Should you break up with pasta?
/It’s winter here in Sydney and we are at the end of week 5 of lockdown with at least another 4 weeks on the horizon. We’re all wearing our active wear and eating comfort food. Often, when I meet a new client and we review what they’ve been eating they will mention pasta and say it’s “bad” and expect me to tell them to give it up. But I think I must have been Italian in a former life as there’s no way pasta is off the menu for me and my clients!
Yes, pasta is rich in carbohydrates, but carbs aren’t bad for you – they are the body and brain’s preferred source of energy. The issue is that we tend to serve ourselves too much pasta. An appropriate serving size for most women in their 40-50s is about ½ cup cooked (more if your younger, taller or more active), which is about the size of your fist. When you put this in a bowl by itself it looks very sad.
So here’s my tricks so you don’t feel deprived:
1. Pad out your pasta with veggies. These days in the supermarket you can buy (or make yourself) all sorts of vegetable spaghetti – zucchini, carrot and sweet potato are all good options. Or you could add a microwave pack of steam fresh veggies. When you add some veggies to your plate along with your fist size serve of pasta and some delicious sauce, your meal is much bulkier, taking you longer to chew and eat and providing an extra serve of veggies. The additional fibre will help you feel fuller longer too.
2. Upgrade your pasta to wholegrain. Typically pasta is made of refined flour, however you can upgrade to wholegrain pasta which is much higher in fibre and protein - both of which keep you fuller for longer. Eating wholegrains regularly is associated with protection from chronic disease and better weight management. The trick is finding a brand that isn’t gluggy when it’s cooked – I like the Barilla wholegrain the most. As a comparison Barilla wholegrain spaghetti has 10g of fibre per 100g relative to 3g of fibre in their regular pasta. If your family is suspicious of the brown colour, I suggest mixing regular and whole wheat pasta 50/50.
3. Try a legume-based pasta - pasta made from beans, chickpeas and lentils is one of the greatest recent food innovations. Pulse pasta is very high in protein and fibre and gluten free. If you’re vegetarian or wanting a plant based meal the protein from the legumes makes this meal balanced. This is an easy upgrade from a carb heavy but common vegetarian meal of pasta and sauce. Again, I like the Barilla pulse pasta with 100g giving 13g of protein and 10g of fibre. You do need a robust sauce with the legume pastas - you can check out my pesto here.
4. Try a protein pasta – Vetta has released “Smart Protein Pasta” and SanRemo have “Pasta Pro”. Both of these pastas are formulated by adding wheat gluten (the protein in wheat) to traditional pasta and have added oat fibre. Both of these switches (increased protein and fibre) will keep you fuller for longer.
5. Buckwheat and edamame pasta - Buckwheat is a gluten-free wholegrain, so this is another good option for those on a gluten-free diet. Being a wholegrain, buckwheat pasta also provides more micronutrients than refined gluten-free pastas. Edamame pasta is made from soybeans so is extremely high in protein and fibre, and very low in carbohydrates. Both are suitable for those following a low FODMAP diet. Edamame pasta is very low calorie so you can have a bigger serve which can suit people who like a generous serve of pasta. As you know I’m all about increasing the diversity of plants in your diet to improve your health so if you regularly eat wheat adding in a serve of buckwheat or edamame based pasta will add in another plant to your week. Personally I’d avoid the konjac pasta as I don’t like the taste, smell or texture.
6. Cooked and cooled pasta - Did you know that when you cook and cool pasta (or rice or potatoes) changes the structure of the starch and turns it into ‘resistant starch’. This means that it’s more resistant to the enzymes in our gut which break down carbohydrates and release glucose. Cooked-then-cooled pasta acts more like fibre in your body and creates a smaller glucose spike (resulting in better blood sugar control), helps to feed the good bacteria in your gut and also means that you absorb fewer calories from the same quantity of pasta. So think pasta salad. Interestingly when you reheat the cooked and cooled pasta the starch stays resistant.
Of course, the other side to your pasta is your sauce – skip rich creamy/cheesy/ oily sauces and balance out with your meal with plenty of veggies, some lean protein and a little healthy fat, quality carbs like pasta can absolutely be included as part of your healthy diet. Here are two pasta recipes that fit these ideas:
Rosemary chicken with pesto pasta
Chicken cacciatore with spelt pasta
Don’t forget to pair your pasta with a beautiful green salad. Nutrient dense greens such as watercress, rocket, spinach, mustard greens and kale are rich in phytochemicals, fibre and nutrients essential for effective liver function and supporting our hormones. I love a rocket, spinach and pear salad, sprinkled with a few chopped walnuts, and a dressing of extra virgin olive oil and a splash of balsamic vinegar.
Mangiamo!
Rachel is a university qualified Clinical Nutritionist based in Sydney, Australia. She is also the busy working mum of two teenagers, so is practical and realistic with her advice . Rachel offers private consultations to improve your family's health and well-being. You can find her on Facebook and Instagram for more healthy tips and tricks.
