pasta- nutrition values

[veggie val]

Any one have some light to shed on this one?
Pasta- complex or simple sugar?
Is there such thing as both? without having whole wheat pasta?
What about egg pasta?

[lorilei]

I won't be able to get /too/ technical here, but I can shed a bit of light on this issue.

Although it is an excellent source of complex carbohydrate, pasta is a refined food. The milling, refining and enriching of the whole grain removes much of the fiber while "concentrating" the calories.

As far as the "sugar" factor is concerned: when you eat carbohydrate in a certain amount —- whether it’s in the form of fruit (a simple carbohydrate) or pasta (a complex carbohydrate)—it raises blood glucose to a similar degree in a similar time frame. What this really boils down to is that "a carbohydrate is a carbohydrate is a carbohydrate".

Here's a basic breakdown of some of the nutritional info for some basic noodles:

EGG PASTA:
80% carbohydrate
14% protein
5% fat
<1% fiber
some Vitamin A and calcium.

SEMOLINA PASTA:
85% carbohydrate
13% protein
3% fat
<1% fiber

WHOLE WHEAT PASTA:
69% carbohydrate
18% protein
<1% fat
12% fiber
Vitamin A, Niacin, Vitamin C, some calcium and iron, and is high in dietary fiber

[This message has been edited by lorilei (edited 06-21-2001).]

[emilycat]

Okay, y'all knew I had to chime in on this one http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/wink.gif
Lorilei pretty well summed it up, but I just wanted to add my opinion on refined (semolina, egg, etc.) pasta, as well -- even though it is a source of complex carbohydrates, removing the germ layer from the wheat takes out much of the nutrients, thus refined pasta is much less fibrous and nutrient-rich than whole wheat (and in my opinion, it doesn't taste nearly as good). The nutrition breakdown lori provided exhibits that really well. So while refined pastas certainly aren't bad for you, you're much better off eating whole wheat varieties.

[lorilei]

A-men, Emily.

I'm a huge fan of whole-wheat pasta -- partially because I prefer the taste, and initially because of the nutritional value and the fiber... even my husband will eat it (and he was somewhat hesitant in the beginning).

A good noodle to try is DeBoles Wheat pasta -- which combines Durum wheat flour with Jerusalem artichokes. It's a great transitional noodle for those who don't exactly LOVE whole wheat. You might also try Quinoa or Spelt pastas, which are a bit different -- but great for you!

[ewatkins]

Has any one tried the new soy added pasta from Martha Gooch?

[Chefmom]

I'm not an expert, but I have a book to recommend. Andrew Weil's Eating Well for Optimum Health.

Although I don't subscribe to all of his philosophies, he writes a great book of basic human nutrition. He covers the Glycemic index with many foods and talks about the pasta subject in length. Although he doesn't nastily talk about the "other" popular diet trends (the all meat one and the no carb one) he does tell why they will not work in the long run.

The base of all of America's weight problem is our diet. Plain and simple. His book is well written and gives you a good hold on nutrition. After I first read it I began to slowly change my eating and my families eating. We didn't have too much junk around in the first place, but we have even less now. I came to grips that my weight problem is due to my soda addiction. I kicked caffeine 6 years ago, but haven't been able to kick soda altogether.

I think that nutrition is poorly taught in America. There are too many people who get their information from the highly biased evening news, and they think that since they drink diet soda and eat "fat free" snacks they are doing something good.

But, I'm off the old soap box now. I have been "boning" up in the past few years. Not only for me, but since I now teach cooking and will eventually be a personal Chef, I'm sure the knowledge will come in handy!! http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

Tami

[LGBurns]

I have tried the soy pasta from Trader Joe's and loved it. It has only 1g of fiber less than the whole wheat (I think the whole wheat has 5g and the soy has 4g) and more protein than the whole wheat. It's a great alternative to ordinary pasta for a recipe you don't think will stand up to whole wheat--more fiber and protein than regular but much lighter in taste than whole wheat.

[daner94]

I'm curious- what kind of sauces do you use on all these funky pastas-- mostly tomato-based ones?

Personally I really like my pasta with some good olive oil, fresh garlic, and parmesan cheese! So that might work with some of these, but what else do you all use?

Dana

[gertdog]

Dana,

I always think of big flavors when I use whole wheat pasta, b/c the pasta has such a strong nutty flavor.

Sauteed spinach with garlic, olive oil, chopped walnuts, crushed red pepper and ricotta salata.

Same as above, with steamed cauliflower florets instead of spinach, and minus the walnuts.

Broccoli, sun dried tomatoes, kalamata olives, oil, and garlic with parmesan cheese.

Once I made a light macaroni and cheese dish with whole wheat pasta spirals and it was really good.

Experiment (and of course tell us what you come up with!) http://www.cookinglight.com/bbs/smile.gif

[lorilei]

I use whole wheat pasta /most/ of the time, and I find that the flavor really compliments a lot of different things.

We do eat a lot of variations on tomato sauce -- everything from tomato orange sauce to simple marinaras.

Some of my other favorites: Pesto with roasted vegetables, alfredo with spinach, clam sauce, garlic-olive oil dressing... the list goes on and on. Sometimes I make up interesting combinations and experiment.

[LGBurns]

The Penne with Sun-dried Tomatoes, Green Beans and Toasted Bread Crumbs (sorry, not sure which issue) is great with whole wheat pasta. So is the Fettucini with Tofu and Fingerlicking Peanut Sauce (again, not sure of issue--but I know it's from the article on stocking your pantry). The soy pasta I mentioned earlier is great with anything you'd eat regular pasta with--I don't even notice the difference.

[kwormann]

I actually like wheat pasta with just olive oil and parm because I also enjoy the flavor of the pasta so much!

[beccathebaker]

It's funny how you get used to the flavor of whole wheat pasta and then when you have regular it seems tasteless! I just recently noticed that Prince pasta (common name brand) has come out with a 50/50 blend of ww and white pasta. Haven't tried it yet but I'm curious to know if anyone has.

Another interesting thing to note is that after doing some research on the glycemic index, there seems to be a conflict in information regarding pasta. Some experts say that pasta is actually a l ow glycemic index food while others -like barry Sears- pronounce it to be very high. I believe that everything in moderation is great- there is nothing like a wonderful dish of imported Italian semolina pasta with diced fresh tomatoes olive oil and parmesan cheese!!!

[emilycat]

Eating foods with various glycemic indexes also has a lot to do with timing -- there's nothing wrong with eating a bowl of semolina pasta, but you'd be better off eating it after you work out, when your glycogen stores need to be replenished quickly. Pre-workout, low-glycemic index foods are better, because they metabolize more slowly and provide your body with a more steady supply of energy.