Marco Polo introduced pasta to Italy after returning from a trip to China, where he was served noodles. Pasta was later imported to America by immigrants from Southern Italy in the 1920s. Pasta is prepared with water and either standard flour or higher-quality seminola, the coarsest part of the wheat.
Distinction
The Disabled World website, which discusses healthy foods for diabetics, notes that seminola pasta is made with cracked wheat instead of finely ground wheat. Seminola pasta is relatively low in starch and high in protein. Durum wheat seminola is often used for better-quality pastas, according to The Wizard of Food.com.
Glycemic Index
The glycemic index posits that all carbohydrates are not created equal. The index ranks carbohydrate foods according to their effects on blood glucose levels. Low-glycemic carbs, which produce small fluctuations in blood glucose and insulin levels, are the best carbs to eat for long-term health. Such carbs can reduce the risk of heart disease and diabetes, and are a key to sustained weight loss. Foods that are rated over 70 are considered high on the glycemic index. A rating of 56 to 70 is moderate, and a rating under 55 is low.
Glycemic Index Factors
A number of factors can affect the glycemic index of a dish. The length of cooking time is one factor. If pasta is overcooked, it makes the carbs in the dish easier to digest, which elevates blood glucose levels more quickly and lowers the glycemic index. The amount of processing is another variable. The more processed the food, the easier it is to digest. The amount of fiber is also a factor. The more fiber the better, in terms of lowering the glycemic index. Another factor is the amount of fat in a food. Fat slows digestion, which is good in terms of lowering the glycemic index. But you should try to eat "good" fats as opposed to saturated or trans fats, which are hard on the heart.
Glycemic Index and Seminola Pasta
Pastas tend to rate low to moderate on the glycemic index, even lower than rice. Pasta is unique in its makeup. It is made of ungelatinized starch, which slows its digestion. So the 10 pastas on the glycemic index range from just 43 to 61.
Seminola pasta is not specifically ranked on the glycemic index. But a similar whole-meal pasta made with durum wheat checks in at 58, so seminola probably would yield a similar number. That would put seminola toward the low end of the moderate scale.
Considerations
For diabetics, low-glycemic foods are particularly important, because such foods slowly release energy, which puts less strain on insulin-producing cells in the pancreas. Eating one low-glycemic food at each meal is a useful goal. Consider the nutritional value of the food as well. Seminola pasta, with its low level of starch and high level of protein, can be the basis of a particularly healthy dish, especially when prepared with one of the "good" fats, such as olive oil.
