Pasta isn’t bad for you, but the way you eat it can be: dietitian

There’s no reason to get upset about your spaghetti.

Carbs are generally frowned upon when it comes to weight loss and diet, and pasta, in particular, absorbs a lot of heat.

But StudyFinds dietitian Shyla Cadogan says pasta isn’t inherently unhealthy, but the way you eat it might be.

The recommended serving size for pasta is 2 ounces of uncooked pasta, which is equivalent to about 1 cup of cooked pasta, according to Barilla, the world’s largest pasta producer.

A general serving contains about 200 calories, 40 grams of carbohydrates, 6 grams of protein and 1 to 2 grams of fiber.

Since pasta is mostly carbohydrates, people tend to think of them as “empty calories,” Cadogan wrote, but carbohydrates are the human body’s “preferred energy source,” so they actually provide nutrition.

Whole-grain pasta specifically contains more fiber and protein, two things that will keep you full longer and reduce the risk of overeating.

It gets tricky when it comes to how it’s prepared.

Adding sauces, butters, creams, meats and/or cheeses can add calories and inevitably end up making the dish complete without a balance of beneficial nutrients.

People also choose to eat pasta as a main dish rather than a side dish, so they will likely eat more than the recommended serving size, Cadogan said.

“Virtually any food eaten in excess or as part of an overall unbalanced diet can become unhealthy pretty quickly,” she said. “It’s about balancing your plate.”

It is often advisable for a plate to contain foods of different colors, and the same goes for a pasta dish.

For example, Cadogan suggests making a marinara-based pasta dish with vegetables for fiber and a source of protein.

Another way to balance out your pasta dish is to make just a small portion of your entire meal as a side dish.

These days, there are many 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 low-carb diets are one of the most popular weight loss diets doesn’t mean pasta should be left out of family dinners.

“Pasta is not inherently unhealthy. It doesn’t deserve all this disrespect,” Cadogan wrote.

Not only can pasta provide fiber and protein, but it can also make you happy.

A previous study conducted by the Behavioral and Brain Laboratory at the IULM Free University of Languages ​​and Communication in Milan, Italy, found that eating pasta can improve your mood and make you as happy as hearing your favorite song.

Food & Wine reported that 40 participants aged 25 to 55 were able to eat pasta while researchers analyzed their physical and neurological changes. These responses were then compared to the changes participants observed while listening to their favorite songs or watching a sporting event.

Eating pasta outperformed music and sport when it came to eliciting positive emotions and “activating cognitive memory processes,” according to the researchers.

“We always knew that a good pasta dish makes people happy, but we didn’t know why and to what extent,” Riccardo Felicetti, president of Italian pasta makers Unione Italiana Food, said in a statement. .

“Now the official confirmation comes from this research that we commissioned at the IULM, in which pasta is chosen as the food of happiness, or as we pasta makers like to say, with the best happiness ratio /price.”