How much Pasta is too much pasta?

[wibblyjelly]

2 year old ds always asks for pasta for dinner. We don't always give it to him, but he probably has it more than he should, as we know he will eat it. He does have different toppings and sauces, so it's not completely the same each time. Is this OK?

more than 3 times a week is too much I would say. It's a lot of refined white flour for a little digestive system to take.

try more protein and less carbohydrates if you can - eggs and meat, and lots of vegetables is the best way.

Eggs are his next favourite, so no problems there! x

I'd say three times a week too. If he's seriously super keen you could maybe bulk it out with veg and actually give him very little pasta but because it's included it would still be a pasta dinner if you know what I mean?

Mix wholemeal and white pasta together to make it a bit more healthy too x

Mine are pasta fiends too. They refuse potato, grains, most other carbs (except bread!). I buy a variety of pasta types (gluten free, corn pasta, spelt pasta etc). Once they like a sauce reliably (eg bolognese), I serve it with rice or something different. This week I'm attempting gnocchi with familiar sauces.

It's not ideal, but some people will never know what it's like to have fussy children despite the very best intentions!

My 18mo DS believes that there is simply no such thing as too much pasta

Bit 3x a week sounds about right. And it is an excellent vehicle for veggies.

He goes to nursery and eats well and varied there. If we don't give him pasta, and he refuses what we cook him or doesn't have a lot of it, we offer fruit. If he doesn't have that, I assume he isn't hungry, which I hope is the right thing to do. He did wolf down a roast chicken dinner the other night

My son loves pasta too. I've started cooking wholewheat pasta as it's not as much refined carbs

Give gluten free pasta. Tastes nice too.

I've been wondering this too as 15mo DS is the same! what else do you feed them then? have just discovered he likes the AK chicken & apricot tagine recipe with rice which is a revelation but he's not keen on potato (trying sweet potato next). Omelette is a hit. He's not keen on sandwiches. What else do you offer?

DS loves dim sum as well. We get it in the frozen section of tescos, and it cooks in about 5 mins. Baked beans can be a hit as well

Is it a good idea to give gluten free pasta to someone who isn't gluten intolerant? I've always cooked two separate pastas for dd and I because I'm a coeliac but it would be easier to just cook my pasta to share.
I would also say that three times a week is plenty for pasta, dd likes whole wheat with cheese sauce, spinach and broccoli or spaghetti with tin toms and peas and sweetcorn

I don't think there's anything wrong with giving gluten free pasta as it's just a different type of grain I think?

Gluten free pasta is made from rice and/or corn. So I would alternate between gluten free and the normal one.