the pasta post

So, I'm getting this one out of the way early on. Let me start by stating a few things:

1. I agree that whole wheat pasta is a more nutritious choice than regular pasta.
2. Almost all pasta servings at restaurants are more than double what they should be.
3. Whole wheat pasta is distinctly different in flavor and texture than regular pasta.
4. I am not a nutritionist, so what follows is my opinion and interpretation of nutritional data, and should not be seen as advice.

The other day, I was watching the new show on MTV called I used to be fat. This show sends drill sergeant-like trainers to work with teens with 50-100 lbs to lose in the 3 months between high school graduation and starting college. On most episodes, the kids are given very strict diets to follow. Recently, there was an episode about Dominick, an Italian-American teen who hopes to be a chef. I thought this could be interesting. Well, the trainer gets to his house and goes through the cabinets with Dominick and his mom. She berates all the junk, but really hones in on the regular pasta. Yes, I know whole wheat pasta is a healthier choice (see statement 1 above), but really? When there are cabinets filled with cookies and candy the thing you jump on is the pasta? The trainer claimed there was, "no nutritional value," and "no fiber," in regular pasta and that his family needed to switch to whole wheat pasta pronto!

So, lets compare some whole wheat and regular pasta stats right now. For a 56 g/2 oz uncooked serving (about 1 cup cooked):

Calories- WW: 210, R: 200
Fat- WW: 1.5 g., R: 1 g.
Total carbs- WW: 41 g., R: 42 g.
Fiber- WW. 5 g., R: 2 g.
Protein: WW: 8 g., R: 7 g.
Weight Watchers Points Plus: WW: 5, R: 5.

Low and behold, for a normal portion, the points are identical. Both regular and whole wheat pasta contain more protein than an egg, along with all those carbs. Yes, the whole wheat has a little more protein, one less carb, and more fiber, but this is not like a comparison between an apple and a piece of bacon. Read it here, regular pasta is not evil! Call me crazy, but I think the biggest issue with pasta is the extra large serving sizes, not the choice between whole wheat and regular. One box of pasta has 8 servings. You heard me, 8.

Despite my light hair and green eyes, I grew up with and learned to cook from an Italian-American mom, so a lot of what I cook is Italian. For many recipes, I just prefer regular pasta. Now if I were to make something more rustic and hearty, sure, I'd go with the whole wheat, but not every time. And I don't feel bad about that.

OK, so my reason for this posting is that in the future, there will likely be lots of pasta recipes , some of which will contain regular pasta. Feel free to substitute if you like.