Skinny Pasta is a unique product sold by the It's Skinny brand. It's pasta with only 9 calories per serving, and the brand describes their product line as "Pasta Reimagined."
But what's actually in Skinny Pasta, and how is it possible for pasta to only provide 9 calories per serving? Are there any unhealthy ingredients? What was our Product Tester's experience trying Skinny Pasta? And can this product cause weight loss?
In this article we'll answer all of these questions and more, as we analyze the ingredients in Skinny Pasta to give our take on whether or not it's a healthy option, and whether or not it can support sustainable, long-term weight loss.
We'll also share our Product Tester's honest experience purchasing and trying it, and compare Skinny Pasta to other popular weight loss food products like Almased to pick our winners.
Key takeaways:
- Rich in fiber, which can support weight loss
- Original version contains no ingredients we consider unhealthy
- We currently recommend Skinny Pasta (but not Skinny Pasta Organic)
Ingredient Analysis
The ingredients in Skinny Pasta are shown below:
Konjac powder is an excellent, natural ingredient base for a low-calorie pasta in our opinion.
This ingredient is rich in dietary fiber which can support gut health, and has even been studied for its effects on weight loss.
A 2019 medical review analyzed clinical trial data on konjac supplementation, and concluded that the plant "can reduce the levels of glucose, cholesterol, triglycerides, and blood pressure and can enable weight loss."
Oat powder is rich in minerals like phosphorous and magnesium according to the USDA.
Calcium hydroxide is a pH adjuster, and should be a safe filler ingredient.
Sorbic acid is a preservative shown to cause negative effects to cholesterol metabolism in a clinical trial in mice, published in the Journal of Food and Drug Analysis.
However, those effects don't appear to be replicated in humans based on results from a 1990 medical review.
The ingredients in Organic Skinny Pasta are shown below:
Citric acid is a preservative is clinically shown to cause whole-body inflammation in some individuals, as we documented in our article on which bread at Subway is the healthiest.
Overall, we consider Skinny Pasta to be a healthier option than traditional, "enriched" pasta, and we consider this product likely to support weight loss.
Fiber creates the sense of fullness without any calories, and this can delay hunger cravings and reduce overall calorie intake.
We Tested Skinny Pasta
One of our product testers named Jodie Steinberg tried Skinny Pasta. Here's her experience:
The package is easily opened. Once opened, you pull the pasta out of the inside bag, rinse it and cook it in your favorite sauce for 2-10 minutes.
I tried the pasta variety pack, which comes with spaghetti, fettuccine, angel hair and rice.
The bags only contain nine calories.
As a substitute for pasta, as someone who does not eat carbs with dinner usually for health and weight maintenance reasons, I found this to be a great substitute when combined with ingredients like meatballs.
The pasta itself does not really taste like anything so it will taste like whatever sauce you cook it in.
I don’t usually cook rice in sauce, which made it a bit more difficult to figure out how to make the rice work.
The product is very chewy and hard to bite through to cut it with your teeth so you end up swallowing a lot of it whole.
I had zero stomach issues or other concerns when trying this product line.
I would repurchase Skinny Pasta, but not the rice product from the brand.
Overall, I'd rate the regular Skinny Pasta 7/10, and the Skinny Rice Pasta 2/10.
Skinny Pasta vs. Popular Weight Loss Foods
Here's how Skinny Pasta stacks up against other popular weight loss food products in terms of healthiness and potential effectiveness in our opinion:
Almased
Shown in clinical trials published in peer-reviewed journals (which is the gold standard of product research) to cause weight loss, as we documented in our Almased review article.
Although it has a vitamin and mineral blend we don't recommend, we consider it healthier than Skinny Pasta because it has no ingredients we consider unhealthy.
Winner: Almased
Apple Cider Vinegar
Apple cider vinegar (ACV) has been clinically shown to cause nearly 10 pounds of weight loss when taken at a research-backed dose of 30 milliliters (mL) per day.
Healthy, whole food option with other metabolic benefits.
Winner: Apple Cider Vinegar
Collagen Burn
Contains some research-backed active ingredients for weight loss, and is free of unhealthy additives.
Also contains collagen at a research-backed dose, which can improve skin quality, for a potential secondary benefit.
Winner: Collagen Burn
Is Zero-Calorie Pasta Possible?
A YouTube creator named Felu has a video on shiritaki noodles which are zero-calorie. The video has over 900,000 views:
Our Clean Weight Loss Picks
Ceylon cinnamon was described as "an effective anti-obesity agent" in a 2022 meta-analysis. The study authors concluded that effects were greater at doses at or over 3 grams daily.
Illuminate Labs Ceylon Cinnamon Extract is our standardized Ceylon cinnamon supplement which is third-party tested to ensure purity and potency.
Dietary fiber was shown in a medical review published in The Journal of Nutrition to cause 16 pounds of weight loss in 6 months when combined with moderate caloric restriction (750 calories per day below baseline).
MBG Organic Fiber Potency+ is our top fiber pick because it's certified organic, provides 7 g of fiber per serving and costs under $1.85 per serving at the time of updating this article.
Both of the products mentioned in this section are free of ingredients that we consider to be unhealthy.
Skinny Pasta Pros and Cons
Pros:
- Healthier than "enriched" pasta
- Can support weight loss
- Relatively unprocessed
- Decently positive online customer reviews
- Free shipping from brand's website
- Cheaper version has better formulation
Cons:
- Organic version contains citric acid
- Some online customer reviews complain about texture
- More expensive than traditional pasta
