Thought couscous was healthy? It's not much better than pasta – here's what to have instead

Telegraph

07-06-2025

The easy cooking method of couscous, and its small size, also means that it's much easier to control the portion and avoid overeating. An 80g serving is about right, and fairly generous when mixed into a salad or served as a side to lean protein, says Hope.
Fresh pasta has some benefits that you won't find in couscous, however. 'Fresh pasta contains egg, so there are some extra nutrients there, like B12 and choline,' says Hope. Couscous will still be 'slightly higher in fibre and protein', however, making it 'a really great choice for people who are trying to get their protein from a mostly plant-based diet'.
You might also have couscous as a stand-in for rice, particularly if you're a fan of African foods or middle-eastern dishes. ' Whole rice (also known as brown rice) is much better than couscous, as it's less refined and higher in fibre,' Hope says, 'but I would recommend couscous as a substitute for white rice,' she adds.
What are the different kinds of couscous – and which is healthiest?
Just as you'll find wholewheat and white pasta on supermarket shelves, there exists wholewheat couscous too. 'Wholewheat couscous is less processed and contains more micronutrients, so I'd recommend that people have it instead of white couscous if they can find it,' Hope says. It can be cooked and used in exactly the same way as normal couscous and tastes much the same too, as well as having the same texture.
Giant pearl couscous is likely worse for your health, however. It's 'somewhere between really big couscous and really small pasta,' says Hope. For the health benefits 'I'd recommend you just stick with standard couscous, if you're looking to have one or the other'.
The nutritional breakdown of standard couscous
White couscous
Per 100g serving:
112 calories
4g protein
1g fibre
It's not all that bad for us – 'and variety is important too, for your gut and for the sake of making sure that you're satisfied with your diet,' says Trotman. 'But couscous is just not as healthy as real grains.'
What to have instead of couscous
Nutritionists like Hope and Trotman love real whole grains because they are high in fibre, high in protein, and minimally processed, making them brilliant for our guts and energy levels. The micronutrients in the many different kinds of whole grain also make them great for our health overall.
All nutritional information is per 100g cooked.
Amaranth
102 calories, 3.8g of protein, 2.1g of fibre
Amaranth is the grain that's most visually similar to couscous. It's rich in an amino acid called lysine, 'which is good for your immune system,' says Trotman. It is slightly lower in protein than couscous, but is higher in fibre 'and is gluten-free too'. Soak and cook and add to soups, stews or salads.
Quinoa
120 calories, 4.4g of protein, 2.8g of fibre
It might be notoriously trickier to cook well than couscous, but quinoa has a higher payoff when it comes to protein, packing twice the punch for the same cooked weight in grams. What's more, 'quinoa is a complete source of protein, meaning that it contains all of the essential amino acids that you need to be healthy, whereas couscous doesn't,' says Trotman – which is rare for plant-based foods, making it all the more worth eating. Cook it, let it cool and serve with salad or roasted colourful veg.
Buckwheat
118kcal, 4.3g protein, 2.1g fibre
Like quinoa, buckwheat is rich in fibre, and it also contains flavonoids such as rutin, which 'has been shown to support heart health and circulation', says Trotman. Aside from that, it's also a rich source of fibre and protein. Add to soups or stews to pump up the nutrition or wash and simmer and add to salads.
Bulgur wheat
151 calories, 5.6g of protein, 8.2g fibre
Best known to us in the form of tabbouleh, bulgur wheat is easily cooked and as versatile as couscous, too. 'It's much more rich in both fibre and protein,' Trotman adds.
Brown couscous
170 calories, 6g protein, 2g fibre
Brown couscous is the one to have if you still need a couscous fix. It contains more protein and fibre per serving than white couscous, but also slightly more calories. Still, Trotman would recommend it over the white kind.
Brown rice
133 calories, 3.3g of protein, 1.8g fibre
Though brown rice 'doesn't have as much protein or as much fibre as other grains, it's very nutritionally dense,' Trotman says, containing 'a good amount of magnesium and some plant-based iron too'. She recommends it over couscous and certainly over white rice.
Brown pasta
124 calories, 5g protein, 3g fibre
Brown pasta is better than white, because it contains more fibre and more micronutrients than white, says Trotman.
White pasta
158 calories, 5.8g protein, 2.2g fibre
'There isn't really much difference between white pasta and couscous nutritionally,' says Trotman. Pasta may be more satiating but is also easy to wolf down in large quantities when covered in a delicious sauce. 'It might not be the most nutritious, but it is also important not to deprive yourself of the foods you enjoy and eat a varied diet in general.'
Healthy ways to eat couscous
Couscous can still be a really healthy food to include in your diet, says Hope, though she recommends that you 'avoid cooking it in high-salt stock'. It's not something to be eaten every day, she believes, 'but there's no problem with having it regularly, especially in place of pasta or white rice, and variety is also really important when it comes to eating well'. Serve with a variety of vegetables to ramp up the fibre content (kale, broccoli and cauliflower are great sources) and try adding spices like paprika or cumin, and plenty of herbs or citrus zest in place of too much salt.
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