The pasta is high in its caloric content, so consuming it in large quantities and excessive may be harmful to your health. So what are the damages of pasta? Do they have benefits? What are the facts about it?
What is pasta?
Pasta (very similar to noodles), are made from different ingredients, such as flour, eggs, water and others, to be cooked later by boiling it for a short period of time in water.
It is possible to make pasta from whole grains, such as rice or barley and others. It can be made through complex processes during which all useful materials of wheat flour are withdrawn.
Some manufacturers may add and fortify pasta during manufacturing to increase their nutritional value, such as B vitamins and iron, which manufacturing may be withdraw from pasta.
These are some common pasta forms: spaghetti, ravioli, tortellini, photochini. Various sauces can be added to the pasta as desired.
What are the most common types of pasta?
The most prefer processed pasta, in which some elements have been removed, such as wheat germ.
This type of pasta is higher in its content of calories compared to other types of fiber rich and made from whole grains.
What is the difference between pasta made from whole grains and processed pasta?
These are the features of whole grain pasta:
- High in fiber, manganese, selenium, copper and phosphorus.
- Contains a few calories.
While processed Pasta is poor in nutrients and fiber.
Damage of pasta
There are many health and negative effects associated with eating pasta, including:
1 – Pasta is rich in calories
Manufactured pasta contains a high amount of calories and carbohydrates that break down into glucose causes a sharp rise in blood sugar when eating pasta.
And it’s rich in carbohydrates and calories; it is preferred to be treated moderately, because it may stimulate the incidence of the following cases:
- Diabetes
- Metabolic syndrome.
- Obesity
2 – Pasta is digested quickly
The pasta contains simple carbohydrates that are digested quickly in the digestive system, which causes increased susceptibility to hunger, and therefore the desire to eat more food.
3 – Gluten in the pasta may cause health problems
Although there are certain types of pasta that are completely free of gluten, many of the market types contain gluten, which may cause health problems in special cases.
For example, for people with celiac disease, gluten may stimulate their immune system to attack the intestine, causing damage to their digestive system.
Some are allergic to gluten, which causes them many gastrointestinal problems when taking gluten, so they should avoid gluten altogether.
Does eating pasta made from whole grain is a healthy alternative?
Whole grain pasta contains a large amount of fiber, vitamins and minerals. Some studies have linked them to reducing the chances of the following diseases:
- Heart disease.
- Colon Cancer.
- Diabetes
- Obesity
However, the process of making pasta in general, even when using whole grains, reduces the amount of nutrients in them and make them smaller, which makes it digested faster, and therefore increase the levels of sugar in the blood quickly.
So if you want to enjoy the benefits of healthy whole grains, you can take them from other products made from whole grains other than pasta, or from the same unprocessed grains, such as quinoa, oats and brown rice.
And if you want to lose weight but you like pasta, pasta made from whole grains is better than normal pasta.
How to make healthy pasta?
Eating pasta can be healthy if you follow the following rules:
- Eating pasta moderately without excessive.
- Eat whole-grain pasta.
- Choose sauces, healthy and low-calorie supplements for pasta, or in other words:
- Keep away from cream and cheese in all kinds of pasta additions.
- Use olive oil, herbs, Add a healthy cooked protein to pasta, such as chicken breast or fish, and tasty, healthy and fresh plants with pasta.
Of course, people with gluten allergy and Celiac disease should avoid gluten pasta.
