Wholewheat is good right?....

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Picola1984
Picola1984 Posts: 1,133
in Food and Nutrition
If you looked at the food list on the left, I bet the majority of people regardless if you are a health freak or not, would assume the 'wholewheat' pasta a pretty good option. Evidently not!!!

OMG.jpg

I love restaurants that list their menus nutritional info <3

Replies

  • Mmmary212
    Mmmary212 Posts: 410 Member
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    Couldn't pay me to eat whole wheat pasta...
  • Kelly_Wilson1990
    Kelly_Wilson1990 Posts: 3,245 Member
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    Wow, that is awful.
  • havalinaaa
    havalinaaa Posts: 333 Member
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    It is most likely the pesto that gives it that count, though I agree whole-wheat doesn't automagically mean healthy. Pesto is made with oil, and lots of it.
  • poustotah
    poustotah Posts: 1,121 Member
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    I think you have to look at it in terms of what a serving size is. I use a whole wheat pasta and it has 180 calories in a 2 oz serving - which is plenty for me. I also have a pesto sauce in the fridge that has 240 calories in 2 tbsp so in terms of what is 'bad' comparitively, obviously the pesto takes the cake.
  • lily1972
    lily1972 Posts: 375 Member
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    Personally, it would still be my second pick after the chicken salad because of the high protein, low carbs and sugar. :happy:
  • tasnim81
    tasnim81 Posts: 91 Member
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    I'm guessing the pesto is what makes it so high in calories.
  • ChitownFoodie
    ChitownFoodie Posts: 1,562 Member
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    I try to avoid pasta because it's easy to go over in calories.
  • fitzie63
    fitzie63 Posts: 508 Member
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    What that nutritional value chart does NOT show:
    1. The size of the portion/serving
    2. The "culprit" in that high calorie level is most likely the PESTO sauce. Pesto contains a lot of olive oil and often, finely ground up nuts. Pesto Sauce


    Rated:
    Submitted By: sal
    Photo By: 5boys2cook4
    Prep Time: 10 Minutes
    Ready In: 20 Minutes
    Servings: 16
    "Quick and easy pesto to top your pasta. A great change from red sauce."
    INGREDIENTS:
    3 cups fresh basil leaves
    1 1/2 cups chopped walnuts
    4 cloves garlic, peeled
    1/4 cup grated Parmesan cheese
    1 cup olive oil
    salt and pepper to taste
    DIRECTIONS:
    1. In a food processor, blend together basil leaves, nuts, garlic, and cheese. Pour in oil slowly while still mixing. Stir in salt and pepper.

    Add up those walnuts, Parmesan cheese and olive oil quantities with the calories and there you have the culprit. Also, consider how much pesto was loaded on the whole wheat pasta.
  • Picola1984
    Picola1984 Posts: 1,133
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    I'm choosing the filet steak with mixed salad

    Mmm meat.
  • meerkat70
    meerkat70 Posts: 4,616 Member
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    well, rather than writing off wholewheat pasta, I'd probably query portion size and just how much pesto they're putting in the dish.

    My pesto and pasta dinner doesn't come close to that kind of calorie cost.
  • pnieuw
    pnieuw Posts: 473
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    Split it with your friend and order a side salad with it.

    I'll take 1/2 the order with whole wheat before the artery clogging Caesar salad.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,018 Member
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    Just so you know for any future posts a portion (2oz's) of any pasta is 200-225 calories and whole wheat isn't any different. A recipe or restaurant offering shouldn't be your reasoning why a single ingredient is to blame........
  • kateroot
    kateroot Posts: 435
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    At a lot of restaurants, something like a pesto pasta is going to be made with a pesto cream sauce. Any restaurant cream sauce is a recipe for disaster :)

    You could make a whole wheat pesto pasta at home, throw some veggies in it, and have a pretty healthy meal. At a restaurant? No way.
  • VulcanLover
    VulcanLover Posts: 53
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    Whole wheat pasta is not the devil.

    First--this is a restaurant. So you can pretty much divide that in 3 to determine what the cals are per portion. Now, if you go and eat the whole big thing, then you do not have a good grip on restaurant portions or you don't care. LOL.

    Second--Pesto typically packs a solid punch of calories. It's made with oil.

    Third-- Calorie wise, whole wheat pasta is not much different than regular pasta, which is reasonable in terms of calories and low in fat. Eat the right portion of whole wheat pasta and you are looking at about 200 cals for your portion.

    Fourth-- The whole wheat or whole grain choice is always better than the white choice--as it is complex carbohydrate and takes longer for your body to break down, avoiding sugar spikes.
  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,018 Member
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    Fourth-- The whole wheat or whole grain choice is always better than the white choice--as it is complex carbohydrate and takes longer for your body to break down, avoiding sugar spikes.

    Actually flour whether whole grain, duram, bleached white are all complex carbs and the GI difference is minimal, I think 3 points difference, if someone was to find the GI scale relevant.

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