The trouble with too much pasta
Who doesn't love pasta? As a long-standing staple of the North American diet, the inclusion of pasta in our diets seems to be a foregone conclusion.
With so many examples of pasta in our daily diet, it's difficult to imagine going more than a few days without it. From Kraft Dinner for kids to quick meals and main courses at celebrations such as weddings and parties, as well as its prevalence on restaurant menus, there is no doubt that a world without pasta could seem to some like a world without food.
There are three basic points to remember when considering minimizing the inclusion of pasta in your diet: • pasta itself has almost no taste
• the North American diet is dangerously low in vegetable consumption
• foods made from processed white flour are the leading contributors to weight gain and obesity in North America
Here's the question to ask: Why do I love pasta?
There is no question that its flavour and classification as a comfort food will garner the most responses. The truth is, pasta itself has virtually no flavour.
Flavour from almost all of our foods come from vegetables, seasoning and fats. The enriched white flour that most pasta is made from is almost totally flavourless and very high on the glycemic index.
Important to remember is that foods high on the glycemic index have been shown to be one of the major contributors to weight gain. These foods break down into sugar and enter the bloodstream at a rapid rate. As a result, the excess sugar is stored as fat, contributing to weight gain.
Pasta alternatives
I believe we should be able to enjoy our foods every day and not be plagued by poor health as a result. The notion that eating healthy is boring and tasteless is a fallacy.
The main reason I began creating recipe alternatives to pasta was in an attempt to provide more ways for families to get vegetables into their diet and to limit weight gain.
Another reason for developing pasta alternatives was an attempt to avoid that bloated, lethargic, I-think-I'm-going-to-take-a-nap feeling after a big pasta meal.
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With so many examples of pasta in our daily diet, it's difficult to imagine going more than a few days without it. From Kraft Dinner for kids to quick meals and main courses at celebrations such as weddings and parties, as well as its prevalence on restaurant menus, there is no doubt that a world without pasta could seem to some like a world without food.
There are three basic points to remember when considering minimizing the inclusion of pasta in your diet: • pasta itself has almost no taste
• the North American diet is dangerously low in vegetable consumption
• foods made from processed white flour are the leading contributors to weight gain and obesity in North America
Here's the question to ask: Why do I love pasta?
There is no question that its flavour and classification as a comfort food will garner the most responses. The truth is, pasta itself has virtually no flavour.
Flavour from almost all of our foods come from vegetables, seasoning and fats. The enriched white flour that most pasta is made from is almost totally flavourless and very high on the glycemic index.
Important to remember is that foods high on the glycemic index have been shown to be one of the major contributors to weight gain. These foods break down into sugar and enter the bloodstream at a rapid rate. As a result, the excess sugar is stored as fat, contributing to weight gain.
Pasta alternatives
I believe we should be able to enjoy our foods every day and not be plagued by poor health as a result. The notion that eating healthy is boring and tasteless is a fallacy.
The main reason I began creating recipe alternatives to pasta was in an attempt to provide more ways for families to get vegetables into their diet and to limit weight gain.
Another reason for developing pasta alternatives was an attempt to avoid that bloated, lethargic, I-think-I'm-going-to-take-a-nap feeling after a big pasta meal.
Click to continue...
Page 1 of 2
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