Eating Pasta Doesn’t Make you Fat!
The biggest “foodie” news this week is that Italian scientists have discovered that eating some pasta isn’t as bad as once believed for our waistline. The study suggests that those of us that enjoy a little pasta in our diets will actually have a bit smaller BMI than those that do not.
Could this be true?
The new study is called Moli-sani and INHES studies and had over 14,000 participants.
George Pounis, first author of the work explains, “we have seen that consumption of pasta, contrary to what many think, is not associated with an increase in body weight. On the contrary: our data shows that eating pasta results in a healthier body mass index, lower waist circumference and waist-hip ratio better”. Read More Here.
Now before everyone gets a little crazy over the new and exciting pasta news, keep in mind that this does not mean loading up on your favorite recipe for buttery fettuccine alfredo and then a big glass of vino to wash it down.
That is what has gotten us into problems in the past! Our pasta serving sizes are massive and normally contain 3-4 times the amount of food we should be eating at one meal. Most of our favorite pasta dishes contain very little vegetables if any at all.
This new study has found that those that eat pasta on a regular basis in conjunction with the Mediterranean style of eating are not likely to gain weight because of it. Pasta portions are drastically much smaller and are typically paired with a much larger vegetable portion and a serving of protein.
As a rule, the average adults need about 130 grams of carbohydrates per day. A one cup serving of spaghetti with tomato sauce comes in at around 50 grams which makes this fine for a meal but ideally you would want to pair the pasta with a protein and a vegetable.
Whole-grain pasta makes a great meal, but eating pasta alone can lead to changes in blood-sugar levels that take cause your energy levels to go up and down. Adding protein (think chicken) and some healthy fat (think olive oil) to your pasta dish provides sustained energy and stabilizes blood-glucose levels.
Try a well-balanced chicken pasta salad with lots of chopped vegetables and a lemon & olive oil dressing. Boneless chicken breast is very lean, with a 3-ounce serving containing only about 150 calories.
Those that follow a low-carb rule tend to add a little extra protein to their diets and that is not healthy either. Too much protein can lead to kidney problems down the road. It’s better to balance out our meals with the correct about of carbs and protein. What you really want is to have half of your dinner plate filled with fresh vegetables.
News from the National Pasta Association: Current Dietary guidance calls for up to 65% of daily calories to come from carbohydrates. Nutrition experts routinely recommend a balance of both whole and enriched grains to ensure a nutritionally complete diet.
Research shows whole grains are linked to a reduced risk of nearly everything we are trying to prevent.
