Is Eating A Lot Of Pasta Harmful To Your Health?

In recent years, the U.S. Department of Agriculture, or USDA, has been urging Americans to lower their intake of high-carbohydrate foods such as pasta. Although this long-time family favorite is a good source of energy, consuming large amounts of pasta can lead to weight gain and serious health problems. Still, you can enjoy your favorite pasta dishes while following a heart-healthy diet by swapping nutrient-dense ingredients for those that are nutrient poor and making slight changes to your eating and cooking habits.

White Pasta

Because white pasta – the kind eaten by most Americans – is made with refined wheat flour, it lacks enough nutrients to make it a smart food choice for eating in abundance, say the USDA’s dietary guidelines. During processing, wheat grains are stripped of protein, fiber, antioxidants, vitamins and minerals. Refining leaves intact all of the wheat’s starch but removes minerals such as magnesium, which is thought to lower the risk of diabetes, and vitamin E, folate and fiber, which can reduce the threat of heart disease. The second stage of the refining process, known as enrichment, returns some of the vitamins and minerals back to the wheat grain but not at pre-refining levels. And it does not return any of the wheat’s natural dietary fiber. This makes white pasta a poor-nutrient food that the American Diabetes Association urges Americans to eat in moderation.

Pasta's Ill Effects

Consumed in large quantities, pasta provides high levels of carbohydrates that can spell disaster for health- and weight-conscious individuals and diabetics. According to the USDA, a too-high intake of carbohydrates is the reason that many Americans are overweight or obese. The problem stems from the way in which the body metabolizes carbohydrates, a macronutrient that affects the body’s blood sugar levels.
During digestion, the body converts carbohydrates to a starch known as glycogen and stores it up to a certain point. When levels rise above that point, glycogen turns into body fat and causes weight gain that can lead to cancer, heart disease and diabetes. For diabetics, whose blood sugar levels are naturally elevated, carbohydrate-rich pasta adds even more sugar to the blood, elevating an individual's risk of blindness and kidney failure.

Unhealthful Accompaniments

Eating even normal size portions of pasta can be harmful to your health. To an already nutrient-poor food, Americans add high-fat meats, sauces and dairy products, which turn many common pasta recipes into unhealthful meals. Consider, for example, that a 9-ounce serving of pasta with meat sauce contains 450 calories, 44 g of carbohydrates, 20 g of fat and 1100 mg of sodium. Another favorite pasta dish is lasagna, which can have 850 calories, 39 g of carbohydrates, 47 g of fat and 2830 mg of sodium per serving.
And 9 ounces of cream-based fettuccine alfredo can have 800 calories, 69 g of carbohydrates, 48 g total fat and 810 mg of sodium. According to the American Heart Association, or AHA, by eliminating these high-fat ingredients, you can make nutrient-rich and healthful pasta recipes that provide only 218 calories, 2.5 g of fat, zero cholesterol and 128 mg of sodium in each 1-1/2-cup serving.

Heart-Healthy Recommendations

You can follow a safe-eating plan without eliminating pasta by choosing low-fat ingredients and practicing portion control. Nutritionist Joy Bauer says to replace white pasta with whole-grain pasta that contains all of the wheat’s naturally occurring vitamins, minerals and fiber. LIkewise, the Harvard School of Public Health recommends whole-grain pasta as a good carbohydrate because it contains phytonutrients that promote good health. If you prefer white pasta, follow the USDA’s recommendation to reduce a 6.3-ounce equivalent of refined grains to only 3 ounces per day.
To prepare healthier versions of standard pasta dishes, take advice from the AHA to use lean cuts of meat and low-fat dairy products and to replace fatty sauces with fresh chopped tomatoes and roasted vegetables. Remember also that whole-grain pasta is high in carbohydrates. The USDA recommends that you limit your carbohydrate intake to between 45 and 65 percent of total calories. For a person who follows a 2,000-calorie diet, that means consuming no more than 325 g of carbohydrates each day.