Pasta is a convenient food that always tastes delicious and can be prepared in many ways. It’s universally loved, but it’s typically not considered a healthy option. In fact, many see it as a “guilty pleasure” food that shouldn’t be eaten very often. That’s because of its poor nutritional value. Pasta consists mostly of carbs, and eating too many carbs simply isn’t good for your health. However, dietitian and health expert Diane Welland told Real Simple that pasta actually has some amazing health benefits.
“Pasta can be an effective building block for good nutrition throughout the lifecycle, as it serves as a perfect delivery system for fruits, vegetables, lean meats, fish, and legumes,” she said. Think of it as a blank canvas that’s perfect for adding all the foods rich in fiber and nutrients you want. “This analysis underscores the nutritional importance of grains, such as pasta, as consistent with a healthy diet. It shows that pasta eaters have better quality diets than those who don’t eat pasta.”
She’s talking about the new research published in Frontiers in Nutrition in August 2020. The research found that pasta consumption in children and adults is connected to a better diet quality compared to children and adults who don’t eat pasta. Isn’t that good news?
