Could Hearts of Palm Pasta Become the Next Zoodles?

Photo: Instagram/@palmini_pasta
There are plenty of low-calorie and -carb dupes for satisfying your pasta cravings: Zoodles, shirataki noodles and spaghetti squash are all available whether you're gluten-free or just looking to increase your veggie intake. And now there's a new noodle on the block that might just give the OG spiralized zucchini a run for its money.

Hearts of palm noodles are 90 percent water and contain just 15 to 20 calories and four grams of carbs per serving. They are also sugar-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO.

The brand Palmini uses hearts of palm—a veggie that's essentially the edible bulb of a palm tree—to create a pasta substitute. After spending two years developing an industrial machine that can create noodles from the vegetable on a commercial-production level, according to Food Navigator USA, the company started churning out cans of hearts of palm noodles that are 90 percent water and contain just 15 to 20 calories and four grams of carbs per serving. The noodles are also sugar-free, gluten-free, and non-GMO.

A post shared by Palmini Pasta (@palmini_pasta) on Apr 13, 2018 at 8:15am PDT

Right now you can buy linguine and spaghetti from the company's website as well as from Amazon. But how exactly does this product stack up to plain old pasta? As Palmini founder Alfonso Tejada told Food Navigator USA, it can be a "bit crunchy" if you eat it right out of the can, but once boiled, it has a much softer texture that's more noodle-like. And when you add a sauce, there's reportedly even less of a difference. And considering it's the best seller in Amazon's Pasta & Noodles category and has plans to expand its availability in brick-and-mortar stores next year, Palmini might be here to stay for quite a while.

For people who are eco-conscious, this product might raise alarm bells. Harvesting palm trees has led to vast deforestation in Amazonian countries, severely impacting the environment, because palm oil is the most-used vegetable oil on the planet. (You'll find it everything from beauty products to ice cream and chocolate.) But Palmini notes its products are made from cultivated palm trees, meaning the company doesn't cut the entire tree, which it says is a sustainable practice.

So, if you're in the market for a healthy pasta dinner that's essentially like eating a bowl of nutritious air—i.e. a vehicle for healthy pasta sauce and sides—you might want to give hearts of palm noodles a try to shake up your spiralized veggie routine.

These spiralizer recipes are perfect for your veggies. Also, here are five fiber rules to follow for a revved up metabolism.

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