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Spaghetti bolognese with parmesan

3.2/ 10Poor
Average across 11 diets

0 approve · 5 caution · 6 avoid

Controversy3.7Majority view
Consensus3.7Divisive

Cheferee's Consensus

Most of the 11 frameworks cluster together, with Whole30 the main holdout at 1.5. The spread is 5.0 points.

What each diet says

Each score is that framework's own position on this plate, scored as a whole meal — not the average of its parts.

DASHCaution5.2

The tomato-based sauce and modest cheese fit DASH, but a plate that is 55% refined spaghetti with red meat sauce is heavy on refined grains and saturated fat with no vegetables or fruit to balance it.

MediterraneanCaution6.5

Tomato-based meat sauce with pasta and a sprinkle of parmesan is culturally Mediterranean, but the refined white pasta dominates and there are no vegetables, legumes, olive oil, or greens visible to earn a higher score.

VeganAvoid1.5

Both the meat sauce and grated parmesan are animal products, making roughly 45% of the plate non-vegan.

CarnivoreAvoid2.0

Carnivore excludes all plant foods, and 55% of this plate is spaghetti — a refined grain — which disqualifies it despite the meat sauce and cheese.

PaleoAvoid1.8

Paleo forbids grains and dairy, so the spaghetti and parmesan — about 65% of the plate combined — are both excluded; only the meat portion of the sauce is compliant.

KetoAvoid1.5

A plate that is 55% spaghetti delivers far too many carbs to fit keto's very-low-carb ceiling, regardless of the fat from meat sauce and cheese.

Low-FODMAPAvoid2.5

Wheat spaghetti in this quantity is high-FODMAP (fructans), and typical bolognese contains onion and garlic, both major FODMAP triggers, making this a poor fit.

Whole30Avoid1.5

Whole30 bans all grains and dairy, so the spaghetti and parmesan are both non-compliant, and typical bolognese often contains added sugar and wine as well.

ZoneCaution4.5

The macro balance is skewed — the large spaghetti portion pushes carbs well above Zone's 40% target while protein from the meat sauce is comparatively modest, missing the 40/30/30 ratio.

Anti-InflammatoryCaution4.2

Cooked tomato in the sauce provides lycopene, but refined white pasta and red meat are both considered pro-inflammatory, and the plate lacks vegetables, olive oil, or omega-3 sources to offset them.

GLP-1Caution4.0

For GLP-1 users, this plate is protein-light and refined-carb-heavy, with little fiber or vegetables — a combination that can worsen reflux and nausea and doesn't prioritize the protein-forward, high-fiber structure recommended.

Food by food

Our catalog scores for each item. The plate's score above is a judgment on the whole meal, so it will not match the average of these.

spaghetti~55% of the plate · not in our catalog yet

We don't have per-diet catalog scores for this food yet, so it has no breakdown here. It still counted toward the plate's score above.

meat sauce~35% of the plate · not in our catalog yet

We don't have per-diet catalog scores for this food yet, so it has no breakdown here. It still counted toward the plate's score above.

Parmesan cheese~10% of the plate6.5
  • Keto9.0
  • Vegan1.0
  • Paleo2.0
  • Mediterranean8.0
  • Whole301.0
  • Low-FODMAP9.0
  • DASH2.0
  • Zone6.0
  • Anti-Inflammatory5.0
  • GLP-1 Friendly5.0
  • Carnivore6.0
See the full page for Parmesan cheese

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Scores describe what each named diet framework's published principles say about this food. They are not FoodRef's opinion on whether anything is healthy, and they are not medical or nutritional advice. Talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian about your own diet.

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