Eating Pasta Doesn’t Make you FAT: Enjoy that Pasta Salad!

In recent years, pasta has gained a reputation of being unhealthy, fattening, and a little heavy on the carbs for weight loss. You likely consider pasta as “empty” carbs that provide no nutritional benefits. So why do Italians use pasta as a basis of their eating patterns? Now that got you thinking, huh?!

Studies have shown that the Mediterranean diet, which includes vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans and peas, unrefined grains, olive oil and fish, is associated with a lower risk of heart attack and strokes. Pasta is a significant part of that diet and the Mediterranean region.

An Italian team of researchers decided to explore pasta’s health effects, independent from all of the other Mediterranean staples. They studied over 20,000 Italians and discovered that pasta intake was associated both with lower obesity rates and healthier waist-to-hip ratios. They discovered that pasta is not the “big bad wolf” of the food pyramid and that it can be enjoyed in moderation. They found that people who ate more pasta tended to consume more foods associated with the Mediterranean diet, suggesting that pasta eaters often pair their pasta with healthy items.

So what can we learn from this?

Carbs are found in many foods, and they are one of the body’s main sources of energy. There are two types: simple (fruit and anything that mainly consists of sugar) and complex (vegetables, whole grains, and legumes). Complex carbohydrates are made up of sugar, but they’re also high in fiber and starch, which can improve digestive health and help with weight loss. When choosing carbs, it’s always better to go with ones that are complex rather than simple. If you are going to be eating pasta choose whole grain noodles. They are packed with fiber and even some protein, calcium, and potassium, and contain no cholesterol.

Although researchers haven’t specified the amounts of pasta that should or shouldn’t be consumed, the results of this study show us that is it wrong to make carbohydrates the “bad” guy. The data clearly shows that the consumption of carbohydrate-rich foods, like pasta, do not have a negative effect on someone’s body weight. There is no evidence linking the consumption of pasta with a person’s BMI.

Enjoy that pasta dish and just be mindful about your carb intake rather than overeating or cutting them out completely.

Your turn to take action: Include a healthy portion of pasta into your menu this week and tell us what recipe you choose!