Pasta: Good clean fuel, or junk food?

[FXjohn]

I usually buy the whole wheat kind of pasta.
Easy to make and tastes good.
Is it just like eating white bread/empty calories?
Any opinions welcome.

[steveknight]

I don't think wheat anymore has much nutrition beyond the calories it contains. Our major grains are so hybridized for yield and disease not much is left. You want good nutrition go with the older grains that have not been so screwed around with.
Plus all of that wheat is grown in pretty poor over worked over fertilized soil too.

[CdCf]

Pasta is really only pasta if it's made from durum wheat.
And real durum wheat pasta, cooked for the shortest time as you're comfortable with, is really good stuff.
Low glycemic index (50-60 if you don't overcook it), plus it has protein in it as well, just as all wheat-based products have. Around 11-12% protein, 70-72% carbs and a small amount of fat.

For slightly less energy for weight, but even lower GI, go for the "whole grain" durum wheat pastas.

If you, like myself, don't mind eating dull food, cooking a plate of pasta takes just 8-10 minutes, depending on how fast your stove heats the water. I usually eat that once a day, normally for breakfast, along with a pint of milk and some fruits.

[Diggy18]

I don't have the info right in front of me, but if I recall correctly there's not much difference between the regular pasta and the whole wheat pasta. I usually get the Hodgen Mills stuff anyway, and also some egg noodles made without the yoke.

[Guest]

Whole wheat will always have its original nutrients, while white flour is enriched and has lost its original nutrients. The best thing you can do is eat wheat over white.

Koffee

[trekkie820]

I always eat wheat bread, pasta, even brown rice. The best breads that I have found have been the Bakers Inn breads, as they taste amazing and have a lot of grains in them.

[Diggy18]

Yeah, those Bakers Inn Breads rock. Lots of fiber and protein, but low in sugar.

I just checked and the Hogsen Mills wheat pasta has 1g more of fiber, 2g LESS of protein, and 1g less of sugar. Plus it has a lot less vitamins like someone said, since it's not enriched. All in all, it seems like the regular pasta is better, doesn't it? (Mixing them is a good idea.)

So why is whole grain bread so much better than white bread, but there's not much difference between the pastas?

[Guest]

Ummmm... just because it has less protein, it's supposed to be worse for you?

Which is worse, more sugar or less protein?

Keep in mind, we eat MORE protein than what we should be eating to begin with. So no stress there. And the amount of sugar can add up. That measurement is for like 2 oz, and people tend to usually eat MORE than 2 oz. So say you eat 6 oz in a sitting every night. That's like an additional 3 grams of additional sugar we're eating every day we eat, which is just more empty calories added on to the large amounts of empty calories we already consume every day.

And enriched pasta is better than whole wheat? So it's ok to be missing some of those nutrients and vitamins out of the enriched pasta?

We rarely get enough fiber in our diet, which I seriously suspect is a big reason why we have so many people end up with colon cancer. So when is it bad to have that extra few grams of fiber?

Why mix? If you can mix, you can drop the enriched pasta altogether and just go whole wheat. It can't be that bad to do.

Koffee

[CdCf]

I have no idea what kinds of pasta you have in the US. I just go on what I can find in stores here...

And "whole grain" durum wheat pasta is, by far, the best choice!
There's no contest!