to create a fairer, safer, and healthier world. CR does not endorse products or services, and does not accept advertising. Read more at ConsumerReports.org.

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