Get the most nutrition from your pasta

Pasta has become a staple in many homes. Most of us fondly remember suppers of macaroni and cheese, spaghetti and meatballs or baked ziti. But with the advent of the low-carbohydrate diet came a new status for pasta: dietary evil. Is pasta really bad for you?

• Ordinary white pasta is made from refined flour. Because refined flour is digested quickly, a large plate of pasta can send your blood sugar levels soaring, only to crash several hours afterward and trigger renewed hunger.
• Such blood-sugar swings are linked with weight gain, which is why some nutrition experts have begun to recommend that people limit the amount of white bread and white pasta they consume.
• On the other hand, egg noodles contain protein, but also fat. White pastas may be enriched, but whole-grain pastas are the most healthy.
• Whole-grain pasta has about three times the fibre of white pasta, won't cause dramatic blood-sugar swings, and a diet rich in whole grains has been shown to lower the risk of diabetes, heart disease and several forms of cancer.
• A growing number of supermarkets also carry pastas made from corn, quinoa, Jerusalem artichokes, buckwheat and other types of flours, as well as varieties flavoured with spinach and tomato, which have minimally more nutrition.

• Pasta itself is not especially high in calories. A 250 millilitre (one cup) serving of cooked pasta contains 210 calories.
• The trouble is that people tend to eat more than one cup of pasta at a sitting — especially if they are eating out at a restaurant. And all too often pasta is turned into a fattening dish with butter, cheese and rich sauces. Fettuccine alfredo, for instance, is sometimes called "a heart attack on a plate" because a serving has more than 400 calories and 15 grams (1/2 ounce) of fat.
• But there are many ways to avoid extra calories. The 400 to 500 calories in a 170 gram (six ounce) serving of a traditional meat-and-cheese lasagna, for example, can be cut almost in half by substituting vegetables for the ground meat and using low-fat or skim ricotta and mozzarella.

• Pastas are a good source of iron (about two milligrams in a 250 millilitre/one cup serving) and potassium; many are also enriched with thiamine, niacin and other B vitamins.
• Although the protein in pasta (about five to seven grams in a 250 millilitre/one cup serving) lacks some essential amino acids, these can easily be obtained from a sprinkling of Parmesan cheese as a low-calorie (25 calories per 15 millilitres/one tablespoon) topping.
• Egg noodles provide complete protein, but they also contain a modest amount of fat and about 50 milligrams of cholesterol per serving. There are also high-protein pastas that are enriched with soy flour and milk solids.
• If your portion size is large, the calories will add up. Keep your serving size in check by visualizing a portion that should be approximately the size of a baseball.

The brain uses the chemical serotonin to make us feel good. When you eat carbohydrates such as pasta, there's a rapid increase in blood sugar and serotonin levels. The good feelings arrive within about 30 minutes and last for several hours.

• Eating protein with the pasta, however, can negate the effect, while whole-grain pastas, which take longer to break down, prolong it.

When prepared correctly, pasta can be a healthy and enjoyable meal. Keep this guide in mind and try making nutritious pasta today!