We are trying to introduce more whole grains and whole wheat into our diet. This week we tried whole grain pasta. At Harmon's, Barilla was by far the cheapest brand and the ingredients were all natural. Plus it's the brand recommended by Backpacker magazine (woohoo!) I'm a little vague on definitions, though, and hope to glean from the vast amount of knowledge. First of all, I noticed that it is whole grain, with about 50% whole wheat (oats were also listed as ingredients). Is that less nutritional that whole wheat pasta? Also, how much of a difference is there, nutritionally, between whole grain pasta and white pasta? I was a little apprehensive, but we used the Barilla whole grain pasta in the Ginger Sesame Noodles with Broccoli recipe and it was fabulous!
3 comments:
Okay, so I am not the most knowledgeble, but yes whole grain pasta is better for you. The less refining your grains have, the more nutrients they retain. Also whole grains are slower to digest making them lower on the glycemic index. To much high glycemic foods aren't good.
Also, I think whole grain anything is fine. A mix of whole grains is good in that you get a wider range of nutrients. I could be wrong, but that is my understanding.
Costco has a great whole wheat spaghetti that tastes great. With some of the other noodles, I have found they are a little too grainy tasting, so I will mix 1/4-1/3 of regular pasta in with the whole wheat. I am still learning, but I am with Anna. The more refined food is, the harsher it is on your body and there are less of the "good" natural ingredients.
Actually, we don't even buy the white pasta anymore. At first I noticed a difference, but now, I think we like it a whole lot more. Shortly after I got married I learned that I have hypoglycemic symptoms (it has never been diagnosed) and since moving to the whole grains, I feel so much better! Lesson learned... refined foods, bad. Whole grain foods, excellent!
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