Food allergies impact millions of people in the United States, many of them children (food allergies can get better as you get older in some cases).
If you have food allergies, which pastas are the safest choices?
Some of the pastas that are best for those with allergies include:
- Brown rice pasta
- Cassava pasta
- Chickpea pasta
- Gluten-free pasta (e.g. Barilla gluten-free)
- Hearts of Palm pasta
- Lentil pasta
- Shirataki noodles (not tofu)
- Soba rice noodles (buckwheat)
We’ll review the most common food allergies and explain why these pastas are allergy-friendly in this article!
Common food allergies
A food allergy is when your body has an immune response after eating a certain type of food. When you have an immune response, you can experience symptoms such as a rash, stomach upset, and even severe anaphylactic shock that causes breathing difficulties and can be life-threatening.
If you or someone you know has food allergies, you’re probably aware of the importance of reading food labels to ensure you’re not inadvertently eating your food allergen. Food labels require a statement at the bottom clearly stating if a common food allergen is present (e.g. CONTAINS: MILK).
The nine most common food allergies are:
- Milk (usually cow’s milk, but it can also be other mammal milk like goat’s milk, etc.)
- Eggs
- Peanuts
- Tree nuts
- Fish
- Shellfish
- Wheat
- Soy
- Sesame
Important note: Some types of pasta contain eggs (such as egg noodles), so you have to be vigilant in reading food labels!
Which pastas are best for allergy sufferers?
Since wheat is a common food allergen, that means that most types of “regular” pasta aren’t allergy-friendly. In addition, you might have a gluten intolerance, which isn’t the same as an allergy, but can result in stomach upset and other similar symptoms – and wheat contains gluten.
We’ll review eight pastas that don’t contain any of the nine most common food allergens next!
8 pastas best for allergy sufferers
Brown rice pasta
Rice is known as one of the best allergy-friendly foods because it’s unlikely to cause an allergic reaction compared to many other foods. Brown rice pasta is made from brown rice flour and is high in carbs like regular flour but is a bit lower in protein.
Cassava pasta
A grain-free, Paleo-friendly option, cassava flour pasta is made from cassava, a root vegetable. The most popular brand of cassava flour pasta (Jovial) is found in many grocery stores, so it’s convenient and accessible.
Chickpea pasta
Chickpea pasta is higher in fiber and protein compared to regular pasta and is free of common food allergens. It’s not keto- or Paleo-friendly, though (chickpeas are a type of legume, which are excluded from a Paleo diet).
Gluten-free pasta (e.g. Barilla gluten-free)
Pasta marketed as gluten-free (like gluten-free penne, gluten-free spaghetti, etc) looks like regular pasta but is generally made from corn and rice flour. They aren’t low-carb and they aren’t Paleo or keto-friendly, but they are generally allergy-friendly.
Hearts of Palm pasta
This unique, low-calorie “pasta” is made from hearts of Palm, which are harvested from the inner core and growing buds of certain palm trees (including the coconut tree). They are shaped into noodle-like strands, which make it an alternative to regular pasta that is also Paleo and keto-friendly (but always check the ingredients to be sure).
Lentil pasta
Like chickpea pasta, lentil pasta is made from legumes so is naturally rich in fiber and protein. Also like chickpea pasta, it’s not Paleo- or keto-friendly!
Shirataki noodles
This low-carb and low-calorie pasta is made from the konjac plant, a type of root vegetable. (Some types of shirataki noodles are made from tofu, which contains soy and isn’t allergy-friendly.)
Soba rice noodles (buckwheat)
Despite ‘wheat’ being in the name, buckwheat doesn’t contain wheat! It’s a pseudocereal (plants that are botanically like fruits or seeds but are used like grains – like quinoa) that is gluten-free and allergy-friendly.
Be sure to avoid soba noodles that contain wheat flour, which aren’t allergy-friendly (soba rice noodles are allergy-friendly though).
Nutritional comparison of allergy-friendly pastas
| Pasta – 2 oz. (unless specified) | Calories | Total fat (saturated) | Total carbs (fiber) | Protein |
| Brown rice pasta | 210 | 1 g (0 g) | 44 g (2 g) | 4 g |
| Cassava pasta | 200 | 0 g | 49 g (4 g) | 1 g |
| Chickpea pasta | 190 | 3 g (0 g) | 35 g (5 g) | 11 g |
| Gluten-free pasta (e.g. Barilla gluten-free) | 190 | 1 g (0 g) | 44 g (2 g) | 4 g |
| Hearts of Palm pasta – ½ cup | 20 | 0 g | 5 g (3 g) | 1 g |
| Lentil pasta | 190 | 1.5 g (0 g) | 34 g (6 g) | 14 g |
| Shirataki noodles – 100 grams | 5 | 0 g | 4 g (2 g) | 0 g |
| Soba rice noodles (buckwheat) | 200 | 1 g (0 g) | 43 g (2 g) | 6 g |
FAQs:
Pasta can contain common food allergens including wheat and egg. Allergy-friendly pastas include brown rice pasta, lentil pasta, and shirataki noodles (not tofu), to name a few.
Gluten-free pasta (e.g. Barilla gluten-free or any certified gluten-free pasta), lentil pasta, and brown rice pasta are a few allergy-friendly pastas that are suitable for egg and wheat allergies.
Shirataki noodles made from konjac flour are soy-free, but tofu shirataki noodles aren’t soy-free because they contain soybeans.
Leave a Comment