Is Pasta Good for You?

[Guest guest]

At 12:00 PM 2/24/2008, you wrote:

Looked some stuff up: The question was - Is Pasta Good for You?

 

Bread, Cereal, Rice, and Pasta

 

Grain products like bread, cereal, rice, and

pasta are good for you. They are important sources of vitamins and

minerals. Breads, cereals, rice, and pasta are also good sources of

carbohydrates like starch and fiber.

Many people think that starchy foods like breads, rice and pasta are

fattening. They are not. But when you add fats like margarine, oil,

mayonnaise, cheese sauce or gravy to them, you add many extra calories.

 

Whole-grain foods have more fiber than white grain foods. There are many

kinds of whole-grain foods, such as oatmeal, brown rice, grits, corn

tortillas and whole wheat bread. You may want to try a whole grain bread

instead of white bread. Use brown rice instead of white rice or mix them

together the next time you have rice.

Some breads and cereals have lots of fat and sugar added when they are

manufactured. Croissants, danish, doughnuts, cake and some muffins have

more fat and calories than servings of plain breads and cereals. If you

enjoy sweet breads and cereals, you don't have to give them up. Try

eating these foods less often or in small amounts. When you shop, read

the food labels and look for breads, cereals, rice and pasta mixes that

have less fat and sugar in them. You can also cut down on fat when you

make rice or pasta dishes. Try using less oil, butter, or margarine than

the recipe says. Sometimes you can cut the fat in half without changing

the way the food tastes or looks!

Article copied from:

 

http://www.umass.edu/nibble/infofile/breads.html

 

Is Pasta Good For You?

If you're wondering if pasta is

healthy food, the answer is, " Yes " and " No. " It

totally depends on the pasta, how you cook it and serve it and how much

you eat.

The bottom line is – pasta can be very healthy or very

unhealthy.

THE HISTORY OF PASTA

Pasta usually comes with visions of Italy. But Greek mythology gives

credit to the Greek God Vulcan for inventing a device that made the first

spaghetti from strings of dough.

However research traces pasta's roots back to the Etruscans in 400 BC,

where the first lasagna was more than likely made out of whole grain

spelt flour.

In the 17th century, the tomato arrived in Naples. Although pasta with

tomato sauce immediately became popular with the people, pasta had always

been eaten peasant style – with the hands. This kept it off the tables of

the more dignified royalty.

But around 1700 one of King Ferdinand the 2nd’s chamberlains had the

bright idea of using a 4 prong fork. With this new utensil, pasta was

soon served at Court banquets all over Italy. From there it eventually

spread around the world.

IS PASTA HEALTHY FOOD?

Pasta can be healthy or unhealthy, depending on its ingredients and

how it's served. If it's made with white flour, like most pasta, and

smothered in cream sauce, it's unhealthy. If it’s whole grain al dente

(firm) pasta with unsweetened tomato sauce, it's healthy.

Whole grain al dente pasta is much higher in fiber, vitamins, minerals

and essential fatty acids. It's slowly absorbed into the bloodstream and

doesn’t cause a blood sugar spike.

This extra nutrition, slower absorption and high fiber helps protect

against insulin resistance, constipation, type 2 diabetes, heart disease

and stroke.

Studies show people who eat more whole grains have 37% less risk of

metabolic syndrome, which can lead to diabetes. They also have lower

triglycerides, LDL cholesterol and blood pressure, which helps prevent

cardiovascular disease.

PASTA CAN IMPOVE YOUR WAISTLINE

Research shows that those who eat whole grain, high fiber foods, such

as 100% whole-wheat pasta, weigh less than those who don't.

One study done at Harvard Medical School, published in the American

Journal of Clinical Nutrition, collected data on 74,000 nurses

between the ages of 39 and 63 over a 12 year period. Those who ate

high-fiber, whole grain foods consistently weighed less than those who

ate refined breads and white pasta.

Tufts University research showed women whose diets were rich in fruits,

vegetables and whole grains weighed less and had lower body fat than

those who ate low fiber diets high in meat.

And a study done at Louisiana State University found the single greatest

predictor of obesity in middle-aged women was a lack of

high fiber

foods in their diets.

PASTA FOR BETTER HEALTH

When buying pasta read the label and make sure it's 100% whole grain.

Cook it al dente, serve it with vegetables and tomato sauce and enjoy the

pasta path to better health.

Be sure to check out my

Natural Health

Newsletter .

Article Copied from:

 

http://www.bellaonline.com/articles/art36430.asp

 

Question: Is Pasta Good for You?

Yes! IF it’s whole grain pasta cooked al dente

(firm, not soft).

Whole grain al dente pasta causes a lower glycemic response than soft

cooked refined white pasta. Lower glycemic foods are more slowly absorbed

into the bloodstream and don’t create a quick blood sugar rise. This

slower absorption helps protect against insulin resistance (a precursor

of type 2 diabetes) and metabolic syndrome (a predictor of type 2

diabetes and cardiovascular disease).

In one recent study, published in Diabetes Care, people who ate more

whole grains had 37% less prevalence of metabolic syndrome than those who

ate processed refined grains. They also had lower levels of protective

HDL cholesterol, lower triglycerides, lower blood pressure and less risk

of type 2 diabetes and heart disease.

Women who eat whole grains also weigh less. In a study, done at the

Harvard Medical School and published in the American Journal of Clinical

Nutrition, data collected on 74,000 nurses between the ages of 39 and 63

over a 12 year period showed that women who ate high-fiber, whole grain

foods consistently weighed less than women who ate white bread and

pasta.

When buying pasta and bread, read the label and make sure it says they’re

100% whole grain or sprouted grains. For example, wheat flour and

enriched wheat flour is NOT whole wheat flour and, if it’s not whole

grain, you’re simply not going to get the benefits.

So, when eating pasta, if you want to reach and maintain a healthy weight

and protect yourself from adult onset type 2 diabetes and cardiovascular

disease, make sure you eat only whole grain pasta cooked al dente. And if

you really want to be healthy, don’t add extra salt or oil to the water

when cooking. It’s not necessary.

Moss Greene is the Nutrition Editor for

BellaOnline.com and an

authority on essential fatty acids, such as

fish oil health

benefits. Over the past 30 years, she’s helped thousands of people to

look better, think smarter and feel great – naturally. Visit Moss at

nutrition.bellaonline.com

to learn more and to her free health and fitness

newsletter.

Article Source:

 

http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Moss_Greene

Article copied from:

 

http://ezinearticles.com/?Is-Pasta-Good-For-You? & id=104887

 

Why do the marathon runners

eat Pasta the evening before their big race? The Boston Marathon runners

have a traditional Pasta dinner that eve. They claim it enhances their

performance.

 

Zolette