The basic noodle has come a long way.  Growing up in the 1970's, the only pasta varieties available were spaghetti, macaroni and the occassional lasagna noodle.  Today, there are well over a  dozen different shapes and sizes of pasta on the grocery shelf. 

In addition, you can now buy the healthier whole-wheat or whole grain pastas.  Whole-wheat pasta tastes much better than it did 10 years ago, when most products had a brittle and grainy texture.  If consumers took part in a blind taste test today, most would be hard pressed to tell the difference between a dish of the best brands of whole-wheat pasta and those made with white flour.

Try several different brands to find the right balance of wheat and nutty flavor for your taste buds.  A few brands to look for are Ronzoni Healthy Harvest, Eden Organic Pasta's 100% Whole Grain,  Hodgson Mills Organic Whole Wheat Fettuccine with Milled Flaxseed, Barilla Plus Penne, and De Cecco Whole Wheat Fusilli.