Imagine if you could change the trajectory of the American health journey by serving guests the flour-based foods they love with a better-for-you formula and zero compromise in taste or performance. Noodles & Company is one visionary restaurant brand leading the way, partnering with HealthSense^® High-Fiber Wheat Flour, the only clean-label, non-GMO wheat flour in the U.S., to produce its revolutionary LEANguini pasta noodle, available throughout the company’s nearly 500 locations.

The fiber gap in the American diet is a bona fide health crisis. The vast majority of Americans consume insufficient fiber, falling far below nutrition recommendations that address gut health, diabetes, heart health, cancer prevention and other medical conditions. Many foods are sources of fiber—and supplements can help—but taste and accessibility have inhibited efforts to close the gap.

White flour-based foods are among the most consumed foods in the United States, with Americans eating an average of 133 pounds of these foods (like pasta, pizza, breads and baked goods) every year. The potential impact of a better-for-you white flour could be a health and nutrition game changer—as long as the food meets flavor expectations. Taste matters, because people don’t eat what they don’t like!

HealthSense Flour is milled from a unique wheat variety developed through selective breeding that contains a greater proportion of a beneficial resistant starch. The product contains 10 times the fiber content of conventional wheat flour. Without any additives, it’s simply better for you and delicious, too!

In 2019, Noodles & Company began a collaborative partnership with HealthSense Flour, leading to the 2022 introduction of LEANguini, the pasta concept’s most innovative noodle yet. The new noodle is used in several of the brand’s curated bowls and is available to patrons who want to customize other dishes, such as pad Thai. Its taste is exactly what you expect in traditional fresh pasta—so much so that the company’s director of R&D and culinary, Tina Massey, deemed it the “unicorn noodle” for its superior flavor.

Acknowledging that many consumers associate fiber with digestive activity, Noodles & Company chose not to highlight the fiber content in its current marketing. Diners certainly get the same better-for-you benefits, but the brand focuses on positioning its proprietary noodle as “Leaner, Lighter Pasta Goodness, 100% delicious with 44% lower net carbs and 50% more protein.” Massey acknowledges that while consumers should be concerned about fiber, guests care first and foremost about taste, which makes LEANguini a perfect fit for the menu.

Both the better-for-you message and the product are resonating with diners. In an Eat This, Not That! web article, LEANguini was rated No. 1 in the fast-casual space.

Noodles and Company and HealthSense Flour understand the opportunities and challenges required for better-for-you initiatives to drive real change. “Brands have to take the risk, leaning in and seeing that the taste is there and then knowing that will drive the business they need,” says Massey.

Ready to lean in and try HealthSense^® High-Fiber Wheat Flour for yourself? Visit wheat-better.com for more information and to order samples.