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Dry whole-wheat spaghetti and macaroni

Whole-wheat pasta, dry

Checked by us One serving: 85 g (about ⅔ cup elbow macaroni) · 299 kcal

Weighed dry, before cooking.

Lots of protein and fibre. Rich in 5 more nutrients: see Good for.

Nothing to watch for most people.

Worth knowing for some people: gluten.

Good for

How we counted this

What one serving (85 g) gives you.

Your body needs enough of each of these. Past enough, more doesn’t help. Amounts are what the food databases list, not what your body absorbs, unless a row says it was measured.

The words: “A lot” means one serving gives 20% or more of Health Canada’s daily amount, “Some” 10% to 19%, “A little” 2% to 9%, “Almost none” under 2%. Strongest word first; within a word, protein and fibre lead, then the biggest share.

A milligram (mg) is a thousandth of a gram, and a microgram (µg) a thousandth of a milligram: 1,000 µg make 1 mg.

12 more nutrients below “a lot”

Missing from our databases for this food, so left out, not counted as zero: vitamin A, vitamin C and choline.

Watch out

How we counted this

Nothing here reaches a limit at ordinary amounts.

For some people

  • Person-specific: wheat pasta contains gluten, so it is flagged for people with celiac disease.

Worth knowing

No limit applies, so none is rated.

  • Sugar

    2.3 g of sugar in a 85 g serving, natural and added together.

    Learn more

    Shown, not rated. The food tables we read give total sugar, and few give added sugar, so the site can’t yet tell sugar added in making a food from the sugar in fruit or milk.

Better options

How we counted this

“Better” here always means better at something the row names: more of one nutrient, more nutrients per serving, or the goal you pick. It never means better in every way.

Every amount below is for the same weight, 85 g, the size of one serving of this food, so a swap compares like with like. A serving of another food can be bigger or smaller.

Compared with the other starchy sides we’ve checked.

A food is listed only if it gives clearly more: at least a fifth more than this food, and at least 10% of the daily amount more.

More of what it’s good for

For protein: no other starchy sides we’ve checked give clearly more, in the same 85 g.

For fibre: no other starchy sides we’ve checked give clearly more, in the same 85 g.

More nutrients per serving, counted together

The other starchy sides we’ve checked with more nutrients per serving than this one, counting at most 100 kcal. One score ranks them all, so the same few often lead.

  • Whole-wheat bread
    • More vitamin E (2.4 mg vs 0.39 mg)
    • More calcium (139 mg vs 24.7 mg)
    • Less selenium (21.9 µg vs 66 µg)
    • Less niacin (4.68 mg vs 9.55 mg)

1 food out of the 4 other starchy sides we’ve checked and could compare gives clearly more nutrients per serving.

Where the calcium card measured that less calcium gets in than from milk, calcium counts for less; everything else is as listed.

Your goal

Your goal changes only this list, not what the food gives you or what to watch.

Losing weight: fewer calories, and more nutrients, protein and fibre for each calorie.

  • Sweet potato, boiled
    • 65 kcal in 85 g (this food: 299)
    • Less selenium (0.17 µg vs 66 µg)
    • Less niacin (0.74 mg vs 9.55 mg)
  • Whole-wheat bread
    • 216 kcal in 85 g (this food: 299)
    • More vitamin E (2.4 mg vs 0.39 mg)
    • More calcium (139 mg vs 24.7 mg)
    • Less selenium (21.9 µg vs 66 µg)
    • Less niacin (4.68 mg vs 9.55 mg)
  • Quinoa, cooked
    • 102 kcal in 85 g (this food: 299)
    • Less selenium (2.38 µg vs 66 µg)
    • Less niacin (1.09 mg vs 9.55 mg)
Why some foods aren’t suggested

Left out: Sweet potato, baked (Worth knowing: acrylamide).

Bring a tracker export or describe your usual week. The same rules check all of it.

The numbers

Open every value

Name in the database: Pasta, dry, whole wheat (spaghetti, macaroni)

How the serving was set: 85 g dry (Health Canada C.8, pastas and noodles without sauce)

Listed nutrients, per 100 g

For each nutrient, the value this page uses is marked “used”. A row marked “second database” is another database’s figure for a matching food, kept so you can see how far databases disagree (they can differ in the samples analysed, lab methods and rounding). Its own cells are worked out from it, but none of the page’s words or scores are.

NutrientPer servingPer 100 caloriesHowSourceGrade
Omega-3: ALA0.07 g0.06 g0.02 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Calcium29 mg24.65 mg8.24 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
39 mg33.15 mg11.08 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
29 mg24.65 mg8.24 mgcopy of USDA · not usedCanadian Nutrient File 2026 #4516C
Carbohydrate73.37 g62.36 g20.84 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Energy352 kcal299.2 kcal–FDC Energy (kcal) usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy)–
Omega-3: EPA + DHA0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Fat2.93 g2.49 g0.83 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
2.5 g2.13 g0.71 gsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Cholesterol0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Fatty acids, total saturated0.428 g0.36 g0.12 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Fibre9.2 g7.82 g2.61 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
11.7 g9.94 g3.32 gsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Folate69 µg58.65 µg19.6 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
29 µg24.65 µg8.24 µgsecond database · not used · 2.4×UK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Iron3.62 mg3.08 mg1.03 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
3.25 mg2.76 mg0.92 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Magnesium128 mg108.8 mg36.36 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
103 mg87.55 mg29.26 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Niacin (B3, niacin equivalents)11.234 mg9.55 mg3.19 mglisted usedCanadian Nutrient File 2026 #4516C
Phosphorus343 mg291.55 mg97.44 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
333 mg283.05 mg94.6 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Potassium434 mg368.9 mg123.3 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
426 mg362.1 mg121.02 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Protein13.87 g11.79 g3.94 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
12.6 g10.71 g3.58 gsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Riboflavin (B2)0.218 mg0.19 mg0.06 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
0.06 mg0.05 mg0.02 mgsecond database · not used · 3.6×UK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Selenium77.6 µg65.96 µg22.05 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
15 µg12.75 µg4.26 µgsecond database · not used · 5.2×UK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Sodium6 mg5.1 mg1.7 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
3 mg2.55 mg0.85 mgsecond database · not used · 2×UK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Sugars2.74 g2.33 g0.78 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
3.9 g3.32 g1.11 gsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Thiamin (B1)0.407 mg0.35 mg0.12 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
0.33 mg0.28 mg0.09 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Vitamin B120 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
0 µg0 µg0 µgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Vitamin B60.283 mg0.24 mg0.08 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
0.31 mg0.26 mg0.09 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Vitamin D0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
0 µg0 µg0 µgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Vitamin E0.46 mg0.39 mg0.13 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
0.6 mg0.51 mg0.17 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Vitamin K11.4 µg1.19 µg0.4 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Water8.21 g6.98 g2.33 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
9.5 g8.08 g2.7 gsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Zinc2.97 mg2.52 mg0.84 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
2.8 mg2.38 mg0.8 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
NutrientPer 100 gPer servingPer 100 caloriesHowSourceGrade
Copper0.497 mg0.42 mg0.14 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
0.54 mg0.46 mg0.15 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Ash1.62 g1.38 g0.46 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Starch56.75 g48.24 g16.12 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Sucrose0.68 g0.58 g0.19 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Glucose0.24 g0.2 g0.07 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Fructose0.3 g0.26 g0.09 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Maltose1.52 g1.29 g0.43 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Energy1,471 kj1,250.35 kj417.9 kjlisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Galactose0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Vitamin D (D2 + D3), International Units0 iu0 iu0 iulisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Tocopherol, beta0.22 mg0.19 mg0.06 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Tocopherol, gamma0.87 mg0.74 mg0.25 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Tocopherol, delta0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Tocotrienol, alpha0.4 mg0.34 mg0.11 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Tocotrienol, beta2.79 mg2.37 mg0.79 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Tocotrienol, gamma0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Tocotrienol, delta0 mg0 mg0 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Vitamin K (Menaquinone-4)0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Vitamin K (Dihydrophylloquinone)0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Folic acid0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Folate, food69 µg58.65 µg19.6 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Folate, DFE69 µg58.65 µg19.6 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Fatty acids, total trans0.002 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 4:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 6:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 8:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 10:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 12:00 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 14:00.005 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 16:00.374 g0.32 g0.11 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 18:00.032 g0.03 g0.01 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 20:00.004 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
MUFA 18:10.34 g0.29 g0.1 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 18:21.063 g0.9 g0.3 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 18:30.07 g0.06 g0.02 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 20:40.001 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 22:6 n-3 (DHA)0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 22:00.004 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
MUFA 14:10 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
MUFA 16:10.003 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 18:40 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
MUFA 20:10.013 g0.01 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 20:5 n-3 (EPA)0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
MUFA 22:10.002 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 22:5 n-3 (DPA)0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Fatty acids, total monounsaturated0.361 g0.31 g0.1 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Fatty acids, total polyunsaturated1.136 g0.97 g0.32 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 15:00.004 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 17:00.002 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
SFA 24:00.004 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
TFA 16:1 t0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
TFA 18:1 t0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
TFA 22:1 t0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
TFA 18:2 t not further defined0.002 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 18:2 CLAs0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
MUFA 24:1 c0.001 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 20:2 n-6 c,c0.002 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
MUFA 16:1 c0.003 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
MUFA 18:1 c0.34 g0.29 g0.1 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 18:2 n-6 c,c1.061 g0.9 g0.3 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
MUFA 22:1 c0.002 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 18:3 n-6 c,c,c0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
MUFA 17:10.001 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 20:30 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Fatty acids, total trans-monoenoic0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Fatty acids, total trans-polyenoic0.002 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
MUFA 15:10 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 18:3 n-3 c,c,c (ALA)0.07 g0.06 g0.02 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 20:3 n-30 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 20:3 n-60 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 18:3i0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
PUFA 22:40 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
Lactose0 g0 g0 glisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
0 g0 g0 gsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Manganese2.983 mg2.54 mg0.85 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
2.54 mg2.16 mg0.72 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Niacin (B3, preformed)8.691 mg7.39 mg2.47 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
5.6 mg4.76 mg1.59 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Pantothenic acid (B5)0.87 mg0.74 mg0.25 mglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
0.8 mg0.68 mg0.23 mgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C
Retinol0 µg0 µg0 µglisted usedUS food database (USDA SR Legacy) #169738C
0 µg0 µg0 µgsecond database · not usedUK food tables (CoFID 2021) #11-718C

Change the amount to rescale the first column. Nutrients a database doesn't list are missing, not zero.

Hazard rows as the dataset rates them

  • Gluten (celiac disease) · Worth knowing · Person-specific: wheat pasta contains gluten, so it is flagged for people with celiac disease. · Health Canada, celiac disease · A
  • Wheat allergy · Worth knowing · Person-specific: whole-wheat pasta contains wheat protein; wheat is a Health Canada priority allergen. · Health Canada, Wheat & Triticale - Priority food allergens · A

Oxalate, phytate and gut-tolerance measurements

  • fodmap fos: 0.817 to 1.125 g/100 g as is; oligosaccharides (FOS + GOS) 0.872 to 1.214 g/100 g g/100 g · as is (fresh weight) · dry · grade A · Torbica 2025

Sources

Body map 2026-10-25.1: each nutrient’s job comes from an agency fact sheet, linked beside it under Good for.

The plain words: “a lot” means one serving (100 g when the food has no serving size) gives at least 20% of the daily amount (the reference intake), “some” at least 10%, “a little” at least 2% (the cut-offs are ours, one set for every page: 20% and 10% are borrowed from the US labelling terms “high” and “good source” and applied to Health Canada’s daily amount, whereas Health Canada’s own shopper rule says 15%; provisional: they may change in a later method version). The daily amount is Health Canada’s Dietary Reference Intake for adults 19–30; where men and women need different amounts we use the higher one (protein: 56 g for men, 46 g for women). The percentage printed under each nutrient is the printed amount as a share of that daily amount, rounded to the nearest whole number, and the word is read from that percentage, so the amount, the percentage and the word always agree. Calcium with a measured absorption is scaled by how well it gets in compared with milk.

The scale: “Nothing to watch” means a serving a day stays under the limit at ordinary amounts; “Go easy” means a serving a day can push past the limit for adults who already take in the most, or fewer than 2 servings reach it; “Limit it” means once a week or less. The dataset’s own rating is under “How we got this”. Provisional: the scale may change in a later method version.

Measured absorption under Good for: grade-A studies in adults that tested this preparation of this food, as a share of the listed amount (the share digested, for protein), quoted once each source has passed our evidence check; animal studies and other variants stay in the table above. Provisional: this screen may change in a later method version.