nutrition
There's no reason to be upset about spaghetti.
Carbohydrates are generally frowned upon when it comes to weight loss and diet culture, but pasta in particular requires a lot of heat.
But StudyFinds nutritionist Shaila Cadogan says pasta isn't inherently unhealthy, but how you eat it can make it unhealthy.
According to Barilla, the world's largest pasta producer, the recommended intake of pasta is 2 ounces of fresh pasta, which is equivalent to about 1 cup of cooked pasta.
A typical serving contains about 200 calories, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of protein, and 1 to 2 grams of fiber.
People tend to think of pasta as “empty calories” because it is primarily made up of carbohydrates, but carbohydrates are the human body's “preferred energy source” and actually provide nutrition, Cadogan said. I am writing.
Whole-wheat pasta is especially high in fiber and protein, both of which keep you feeling full longer and less likely to overeat.
When it comes to how to prepare, it gets tricky.
Adding sauces, butter, cream, meat, and cheese adds calories and inevitably throws off the balance of beneficial nutrients in the finished dish.
People are also likely to eat more than the recommended amount because they choose to eat pasta as a main dish rather than a side dish, Cadogan said.
“Virtually any food eaten in excess or as part of an overall unbalanced diet can become unhealthy pretty quickly,” she says. “At the end of the day, it’s about balancing the plate.”
It's often advised that dinner plates should include a variety of colored foods, and the same applies to pasta dishes.
For example, Cadogan suggests making a marinara-based pasta dish with added vegetables for a source of fiber and protein.
Another way to balance your pasta dishes is to make them a small part of your overall meal as a side dish.
Nowadays, there are many pasta alternatives to wheat pasta that are high in fiber and protein, such as chickpea pasta, protein pasta, edamame pasta, and black bean pasta.
Just because a low-carbohydrate diet is one of the most popular diets for weight loss, it doesn't mean you should exclude pasta from your family dinner.
“Pasta is not inherently unhealthy; it does not deserve any scorn,” Cadogan wrote.
Pasta not only provides you with fiber and protein, but it also makes you feel happy.
Previous research conducted by the Behavioral Brain Laboratory at the University of Free Languages and Communication IULM in Milan, Italy, found that eating pasta can lift your mood and make you just as happy as listening to your favorite song.
Food & Wine reported that 40 participants between the ages of 25 and 55 started eating pasta as researchers analyzed physical and neurological changes. These responses were compared to changes that occurred while participants were listening to their favorite songs or watching a sporting event.
Researchers say eating pasta is better than music or sports at eliciting positive emotions and “activating cognitive memory processes.”
“We've known for some time that delicious pasta makes people happy, but we didn't know why or to what extent,” Riccardo Felicetti, president of Italian pasta maker Unione Italiana Food, said in a statement. Stated.
“Now we have official confirmation from this study we commissioned from IULM, which found that the food of happiness, or as we pasta makers like to say, has the best ratio of happiness to price. The pasta has been selected.
