The world has changed – finding whole-wheat pasta is easier than ever!

Just a few years ago, finding whole-wheat pasta was like finding a needle in a haystack!  The choices were few, the costs were high, and only brand names were available.  Not so any more – the pasta sections in stores are now larger, and within the section there is often a “regular pasta” area and a “whole-wheat pasta” area.  And, many grocery stores have introduced their own whole-wheat store brand.

Larger grocery stores tend to have the best selection of affordable whole-wheat pasta.  When shopping for pasta you may notice that the regular and whole-wheat varieties are often priced the same.  However, if you look closely you will notice there is a difference in the package size.  On a recent shopping trip I noticed that the package size for regular pastas was larger (16 ounces) than the whole-wheat pastas (13.25 ounces) yet both were priced at $1.08.  You’ll find a similar difference at most stores, but nutritionally you’ll be getting so much more by selecting whole-wheat pasta.  And, if you had SNAP benefits you could add financial benefits to the nutritional benefits – fuller wallet, healthier you!  Let us know if you’ve shifted from buying and eating regular pasta to buying and eating whole-wheat pasta.

See the US Department of Agriculture’s “Build a healthy meal” tip sheet for more ideas.

Many varieties of store-brand pastas are available – elbows, penne, rotini, linguine, spaghetti, thin spaghetti …