Jan 19 2009
Should I Buy Whole Grain Pasta?
Pasta
Is whole grain pasta really better for you than regular pasta? Recently I featured pasta puttanesca greened up with a little kale in the sauce. When one reader made this recipe at home, he opted to use whole grain pasta instead (I used a regular rigatoni).
But if I care about health so much why didn’t I use whole grain pasta originally?
You probably already know that I health-heartedly support the regular consumption of whole grains. But I also hold that there is a huge difference between intact grains and processed whole grains. So yes, brown rice is better for you than white rice, but pasta is different.
Noodles are made of dough and are therefore processed no matter what. For this reason they will never be a pinnacle of health food, but that does not mean that there can’t be a place for them in your diet. Italians eat pasta almost every day, and most of them are healthier than us. The important thing to think about when you are eating pasta–any pasta–is quantity.
So to answer the question, is whole grain pasta better than regular pasta? Maybe a little. But because I do not eat pasta very often, and because when I do eat pasta I eat a normal (aka small) portion, I always buy what I think will taste the best with meal. And for me, that is usually handmade fresh pasta (the soft refrigerated kind), not the whole grain stuff.
If you do not mind the taste of whole grain pasta, go ahead and buy it. It might be slightly better for you than the other kind. But the impact of whole grain pasta on your overall health is really small, so this is not a question to get hung up on.
Want a healthier Italian meal? Add more vegetables.
What is your opinion on pasta and health?
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Tags: intact grains, pasta, refined carbohydrates, whole grains
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I feel like whole grain pasta /can/ be better tasting, especially with some pestos.
Very interesting post…I had no idea my pasta selection for the puttanesca would expand to another topic! Kind of neat feeling…
I think of pasta as a “special occasion food”…I believe it was Michael Pollan who said that a lot of unhealthy Americans are eating “special occasion foods” for every meal. It was the night before my birthday so I decided to cook up my favorite pasta dish (which I had previously only enjoyed in restaurants)…as it turns out, I was in a Trader Joe’s and had to decide between the organic whole grain and the regular stuff…so I selected it because it was organic as well as whole grain. Had I put a lot of thought into it ahead of time, I would have gone to Pastaworks…which has by far the best fresh daily-made pasta in all of Oregon. So yes, I completely agree that if you’re going to take the time to prepare a really superb pasta dish, the fresher the better…regardless if it’s whole grain or not.
On a side note…I used to really dislike whole grain pasta. I believe adding olive oil and salt to the boiling water, cooking it on the longer side, and then adding more olive oil to the strained pasta afterwords really makes a huge difference.
I forgot to add that I almost always include slightly steamed broccoli to my pasta dishes…I believe it’s an excellent compliment to marinara.
Cool pic; and I agree, pasta is always better if you throw in some freshly blanched sweetpeas, broccoli, or some other crispy crunchy green. I find in the end I keep adding the green, so that it is more like I am adding the pasta to the green stuff and not vice versa.
Seriously good point about adding veggies. Though given the option of regular pasta or slightly more healthy whole wheat pasta, my feeling is why not go for the healthier option? I guess I’ve never been put off by the taste of the whole grain kind.
@chinasaur @michelle
Thanks for coming out to defend the taste of whole grain pasta. I agree it’s not that bad. However, it is the fine-dining spoiled foodie in me (a mixed blessing) that always keeps me going back to the fresh stuff.
For me the thing about whole grain pasta is not that it is bad so much as it is different from what I want when eating Italian food.
But I know plenty of people who love it, and like I say in the post it is probably a better option if the taste/texture doesn’t bother you.
@Matt
Special readers deserve special shout outs
I figured that your choice of pasta had more to do with its organic-ness than its wheaty-ness, but it was still a good springboard for discussion.
Thanks for the tip on how to improve the taste and texture of the whole grain kind. For me, food is inseparable from taste and texture, healthy or not.
Definitely a cool picture, it looks like everythings floating! Personally, its not the taste of whole grain pasta, its the texture that I don’t really like. Especially when I know that the fresh stuff is out there, which is just a whole ‘nother experience. I wonder if I just need to boil the whole grain stuff longer or something….?
@Darya
Thanks for the compliment…sometimes I think I may post too often & too much (blog hog). This blog has been a great resource/outlet for me…
You're absolutely right about taste & texture…it may be sacrilegious for a vegan/vegetarian to admit this, but I cannot bring myself to enjoy mushrooms…no matter how hard I try to like them. Even if they're completely organic and picked out of my backyard and prepared wonderfully, it's a massive taste/texture issue for me.
To jump back to the topic at hand, I have found smooth whole grain penne pasta (no ridges like in the picture) has a texture that more closely resembles traditional pasta…when cooked properly, of course. But I think most people here are convinced fresh is the way to go…
@Katie
See the last paragraph of my first post regarding a method for preparing whole grain pasta I that have found to be useful.
In college my friends always used to make fun when I would cook up some veggies with pasta. If they could only read this post now, I would rub it in their faces! (that its good to have veggies with pasta). Strange though, I never really cook it anymore….I started feeling that pasta is just too processed. I bet a kid couldn’t even tell you what its made out of, its not much better than white bread to me.
What about bread? How do I know if I’m getting super healthy whole grain bread or just processed whole grain bread?
@jed
Great question! This is probably worthy of its own post, but I will address it here for now.
You are absolutely right to question the health value of bread because, as I’m sure you can tell, even the “whole grain” stuff is pretty processed.
There are a few breads that are actually made from whole, intact grains, but most people would consider these unacceptable for most bread uses. These tend to be called “European style” breads (go figure) and are super dense, usually in small loaves. Trader Joe’s has a some that are pretty good.
Nature’s Path makes something called Manna bread that is a unleavened, pressed whole grain loaf. I have found it in the refrigerated section of Whole Foods. It is delicious, but the consistency is more like a bran muffin than bread. It doesn’t have preservatives, so you have to eat it relatively quickly.
So you can see that these “breads” are a good source of whole grains but not really “bread” in the traditional sense.
How do I deal with bread?
I don’t usually bother with the whole grain kind unless I’m craving it or have a specific use for it. I buy artisan style french bread from Acme. It is $2 for a baguette and it is divine. I cut it up and freeze what I can’t eat. It reheats well in the oven.
But as you might imagine, I do not eat bread very often. I love it with eggs, some soups, with avocado, etc. But I only eat small pieces (try the Pan Epi loaf for perfect serving sizes) and not more than 2-3 times per week.
My main sources of whole grains are breakfast cereals (hot and cold) and brown rice, barley, quinoa, etc. with dinner.
I consider bread a “special occasion” food.
Another similar question to the bread one: I was making cookies tonight (oops…. i guess this is a confession too!) and the recipe called for flour- I assume it meant regular white baking flour. But all I had in my pantry was the Trader Joe’s whole wheat stuff. I had no alternative and had to just use it, but I wondered what your thoughts were on the benefits of using whole wheat flour- especially considering the possible change in baking quality it will have- should we use it?
@HealthyLiving
Honestly, I would never adulterate cookies with wheat flour. You’re already eating the sugar, you may as well enjoy your treat.
My mom used to make cookies with whole grain flour. Cookies have to be pretty bad for kids not to want to eat them….
I use whole grain pasta and whole grain bread for exactly the reason that I don’t like it that much, thus am much less likely to overeat it. I still throw in lots of vegetables.
LOL, I hadn’t considered that reason. Clever
That does make sense but I have to say I love the nutty, heartier taste of the whole wheat pasta and the extra fiber. What do you think would be the best type of pasta? Brown rice? Sprouted grain? I too don’t eat it often but try my best to squeeze in as many nutrients as I can when I’m cooking.
Honestly I think the best one to eat is the one you like the best. For me that depends a lot on what I am pairing it with. Different shapes, sizes and flavors are what pasta is all about
I do not agree with you on wholegrain pasta being “slightly” healthier for you than regular. Simply look at the nutritional label. Wholegrain has twice the amount of fiber per serving, as well as a gram or two of mono/poly unsaturated fats.
The impact of many things we eat is very small, but it all adds up.