Is Pasta Bad For You?
Pasta and its associated delicious dishes have been unfairly villainized for years — if not decades. Yes, regular pasta is a carbohydrate-rich food typically made with white flour, but it’s not necessarily a dietary devil. Let’s take a look at why pasta isn’t bad for you, and how to boost your plate’s nutritional value.
Pasta Contains Vitamins and Minerals
Despite claims that pasta is nutritionally void and contains only empty calories, pasta actually has some vitamins, like the B-vitamins niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin, and the mineral iron. And, while pasta made from white flour does not contain as much fiber as its whole-wheat counterpart, it still contains 2 to 3 grams of the beneficial nutrient.
Pasta Might Not Spike Blood Sugar
Pasta is surprisingly low on the Glycemic Index (GI), a scale that measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar. The GI of pasta is between 50-55 — which is considered a low GI food — compared to white bread, which ranks at 70. Plus, adding protein (like chicken) or fat (like cheese) to your pasta dish will slow down the blood sugar spike even further.
Pasta is Beloved on the Mediterranean Diet
People all over the world regularly enjoy pasta and similar dishes — including people in the Mediterranean, a region often touted for its healthy meals and long-lived residents.
How to Boost Your Pasta’s Nutrition
While pasta on its own certainly won’t cause you to gain weight instantly, many people wonder if there’s any way to make pasta healthier — and there is. To up your bowl’s nutritional ante, add two or three types of different vegetables (try asparagus, bell pepper, mushrooms, or spinach), a lean protein like chicken, and opt for a cream-less sauce, like marinara or pesto.
Pasta Contains Vitamins and Minerals
Despite claims that pasta is nutritionally void and contains only empty calories, pasta actually has some vitamins, like the B-vitamins niacin, thiamin, and riboflavin, and the mineral iron. And, while pasta made from white flour does not contain as much fiber as its whole-wheat counterpart, it still contains 2 to 3 grams of the beneficial nutrient.
Pasta Might Not Spike Blood Sugar
Pasta is surprisingly low on the Glycemic Index (GI), a scale that measures how quickly a food raises blood sugar. The GI of pasta is between 50-55 — which is considered a low GI food — compared to white bread, which ranks at 70. Plus, adding protein (like chicken) or fat (like cheese) to your pasta dish will slow down the blood sugar spike even further.
Pasta is Beloved on the Mediterranean Diet
People all over the world regularly enjoy pasta and similar dishes — including people in the Mediterranean, a region often touted for its healthy meals and long-lived residents.
How to Boost Your Pasta’s Nutrition
While pasta on its own certainly won’t cause you to gain weight instantly, many people wonder if there’s any way to make pasta healthier — and there is. To up your bowl’s nutritional ante, add two or three types of different vegetables (try asparagus, bell pepper, mushrooms, or spinach), a lean protein like chicken, and opt for a cream-less sauce, like marinara or pesto.
