Pasta, Good or Bad?

[Chappers]

The Italians love it and they eat loads of it and we're made to beliee that they're really healthy as a nation yet we're told that pasta is bad for you.

I try and eat healthily these days and I would love to eat pasta but I've been staying away from it. What are your opinions?

[mountainboo]

Hi Chappers, Pasta is high in carbohydrate's and I think alot of athlete's eat it. I absolutley love pasta, however for some unknown reason it doesn't like me and I always end up with a stomach like Santa after eating it. I think it must expand in my stomach or something! Regards MB

[jiggy-gb]

Hello Chappers,
It all depends on whether you can digest flour well. Most people can't and don't realise it, hence the rapid bloating from eating pasta. Moderation is the best thing with something you like but isn't over keen on you. Have it as a treat perhaps?

[Chappers]

Sounds good to me! I'll mix in some tuna and some sweetcorn and not have too much of it.

Thanks guys!

[teag1rl]

Pasta isn't bad for you, but like they say above, it's high in carbs so not ideal if trying to lose weight. Try wholewheat pasta-not as gross as it sounds. I love it and don't feel so piggy eating it!

[WoWo]

as teag1rl says try wholewheat pasta, better for you and tastes just like the normal stuff, unlike brown rice which is rubbish compared to white rice.

It's also becoming more common in the main Supermarkets.

[spaced]

its not the pasta that is bad for you, its the sauce you put on to of it. Im italian, eat shed loads of pasta and I fit as a fiddle. Just gotta have the right sauce (mamma's sauce!)

[potterfan3]

Pasta isn't bad for you as long as you exercise. It is high in starch(energy) and if you don't use this energy your body stores it as fat.

[aurelia]

I would say it's not the pasta that's bad it's just the sauces you add to it you most need to watch. They advise having wholemeal pasta rather than the white but I've never got to like the taste of it as yet

[wonderwoman1]

hiya , like spaced, i am also italian and we have pasta almost every day and very fit. we just have it with mama's sugo, but its when you add the cream and parmesan, thats when it becomes bad for you. some people find it hard to digest...try wholewheat if you prefer but it aint the same!!!!

[spaced]

sugo....mmmm

[Deenie]

It's neither good nor bad. It depends on your diet and lifestyle as a whole. If you have a generally unhealthy diet and don't exercise, cutting out pasta will make absolutely no difference. If you generally eat healthily and exercise regularly it will do you no harm at all. Like most foods it is beneficial to a balanced diet if eaten in moderation. The idea that all carb-rich foods are bad for you full stop is a myth perpetuated by followers of the Atkins diet.

The only people who should avoid pasta completely are those with a gluten allergy. The rest of us can quite happily manage a moderate portion once or twice a week (or more if you're Italian) with no ill effects.

Of course, sauces to go with it make all the difference. Buttery, creamy and cheesy varieties will turn a pasta dish into a pretty decadent affair. However, pasta with chicken and vegetables in a tomato-based sauce is about as healthy and balanced a meal as you can get.

[clairey-s]

lol, I have no idea, but it seems healthy? and i like it, so i eat it. yum
xx

[Martin27]

Bad tastes like rubber, stick to meat!! [edited by ABED]

[Drisgirl]

I love pasta -but I always fall asleep after eating it -strange !!

[Bohne]

Everything is good in moderation.

And you can do soooo much with it.
And it's quick and uncomplicated.

And I love it!

[EverClean]

good

[EverClean]

no bad

[EverClean]

no, I mean good

[EverClean]

no, actually bad

[EverClean]

no, definitely good