4 Simple Reasons Why You Should Eat More Pasta For Your Health
It hurts when we crave for something like a favorite Italian dish. And then we think twice, because maybe we’ve heard that it is nothing but calories that expand our waistline, or that the sauce’s luster screams cholesterol. Or are we the type that counts missing nutrients before the food even touches the plate? To spare ourselves from needless penance, let’s look closer.
What is Pasta?
It is a type of starchy noodle typically made from grain flour, mixed into a paste or dough by adding water or eggs, and formed or cut into sheets or other shapes. The shapes or types are as varied as the local Italian names they have.
The common forms include long and short shapes, tubes, flat shapes or sheets, miniature shapes for soup, those meant to be filled or stuffed, and specialty or decorative shape.
Before serving, it is usually cooked by boiling, baking or frying.
According to grain process, there is refined pasta and whole-grain pasta. The former has the wheat kernel stripped of the germ and bran along with many of the nutrients they contain. The latter retains its high fiber and minerals.
And, yes, we know it’s such a treat. But what else do we get?
Four Health Benefits
1. Power Source
Pasta is good source of carbohydrates which give energy to the body. Glucose, a type of basic carbohydrate, metabolizes first and provides immediate fuel for your brain and muscles. Then, the complex carbohydrates, which are not easily digestible, breaks down slow, releasing energy at a slow and sustained level. This type of carbohydrates comes from cellulose in plants, commonly known as “dietary fiber”.
2. Roughage
Whole-grain pasta is higher in fiber than refined pasta. Other than being a source of complex carbohydrates, dietary fibers can also act by changing the nature of the contents of the gastrointestinal tract, and by changing how other nutrients and chemicals are absorbed. They are responsible for giving a fuller feeling after meal, reducing appetite and craving, and therefore reducing the chances for gaining weight.
3. The Sugar Mark
With the help of the fiber and the type of carbohydrates in it, pasta comes with low glycemic index (GI), which measures the relative rapidity with which the body breaks down carbohydrates. In short, it causes smaller increases in blood sugar levels than those caused by eating foods with a high GI, like bread, potatoes, and rice.
4. Twin Minerals
Both refined and whole-grain pastas serve as excellent sources of selenium, a mineral that activates antioxidant enzymes that help cellular functions fight against molecular damage. Pasta also contains manganese, a mineral that helps you metabolize carbohydrates and regulate your blood sugar.
Alas! There is more than meets the tongue! But these are just to name a few. Adding some good ingredients, like lean meat, vegetables and beans will not only enhance the taste, but nutrition as well. Maybe enjoyment could be the secret to a successful balanced meal plan. Happiness helps us stick to it oftentimes. So in good moderation, why not indulge?
