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Strong Women
Is it a bad idea to eat pasta every day? Nutritionists explain how to boost the health benefits of pasta
By Lauren Geall
2 years ago
4 min read
You can’t beat a steaming bowl of pasta. But is having it regularly good for us?
Few scenarios in life can’t be made better by a steaming bowl of pasta. From creamy spaghetti to orzo mixed with a rich tomato sauce, pasta is versatile and delicious. In fact, there are so many ways to eat the carb that it can be tempting to have it every day.
Of course, most of us don’t end up living out that temptation. Variety is the spice of life, after all, and we know that increasing the variety of plants we eat every week can make a massive difference to the health of our gut microbiome. With this in mind, sticking to the same type of food every day does seem like it might be a bad idea.
But from a nutritional perspective, is making pasta a staple part of your diet a bad idea if you mix up what you eat it with? We asked two nutritionists to deliver their verdict.
Is it a bad idea to eat pasta every day?
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Eating pasta regularly isn’t inherently bad – it’s how you go about it and what you combine the pasta with that’s the issue. For example, registered nutritionist VJ Hamilton says sticking to a pasta-heavy diet could lead you to neglect other forms of nutrition.
“It’s crucial to diversify your meals to ensure you get a wide range of nutrients from different food sources,” she explains. “This is important not only for nutrient intake, but also for different fibre and phytonutrients which feed the gut microbiome, where variety is critical.”
That means topping a bowl full of white pasta with some tinned tomatoes and a sprinkle of basil probably isn’t going to cut it – you need to make sure that the pasta dishes you’re eating are as nutritionally balanced as any other meal you might cook.
Aneequa Godart, functional nutritionist at the longevity clinic HUM2N, adds that regularly eating white pasta can spell bad news for your body’s ability to regulate blood sugar.
“Pasta is a high carbohydrate food which means it can lead to rapid blood sugar spikes when consumed,” Godart says. While blood sugar spikes are part of our body’s natural digestive response, regularly experiencing these big spikes and crashes – for example, by eating pasta every day – can affect the body’s ability to regulate blood sugar altogether.
“This poor sugar control can lead to a number of health concerns including cardiovascular disease risk,” Godart adds. In the short term, you might also experience more food cravings, fatigue and brain fog during the post-spike crash.
What are the health benefits of eating pasta?
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It’s not all bad news. While eating pasta every single day may not be the smartest idea, pasta can still offer lots of health benefits and function well as a staple food.
People who exercise regularly may benefit from having a pasta-heavy diet, Hamilton says. “Eating pasta regularly can provide a good source of energy from complex carbohydrates, which may be helpful if you are doing intense physical training,” she says. Exercise can also have a positive effect on blood sugar control by increasing insulin sensitivity, so it’ll make it easier for your body to respond to any post-carbohydrate spikes.
Opting for more nutrient-rich types of pasta can also help to boost the health benefits, Hamilton adds. “If you choose whole grain or alternative pasta options, you can benefit from added fibre and essential nutrients,” she says.
Godart agrees: “When it’s made with whole grains or legumes like lentils, pasta can provide essential nutrients like fibre, complex carbohydrates and even some protein. Eating pasta can also be a versatile way to incorporate a variety of vegetables, lean proteins and healthy fats into your diet, therefore boosting overall nutrient intake.”
As we’ve previously mentioned, it’s all about how you eat your pasta that makes a difference. Lots of people in Italy eat pasta regularly, but they also happen to be one of the healthiest populations in the world. That’s because they tend not to eat massive portions of the stuff; Italian meals often incorporate a small portion of pasta alongside a source of protein and lots of leafy greens and vegetables.
They also tend to eat higher quality ingredients and place more emphasis on eating with friends and family, the latter of which has been proven to be good for your overall longevity.
How to make your pasta bowl more nutritious
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Give your favourite dish an extra nutritional boost with these quick and easy tips.
1. Use multiple vegetables at once
Don’t just stop at some tinned tomatoes and a bit of onion – try to throw in as many vegetables as possible into your sauces. Celery, carrot and courgette all cook down well into any kind of sauce, and chunks of broccoli, aubergine or sweet potato can give your dish some extra colour and nutrients. The more plants, the better.
2. Don’t neglect spices
You might already know that eating 30 plants a week is the magical number for gut health – but did you know herbs and spices count towards that total, too? Some staples that will elevate your pasta dishes include basil, paprika and chilli.
3. Opt for whole foods over pre-prepared where possible
If you’ve got the time, try to cook your sauces from scratch. Not only does this allow you to pop in more vegetables and spices, but it also means you can control how much salt goes into the final product. A win-win all around.
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