Is pasta really that bad??

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  • DaivaSimone
    DaivaSimone Posts: 657 Member
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    A serving of pasta for one person is usually 85g of pasta (that is, a normal serving like your italian nonna serves it, not a serving in an italo-american eatery, which is probably twice as that). That gives you around 300 calories if you use whole wheat pasta, but it comes with a lot of fiber and 10g of protein. I don't know why people says that pasta are low-nutrient food, it is particularly untrue if you use the good kind of pasta. I love Garofalo Integrale for my day to day cooking.

    I found that I can easily lower my serving size of pasta to 65g whithout noticing it, if I had a lot of toppings: grilled shrimp and asparagus, grilled chicken, kale and garlic, chorizo, cherry tomatoes and roasted red bell peppers (etc.)... It turns out I can have a pasta bowl with a lot of nutrients for about 500 calories. And those calories include, yes, about 50g of carbs, but also 35g of protein and up to 10g of fibers, plus all the vitamins in the veggies.

    Sure, it's not a low carb dish, but I manage to eat them within my 35-30-35 ratio and it (oh boy) fits my macro. No worries, eat your pasta.
  • bcf7683
    bcf7683 Posts: 1,653 Member
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    What about it is good for your health? Yes, it tastes good but it's rather calorie dense and will spike your insulin quite dramatically. It's also difficult to eat in a small portion for most people and is usually coupled with fat/and or sugar which is an evil combo for fat loss.

    Fats are also calorie dense... Does that mean that almonds are bad? Protein is calorie dense..... Chicken breast anyone?

    Odds are- you're working out and your body is using that carby pasta goodness for energy to fuel your kick as$ness. It's about moderation and making things fit into your day. I still eat pizza/fries and drink beer when I'm out with friends and I haven't gained a pound because I make my choices fit into my day.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    What about it is good for your health? Yes, it tastes good but it's rather calorie dense and will spike your insulin quite dramatically. It's also difficult to eat in a small portion for most people and is usually coupled with fat/and or sugar which is an evil combo for fat loss.

    Fats are also calorie dense... Does that mean that almonds are bad? Protein is calorie dense..... Chicken breast anyone?

    Odds are- you're working out and your body is using that carby pasta goodness for energy to fuel your kick as$ness. It's about moderation and making things fit into your day. I still eat pizza/fries and drink beer when I'm out with friends and I haven't gained a pound because I make my choices fit into my day.

    I don't know about almonds, but pistachios are explosive!
  • neandermagnon
    neandermagnon Posts: 7,436 Member
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    Pasta is very, very, very bad.

    Pasta goes around mugging little old ladies and stealing their money and it also steals candy from small children. And just last week pasta robbed a bank using a sawn-off shotgun.

    If you see pasta, call crimestoppers.







    (serious answer: pasta's fine... just be sure to log the calories accurately as it's calorie dense)
  • themedalist
    themedalist Posts: 3,215 Member
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    If you are not a runner or someone who does a TON of cadio - then I would not eat it very often.

    I disagree. Different people process carbs in different ways. Some are more carb sensitive than others. I can easily eat pasta, bread, and whatever else is carb laden in moderation and have lost weight (and kept it off) just fine.

    This. Exactly This. Yup, This. I'm a 51 year old woman having mac-n-cheese for lunch. But a reasonable portion, not an Olive Garden portion.
  • Jen800
    Jen800 Posts: 548 Member
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    No way!

    Full of fibre, complex carbohydrates to keep you full and energized, and not to mention comforting!

    Pasta really adds something that can change a salad from a "side" to a meal. Eating whole grain/ Whole wheat pasta is fine! It's even got some protein in there. Just be careful not to make it a food you're eating multiple times a day, just because it is so high in carbohydrates.

    I'd steer very clear of white, however. No benefits there, and it'll make you hungrier from the simple sugars it is made up of.
  • tennisdude2004
    tennisdude2004 Posts: 5,609 Member
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    If you are not a runner or someone who does a TON of cadio - then I would not eat it very often.

    I disagree. Different people process carbs in different ways. Some are more carb sensitive than others. I can easily eat pasta, bread, and whatever else is carb laden in moderation and have lost weight (and kept it off) just fine.

    This. Exactly This. Yup, This. I'm a 51 year old woman having mac-n-cheese for lunch. But a reasonable portion, not an Olive Garden portion.

    Sorry, but I had a gif for that one.:smile:

    anigif_enhancedbuzz927613689749593.gif
  • jwooley13
    jwooley13 Posts: 243
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    Like others have said, as long as you're watching your portion size and logging it into your daily calories, there is nothing wrong with eating what you want. That being said, I feel like there are other things that would keep you full longer than pasta and lettuce.

    I love using quinoa as a base for lots of kinds of dense salads. You can add legumes, meat, fresh veggies, or really anything you like - mix it all up with some sort of dressing (I usually use some sort of vinaigrette) and bring it for lunch in some tupperware. My personal favorite is quinoa, black beans, chicken, jicama, corn, cilantro, lime juice, and a chili vinaigrette.
  • dopeysmelly
    dopeysmelly Posts: 1,390 Member
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    No way!

    Full of fibre, complex carbohydrates to keep you full and energized, and not to mention comforting!

    Pasta really adds something that can change a salad from a "side" to a meal. Eating whole grain/ Whole wheat pasta is fine! It's even got some protein in there. Just be careful not to make it a food you're eating multiple times a day, just because it is so high in carbohydrates.

    I'd steer very clear of white, however. No benefits there, and it'll make you hungrier from the simple sugars it is made up of.

    ^^This.

    I have it 2-3 x per week. Love it, but I'm pretty anal about measuring it out. Whole grain anything helps to slow down the insulin spike the body develops after eating refined carbohydrates.
  • Eleonora91
    Eleonora91 Posts: 688 Member
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    Just eat it. If you're in a calorie deficit, you'll lose weight anyway.
    Having a normal portion of pasta (80 gr) fills me up better than eating a huge salad, so I'd rather take those calories.
    Also, be careful when you log it on MFP because some of the numbers I've seen on this post are completely wrong. Pasta is not extremely high in calories, it usually has 350 kcals/100 gr and we usually eat 70-80 gr to make a regular dish. If you just add plain tomato sauce with 1 tsp of olive oil you're not even adding too many calories with sauces and seasonings. Just keep it simple and you'll be able to make it fit into any kind of diet.
  • spoiledpuppies
    spoiledpuppies Posts: 675 Member
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    There's nothing wrong with pasta. I don't eat it often, but I cook up whole boxes then portion them out (weighing in grams) into baggies and freeze them. Then when I want some it's easy to just grab a portion. Sometimes, I end up splitting a portion in half even, which is easy enough to do from frozen, if I just want the pasta component to a meal without all the calories.
  • Noogynoogs
    Noogynoogs Posts: 1,028 Member
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    My philosophy is - you can eat anything as long as it is within your daily calorie allowance :)
  • DaivaSimone
    DaivaSimone Posts: 657 Member
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    This thread clearly inspired my for dinner. Look at my big bowl of pasta:

    617828ScreenHunter08May142004.jpg

    Pretty neat, nutrtionally speaking!

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