Many people put off going on a diet because they fear having to give up their favorite foods. Many diet plans tell you to avoid certain foods — at least temporarily. This helps you better understand which foods cause you to binge. If done properly, this process will raise your "food awareness", and lead you to a state of "mindful eating". At this point every mouthful is significant, and you do not eat anything unconsciously or thoughtlessly.

One food that many people give up and then feel deprived without, is pasta.

As far as pasta made with "enriched" white flour is concerned, you are better off without it. This is white flour. It provides little nutrition to compensate for the glycemic stress on your system.

However, whole-grain and multi-grain pastas are something else altogether. These can be eaten in reasonable amounts when following a low-glycemic diet. Whole-grain pastas satisfy your hunger better than "enriched" white ones, and can cause less havoc to your blood sugar levels.

There are a number of useful tricks you can use to "stretch" pasta so it is even lower-glycemic and lower-calorie. Here are some unusual ideas that produce very tasty and nutritious meals:

• Cook whole-wheat spinach spaghetti together with French-cut green beans. The colors match nicely, and the green beans will lower the carb and calorie count so you can have a larger portion.
• Cook any whole-grain pasta together with shredded carrots and chopped cauliflower, for a beautiful lower-carb, lower-calorie dish that can be served hot, or made into a cold salad.
• Cook any whole-grain pasta along with baby peas and diced carrots. Not only is this lower-carb and lower-calorie — the peas and carrots add additional protein and other nutrients.