It’s easy to be healthy with pasta! Why? Because it is good for you – low in calories, fat, sodium and cholesterol – and because it is indeed easy – easy to cook, easy to pair with other foods, and just plain fun to eat. If you’re watching your sodium and cholesterol intake, you’ll be glad to know that the past fits right in. pasta is low in sodium and cholesterol. One serv- ing of pasta cooked in unsalted water contains less than 0.5 milligrams of sodium. And it’s not necessary to add salt to the cooking water. Try a bit of lemon juice instead for a subtle, zesty flavor. There is virtually no cholesterol in most pasta. Some egg noodles, however, do have a slight bit of cholesterol resulting from the added egg. But don’t be deceived, even egg noodles have only 55 milligrams of cholesterol per serving-one fifth of the amount of cholesterol in a single egg.
Major health organizations and the U.S. Department of Agriculture now recommend that 60 per- cent of Americans’ daily calorie intake come from complex carbohydrates,. That’s 6 to 11 servings per day of grain-based foods like pasta. It’s not as difficult as it sounds. In fact, eating just three pasta meals a week can easily help you meet this dietary goal.
The U.S.D.A. considers one serving of pasta to be 1/2 cup cooked pasta, which translated into 2 ounces dry. One entrée-sized portion of pasta, about one cup, would be considered two servings, or one-third of the recommended minimum num- ber of servings of grain products you should eat per day-a very good start at meeting the basic nutrition guideline. And what easier way to eat right than to savor a plate of steaming spaghetti or dig into a delicious bowl of succulent spirals?
