Pasta: Good or Bad?
Thankfully, the low-carb diet craze is on its way out, but during the anti-starch explosion, pasta took a severe beating. But pasta is GOOD! Here’s why…
The Nutrition Facts
One cup of cooked spaghetti has approximately 220 calories, 1 gram of fat and no cholesterol. Most pastas on the market are enriched with iron too. Whole grain pastas contain about the same calories as regular pasta but have more protein, fiber and vitamins. As an added bonus, all that protein and fiber means that you’ll feel more satisfied by eating less.
Your choices don’t stop at whole wheat; other whole grain pastas include brown rice (my personal fave), corn and soba. Barilla also makes the tasty Barilla Plus, which has fiber, protein and added omega-3 fats (Toby’s kids are huge fans).
The reason that low-carb promoters bashed pasta is actually the main reason it’s so good for you! Pasta is great source of carbohydrate, the body’s primary source of energy (your brain runs on carbs and carbs alone –- that’s pretty important, no?).
So instead of looking at pasta as the enemy, embrace it as a vital energy source. The trick is making pasta part of a varied diet (read on).
Serve It Up!
Portion control is most important. Eating huge portions of pasta smothered with cheese or a heavy cream sauce expands waistlines. Keep portions to 1 – 1 1/2 cups per person and add vegetables and lean meats, beans or fish to balance out the meal.
Just about every cuisine on the planet has traditional pasta dishes. Enjoy wheat pasta with tomato and olives or a light cream sauce. Try rice noodles wrapped with veggies, or lo mein noodles (made from wheat flour) with an Asian-inspired sauce. I love to stir fry vegetables with some soy sauce, add cooked brown rice spaghetti, Srirahca chili sauce and a heaping tablespoon of natural peanut butter. Toss to combine and melt the peanut butter and you have a fabulous dinner in minutes.
The Bottom Line:
As with everything, enjoy pasta in moderation — be mindful of portion sizes and experiment with all the glorious varieties.
- Recipes to try
- Pasta Puttanesca
- Pasta with Creamy Mushroom-Pea Sauce
- No-Pain Lo Mein
Photo by G & A Scholiers
My family loves pasta and it’s so fast and easy. I also buy Barilla Plus for the extra nutrition and my kids love red sauce so with a salad or sauteed broccoli on the side we are good to go!
I’m so glad you posted the goods on pasta. What i’ve learned from weight watchers is it’s all in the portions. You can eat pasta, just eat a little! Thanks again!
mary
It’s so important to recognize that just because a certain food gets labeled as “bad” by one diet, that doesn’t mean it still can’t be enjoyed healthily. The concept of making your own pasta may seem intimidating, but my site has this recipe: Pistachio Lovers Pasta, Whole Wheat Hazelnut Pasta and Pumpkin Ravioli. It’s easy – not to mention nutritious!
I have always thought of pasta as very fattening and bad for you thanks for the truth about something I love…
Pasta is not only good for you, it is very satisfying. The Barilla Plus is great because of the protein, but also because it is almost impossible to overcook any Barilla pasta.
The Bad pasta is the enriched white flour stuff. Whole wheat or barilla plus are certainly the better choice also soba noodles and are far and above more healty. Jsut don’t think that white flour is “good” for you, it isn’t
you forgot about pasta made from quinoa, rice or kamut flour that are great for your health!!!!!!
Sadly, when you turn diabetic, pasta is a bad carb. Blood sugars can go crazy. High protein and high fiber are best diets. Sugar, rice, wheat flours, high starch vegetables, high carb grains are just a few examples of bad carbs, not to mention high carb fruits.
I love pasta as much as rice. Being Mexican, I grew up eating rice, lots of rice! Unfortunatelly as an adult I now suffer from Type 2 Diabetis and therefore pasta shoots my sugar to the sky! Sorry to contradict, but pasta is not good for everyone, specially those with diabetis…
Dreamfields Pasta is great for diabetics with a Glycemic Index of 13 (compared to 38 with regular pasta)and 5g of digestible carbs per serving.
is all types of pasts good for you or is it just a special spagetti or alfrado or what is up.
Is Barilla a good and health pasta
thanks for the tip about the whole wheat pasta. now i know what serving size I should eat instead of a plate full lol
All types of pasta are good for you because they have lots of vitamins and protein. As long as you eat a small amount such as 1-1/2 cup, your alright.
-Joanna-
For those who do not eat food with gluten, another option is "gluten free" pasta, which can be rice pasta, or what about trying udon noodles, that can be found in the Japanese section of the pasta aisle…Also, Amy's sphagetti sauce in a variety of flavors, is very good to use on your pasta…It doesn't contain sugar, but only healthy ingredients..I am really sold on Amy's products. I went on line and asked Amy's Kitchen to produce a new product for the public…that of Macaroni and Soy Cheese, using nongluten pasta and of course the nondairy soy cheese. They accepted my suggestion, and I believe, in December they are putting it on the shelves. Bon Appetite
Chosing one of the high fiber pastas such as Smart Taste or Dreamfields makes enjoying pasta possible for those with type 2 diabetes and others who just want to eat healthier…add some lean meatballs and a veggie and it makes a very nutricious and balanced meal. Skip the Italian bread, though!
yeah it is a good source of carb's. that also causes diabetics blood sugar to spike! can be deadly to us. there is a middle road here. DREAMFIELDS PASTA. they protect the carbs somehow and diabetics can eat it without the blood sugar spiking!!! so lets not get to friendly with it but use it carefully. remember to many carb's are really bad for your body.
DREAMFIELDS PASTA , is a pasta that you absorb only 5 grams of carbs per portion. it is all explained on the box. hopefully your store carries it. if not, ask them to order it for you.
Where can you find Dreamfields Pasta?
Dreamfields pasta ia great…but Ronzoni's "Smart Taste" pasta is also excellent tasting and has 7 g of fiber per serving! They also make noodles, too For just a little more money you can enjoy pasta without the worry!
You can find Dreamfields Pasta in most large supermarkets. Or, if you can't find it, you can order it online. It's the only pasta that doesn't shoot my blood sugar sky high and it tastes like regular pasta.
I could eat pasta three times a day (and did at one time in college). But the stuff, and carbs in general, bloat me like a balloon. I only allow myself pasta once in rare while… usually when I'm out of things to eat/make. And always go with the high-fiber or whole wheat options.
I think its wonderful that pasta is so good for most people – but for me who is gluten intolerant – I can't enjoy a plate of whole wheat pasta. Dang!! Must use Quinoa.
Have you ever been checked for gluten intolerance?
Celiac Disease or Sprue sufferers cannot tolerate ANY form of gluten so must eliminate Wheat, Rye and Barley from their diets. Oats seem to be acceptable. A blood test can give an indication but the definitive test is checking the intestine. Once diagnosed, pasta must only be of the corn or rice variety; NO WHEAT PASTAS.
Diabetics can eat the Whole Wheat pastas but only in severely limited quantities. Corn and 'regular' pasta should not be eaten by diabetics as the carb count is excessive..
I Love Dreamfields pasta….I promote it to my clients. It's just the best one I've found so far, that is low glycemic and tastes GREAT. My husband is italian, and he loves it…so you know it's good. Small selection but Wegmans Markets carries the largest selection I've seen. Genuardi's comes in a close second. If your following the Transitions Lifestyle System…(I'm a certified coach)…or find your carbohydrate sensitive, insulin resistant or diabetic…Dreamfields will have the least impact on your bloodsugars.
Quite simple actually………
Bleached, washed, and processed flour has a high glycemic value. This means that it causes a large rise in blood sugar per unit consumed.
A large rise in blood sugar causes a large amount of insulin to be released. This means increased fat storage, possible low blood sugar (requiring more carbs to make things right), cravings and the like.
This is why we try to avoid white flour.
The less refined the pasta is the better it is for you because it takes more time for you body to proccess it.