Pasta can make a great quick meal as long as you don’t abuse it. In fact, I recommend it as a healthy Quick Emergency Meal to go to when you feel hungry and too tired to put on your professional chef’s hat.
A friend of mine from Italy told me once that here in America a plate of pasta is nowhere near what the authentic Italian plate of pasta is supposed to look like. Given that pasta in Italy is a vital part of the Mediterranean diet that is known for its super healthy characteristics, it looks like pasta in its original form can be a nourishing option when you treat it right.
I will also add my own five healthy ways to cook and eat pasta:
- use proper cooking technique and cook it al dente rather than allowing it to become soft (this method prevents pasta from spiking up your blood sugar)
- make sure you don’t eat pasta more than twice a week
- watch your portion size
- use sauce containing ‘clean’ ingredients (void of preservatives, additives, etc.)
- don’t add more than 2-3 other ingredients
As far as the type of pasta, I don’t believe whole wheat kind (praised by many) is a much better choice than a regular durum wheat semolina given the overall poor quality of the wheat bran added to the regular white pasta to create a ‘whole wheat’ kind. As long as the actual pasta product is clean and void of artificial additives and preservatives, you can enjoy the kinds sold at a regular store.
Note: in this post I am talking exclusively about Italian types of pasta; Asian varieties are usually prepared and consumed much differently.
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