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Pasta might help your diet.
After recent findings, it seems like pasta is not such a bad choice for our weight after all. Experts have come to the conclusion that it doesn’t matter that you eat pasta, but how you eat it.
This food can indeed become very dangerous for your weight if it’s combined with high-fat sauces. However, if you combine it with vegetables, then you will serve a tasty dish without worrying about gaining a few extra pounds.
The latest research conducted by a team of scientists from the Department of Epidemiology of the I.R.C.C.S. (Italian government agency) proved that pasta might not be a threat for a person’s BMI. Over 23,000 people participated in the study.
The study was simple, as they were asked about their eating habits and then the team observed what the participants ate during a day. After collecting information regarding their waist-to-hip ratio, height, and weight to establish their BMI, scientists learned that eating pasta was even related to a lower BMI.
Plus, participants consuming pasta in regular basis had a healthier waist-to-hip ratio. But the team of researchers underlined that this study was relatively small, and it only found a link between pasta and a healthy weight, not a direct cause that can be applied in everyday life.
In other words, people should still be aware of how they consume pasta. According to Keri Gans, R.D.N., author of an important study paper regarding a healthy diet, there is a huge difference between a bowl of noodles drowned in a sauce full of fats and a Mediterranean serving of noodles with lots of vegetables, beans, shrimp, or olive oil.
Gans underlined that noodles should be consumed in smaller portions and combined with vegetables to keep the calories in control.
According to Nyree Dardarian, Center for Integrated Nutrition & Performance director and assistant clinical professor at Drexel’s College of Nursing and Health Professions, extra calories can be easily avoided by following a simple set of rules that will help you enjoy your meal without the risk of weight gain.
Pasta should be combined with foods rich in nutrients and cholesterol-lowering such as chickpeas, cashews, almonds, avocado, spinach, basil, and extra virgin olive oil. Also, a mix of vegetables can always come in handy because they will help you feel that your stomach is full and they won’t boost the serving with extra calories.
But most important is that people should be aware of how much pasta they consume in a meal. Dardarian stressed that only ¼ of your serving could consist of pasta. The rest should be left for veggies, shrimps, and other ingredients.
Image Source:Food NDTV
