Have you heard of the no-carb noodle?
When I was on the quest to achieve a more ketogenic diet, while being plant based (which I discuss here), I wanted to find the kind of foods that would allow me to live a somewhat normal lifestyle.
I love pasta. Anything Italian for that matter (especially their wine). Because of this, low carb isn’t easy. But there is a solution:
The Shirataki Noodle
This high in fiber, low calorie, no glucose food was exactly what I was looking for. And it has been around for a very long time.
The Shirataki noodle is made from the powdered root of the Asian Konjac yam. It consists of a highly soluble fiber called glucomannan. According to a few studies, this stuff is really good for you.
Glucomannan lowers bad LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, and fasting blood sugar (an added bonus for anyone trying the vegan keto diet). This is what makes it perfect for an intermittent faster. I discuss the benefits of intermittent fasting here.
Most importantly, glucomannan significantly slows the absorption of sugar into your bloodstream after you eat.
This helps control blood sugar spikes, which is an incidental benefit of intermittent fasting. This is just one more plus to the shirataki noodle.
The shirataki noodle is not the only high soluble fiber food that is out there. It is, however, the one that best simulates that carby goodness we find in most pastas. It looks like pasta, absorbs sauce (more or less) like pasta, and feels like pasta. For the most part, it covers all of the basis. If you’re a traditionalist, it won’t do. But for someone looking to have their cake and eat part of it too, it’s perfect.
An added bonus is that it makes you feel awesome after you eat it. This is because of the glucomannan.
After I eat the shirataki noodle in any quantity I noticed some pretty interesting side effects. I track my heart rate each night. My resting heart rate on average every time I eat the shirataki noodle is 3-4 BPM lower. This could be caused from the glucomannan slowing down the absorption of sugar into my bloodstream, thus triggering an easier and slower metabolic response to the meal. As an intermittent faster, I typically only have one meal a day (OMAD); but I make it count!
After eating a typical pasta meal I’m out of commission, my heart rate is through the roof, and I feel horrible. After almost exclusively subbing out pasta for the shirataki noodle I’ve noticed a big difference.
There are a lot of variables that go into your heart rate and getting a good night’s sleep. But placebo or not, I’ll be sure to use shirataki noodles anytime I’m in the mood for Italian.
Al holds a Juris Doctorate from the University of Ottawa, and a Bachelor of Arts Double Major in Linguistics & Political Studies from the University of Manitoba. He is currently working in Toronto, Ontario, Canada. Al has a passion for language, meditation, health, travelling, business and tech. Al is one of the co-founders of ThoughtNotion. You can connect with him on his personal site or on LinkedIn.
