With all the myths around about diet and nutrition, it can be hard to know what to do for the best, to lose weight or to simply safeguard your wellness and wellbeing. For example, for ages we’ve been told that ‘carbs are bad’ and that a simple bowl of pasta could be terribly bad for us, but is this actually true? Is pasta really the enemy?
The simple answer is: no. Pasta is actually a healthy food. As a society, we have got so obsessed by the fear of carbohydrates that we have lost sight of the health benefits that many of them have. There are even people who actively attempt to consume as few carbohydrates as possible, and only ‘carb load’ on a bowl of pasta or similar the night before they run a race.
The truth is, there are health risks to any type of food if you eat too much of it. If you eat too many carbs in your diet, there is a potential link to heart problems, or even to mild cognitive impairment. It’s worth bearing in mind, however, that there are also health risks associated with not eating enough carbs, such as ketosis. There are benefits to carbohydrates as well as risks – life is busier than ever and the body needs healthy fuel to keep it going.
Pasta is packed with essential nutrients for good health. The carbs found in pasta can make great fuel to keep the body’s energy levels up, while the fibre that it contains keeps us feeling full and keeps the digestive system in good working order. Pasta also contains an antioxidant enzyme activator called selenium, as well as manganese, which also helps with digestion. On top of this, folates that are found in the whole grain varieties of pasta aid cell growth and can help to prevent against lung cancer.