Weight Loss Surgery Cookbook

258 Part III: Simple Recipes to Enjoy Anytime

Making a Little Go a Long

Way: Pasta Side Dishes

Pasta doesn’t have to be a food of the past after weight loss surgery. Granted,

some pastas work better than others, and chances are you won’t be able to

eat a whole bowl of pasta like you did before. Being restricted to a smaller

portion size is just part of the reason. The type of flour makes the difference

in how well it sets in the pouch.

Pasta made with white flour typically doesn’t work well because it sticks

together and forms big lumps. If you’ve ever cooked pasta, put it in the drainer

without rinsing, and left it for a few minutes, you know that you ended up with

a big clump of noodles all stuck together. That’s what happens to it in your

pouch, too, and you won’t feel good. Whole-wheat pasta has a lot more fiber

and doesn’t clump together after cooking, so it won’t lump up in your pouch

as much, either.

Pasta can be served as a main dish or a side dish. What’s the difference? If

the recipe contains a protein food like chicken or seafood, consider it a main

dish. If there isn’t a protein food in the recipe, consider it a side dish and pair

it with a protein food. Pasta is an especially good side dish when paired with

lots of vegetables.

Here are a few tips for cooking pasta:

✓ When cooked correctly, pasta is al dente: soft to the touch with a slight

firmness in the center. However, pasta will probably set better in the

pouch if you cook it until it’s soft all the way through. No two packaged

pastas are the same, so be sure to read the directions before cooking.

Contrary to popular belief, throwing the pasta in the air and having it

stick the ceiling is not an accurate way to test doneness.

✓ Don’t add oil to the water when cooking pasta. The oil coats the pasta

and keeps sauces and other foods from clinging to it.

Sweet potatoes versus yams

Sweet potatoes and yams are not the same

thing. Most of the “yams” you see in the

grocery store are really sweet potatoes. The

USDA requires that anything called a yam also

be labeled “sweet potato,” but they come from

different botanical families. Sweet potatoes are

about the size of regular potatoes, yams can

grow up to 70 pounds! Yams are not as moist

or as sweet as sweet potatoes and contain less

beta-carotene.