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Pasta is a real must-have on the menu and is very popular with both children and adults. Pasta is quick and easy to prepare and is ideal if you want to cook something tasty but are not necessarily a professional chef. Nevertheless, there are a few preparation tips that you should keep in mind in order to experience the ultimate indulgence. For example, it is important to know whether pasta needs to be rinsed after cooking or not. Pasta is also very affordable, which makes it a popular choice if you’re on a tight budget, and there are some clever recipes out there.
However, their high carbohydrate content and the idea that they promote weight gain have often been decried. In an interview with TODAY, Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics spokeswoman Whitney Linsenmeyer said, “High-carb foods, especially pasta, tend to be demonized in our society today.” But then, is eating pasta every day good or bad for your health? We provide an overview here.
Eating pasta every day: A good or bad idea?
As nutritionist Whitney Linsenmeyer explains, pasta has a number of nutritional benefits. They provide “carbohydrates, which are one of our body’s main sources of energy, as well as fiber, protein, vitamins and minerals.”
However, most pasta you can buy in supermarkets is refined pasta, made from grains that have had parts of the wheat kernel removed. Nutritionist Caroline Susie explains in TODAY that this type of pasta is “usually fortified, meaning B vitamins and iron have been added”. She believes that “refined pasta is slightly higher in calories and carbohydrates, but also contains more B vitamins”.
The two experts are of the opinion that there is no reason to eliminate pasta from your diet if you like it. On the contrary, they believe that pasta can be an excellent way to integrate vegetables and healthy fats into your diet. It is, therefore, “perfectly possible to include pasta in your diet on a daily basis,” they explain.
Eating pasta every day: How much is ideal?
However, as Academy of Nutrition spokeswoman Whitney Linsenmeyer emphasizes, it is still essential to ask what proportion of pasta you eat. For people who are used to larger portions, the expert recommends “playing with proportions” by making your plate mainly vegetables, lean protein and legumes with some pasta rather than making the pasta the centrepiece of the dish. “This gives you the opportunity to eat pasta every day and prioritize the most nutritious parts of the meal,” concludes the expert.
An opinion shared by Dr. Laurence Plumey, who was recently interviewed by Femme Actuelle. She said: “You can keep your figure by eating pasta every day, provided you eat vegetables with it and avoid eating bread at the same meal. They only make you fat if you eat a lot of them without eating a balanced diet.”
What are the benefits of different types of pasta?
There are various alternatives to conventional pasta. One of these is wholemeal pasta. These can be made from wholegrain wheat, buckwheat, barley and other types of flour. According to the nutritionist, they are “richer in fiber, vitamins and minerals”. As the expert explains, a portion of wholemeal spaghetti contains as much as 6 grams of fiber, compared to 2.5 grams for refined spaghetti. She also points out that wholemeal pasta has fewer calories than refined pasta. However, the nutritionist explains that she “can fully understand that whole grain pasta is not to everyone’s taste”.
It is also possible to eat pasta with vegetables. On supermarket shelves, for example, you can find pasta made from chickpeas, lentils or beans, which contain more nutrients than conventional pasta. In fact, these types of pasta generally contain more fiber and vegetable proteins and fewer carbohydrates than refined pasta. However, the texture of this pasta differs significantly from that of conventional refined or whole-grain pasta. This is not attractive to everyone. Finally, there is gluten-free pasta, which is usually made from brown rice or quinoa, according to nutritionist Caroline Susie.
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