Mama Mia! It’s Spaghetti Day!

Today is National Spaghetti Day.  You must think I make these things up, but I promise I don’t.  Spaghetti is the most common round type of pasta and in Italian, “spaghetti” means “little lines”.  Kids and adults alike love this fun food.  But wait!  Before digging in there are some things you need to know.  For starters, spaghetti, or any type of pasta for that matter, should be consumed in moderation.  According to the Exchange Lists for Meal Planning, a serving of pasta is 1/3 cup cooked.  Today, most Americans eat pasta as a main dish when in reality it should only be consumed as a side dish or an accompaniment to the main meal.  If you do choose to have pasta as your main dish, make sure you prepare a recipe that also includes plenty of vegetables and protein!  Remember, a well-balanced meal is the key to good health!

For a while now refined grains and white pasta has been frowned upon in the nutrition realm.  Have you made the switch over to whole grains?  You may have when it comes to whole wheat bread, but all too often people are hesitant to switch to whole wheat pasta for fear of how it will taste.  How about making this one of the changes you make for the year 2012.  Slowly begin to replace white pasta with whole wheat pasta.  Start off with making your dish with half whole wheat pasta and half white pasta. Gradually increase the amount of 100 % whole wheat until you can enjoy it by itself.

One cup of whole wheat pasta provides you with 25% of your daily fiber requirements. The high fiber content in whole wheat pasta will help you stay full for a longer period of time, causing you to eat less throughout the day.  Fiber has been shown to lower LDL or “bad cholesterol” as well as regulate your digestive system.

You should not deprive yourself of spaghetti or any type of pasta.  By making the switch to whole wheat, preparing it with healthy ingredients and eating it in moderation as part of a healthy eating plan, you can enjoy this popular food. 

Let me know how this works out for you!

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