How healthy is pasta?

How healthy is the pasta in your spaghetti, macaroni and cheese, rigatoni, and other pasta dishes?  So many people have been avoiding pasta as it is a “carb” and they think carbs are unhealthy.  Americans still enjoy their pasta as we eat about 20 pounds of it a year. 

How healthy is pasta?

Pasta provides a lot of nutrition.  Not just carbs but also protein, about 5-7 grams of protein in a cup of cooked pasta.  The flour used to make pasta is a high protein durum wheat flour which is higher in protein than other types of flour. If you want to add more nutrition to your spaghetti or pasta dish, add some whole wheat pasta.  We usually use about ¾ white pasta and about ¼ whole wheat pasta.  Some people use all whole wheat pasta but it is a taste one needs to get used to.  Most people hardly notice if you add just a little whole wheat pasta. 

Even the white pasta provides some fiber.  And pasta is enriched with some B vitamins and iron. Whole wheat pasta adds even more fiber and some trace minerals to your day. It also promotes fullness because of the additional fiber and thus may reduce hunger. 

Is pasta fattening?

Many people avoid “carbs” as they think “carbs” are fattening.  But pasta is actually a unique type of carb.  The protein and carbs in pasta are linked together in a way that makes the pasta you eat digested more slowly than other refined carbs like white bread.  As a result, pasta keeps you full longer and releases sugar (glucose) into your blood more slowly.  This could actually help with and not promote weight loss.  Cold pasta such as that in some cold pasta salads is called a “resistance starch”, which may actually help with weight loss.  Interestingly, resistant starch may actually increase fat burning and reduce the amount of fat stored in fat cells.  That’s because “resistant starches” resists being digested. 

Some research has shown that eating pasta may actually lower your risk of heart disease.  Probably because pasta is so low in fat.  Pasta may also reduce the risk of diabetes (cook it al dente, see below) and obesity. Probably because pasta releases sugar into your blood more slowly than other refined carbs and it helps you fill full. 

 Is cooking pasta al dente healthier?

Yes.  Al dente means you cook pasta to a slightly firm texture, not mushy.  Al dente pasta has a lower glycemic index which means it raises your blood sugar less.  Overcooking pasta is less healthy as it digested more rapidly and thus raises your blood sugar more.

What about the gluten in pasta?

Why avoid gluten?  Unless you have celiac disease, there is no reason to be avoiding gluten in your diet.   

Next week we’ll explore spaghetti sauces.  So many to choose from.  We’ll explore what to look for in a spaghetti sauce for optimal nutrition but also good taste.

Enjoy some pasta this week.  Cook it al dente and add at least a little whole grain pasta.  Kraft now offers a whole grain rotini and cheese.  Not all whole grain, but 50%.  We’ve tried it and it tastes good. A good and easy way to get some whole grain into your kids and you.

Sources:  20 pounds, durum wheat flour, digested  Images:  Kraft, Barilla, spaghetti