I love pesto and ............... it IS good for you!!

lms32164

Pesto is a classic Italian sauce made from basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and hard cheese. Freshly made pesto is a simple combination of ingredients and can be considered a wholesome food. Basil and pine nuts each offer nutrient density, olive oil offers healthy fats and garlic offers compounds with potential health benefits. Pesto is high in total fat and contains little fiber so use this tasty sauce in moderation. A couple tablespoons is all you need to make that plate of pasta delicious but still healthy.

History
Like other sauces based on oil, herbs, cheese and nuts, pesto originated in Italy. Like many early foods, a mortar and pestle were used to grind the herbs together with nuts and oil. Use this method in your own kitchen for a more authentic result. While many variations of pesto exist, the classic recipe endures even today.

Features
Classic pesto is a blend of basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and hard cheese such as Parmesan. The largest component of pesto, by weight, is olive oil. Lots of basil is added--whole bunches instead of the few leaves often called for in other sauce recipes. Parsley, salt and pepper are also sometimes added. Walnuts or other nuts can be substituted for pine nuts to reduce cost.

Benefits
The health benefits of pesto come from its nutrient-dense ingredients. Although high in fat, pesto gets its fat from olive oil and pine nuts, which are both high in healthy unsaturated fats. Pine nuts are nutrient dense and, along with the basil, make pesto a good source of many nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K and many minerals.

Considerations
Homemade pesto ensures you are getting all the nutrition of fresh ingredients. Read labels of store-bought pesto carefully. Look for olive oil, basil, pine nuts and cheese high in the list of ingredient and choose a sauce that minimizes additional ingredients like preservatives and fillers. Salt is an optional ingredient in classic pesto (it's tasty enough without it) but watch out for high sodium levels in packaged pesto sauces. Other ingredients to avoid are hydrogenated oils, monosodium glutamate and artificial colors.

Misconceptions
It's easy to place pesto in the bad-for-you food category based on its high fat content. Granted, pesto is mostly olive oil and contains other high fat ingredients like pine nuts and cheese. But it's important to choose healthy fats over unhealthy fats when you do eat a high fat food. Eat healthy high fat foods like pesto some of the time and low fat foods at other times for balance.

CadyLady23

Pesto is awesome!!

LadyNeshoba

I LOOVE pesto!

paigele

very good information. Thanks!:happy:

sundancer1966

I love Pesto, my husband makes a raw pesto that has no oil in it, and it is 86 calories for 1/4 cup and it is so addicting. We also do not put any cheese in it. I may sprinkle some of our Vegan shredded topping and that just makes it better.

Papillon22

pesto is great, but when I don't have enough calories left for it, I sprinkle pasta with frozen basil and a touch of olive oil. It's not the same, but it's pretty tasty too.

basschick

Interesting post. I loooove pesto sauce! It's my favorite topping for pasta and one of my favorite foods in general.

StarryEyedGirl

thank you for that information! now can we have your homemade recipe? I have never made it personally, I have purchased it.

lms32164

thank you for that information! now can we have your homemade recipe? I have never made it personally, I have purchased it.

Well, I buy mine right now. I may try next summer to make it. Great idea!

Patty21981

This sounds very good.

Patty21981

Thanks for sharing. I have never had it but, will look for it on my next trip to the health food store.

Hearts_2015

Thanks for sharing the info!:flowerforyou:

ladyarkham

You may want to mention that you copied and pasted that from eHow.com. http://www.ehow.com/about_4596735_is-pesto-healthy.html

Imitation is the sincerest form of plagiarism and all that.

PoeRaven

I totally adore pesto. I grow and harvest tons of sweet basil every summer. My house literally reeks of garlic and basil all summer long as I mix up batch after batch of the green yumminess. :drinker: I freeze it into 1/2 cup containers and we enjoy it all through the fall, winter and spring....then start anew each summer. :bigsmile:
And...it is a very "Heart Healthy" food...just eat in moderation.