Fitting pasta into your diet (recipe included)

For many people who have been watching their weight, one of the first foods to be banished from their diets is pasta. Pasta is a low fat food, one serving (about 2 oz.) provides only 1 gram of fat. However, most people eat 3-4 times that amount at one sitting, which really elevates the calories and carbohydrate content. Not only that, but regular “white” pasta does not contain fiber or whole grains.

Fear not, several new varieties of pasta have been hitting the supermarket shelves in recent years. Dreamfields makes pasta that contains a unique fiber and protein blend to help reduce the amount of digestible carbs, while providing fiber to help keep you full. Barilla has introduced pasta fortified with Omega-3 fatty acids which is also whole wheat. Ronzoni’s Smart Taste pasta varieties boast that it is white pasta with 6 grams of fiber per serving. Their product also contains 30% of the daily value for calcium.

The examples above are only a few of the healthier pastas available at your store today. As with any pasta, it is the portion size that matters. No matter if it is white, whole wheat or low carb, one serving is equal to about ½ cup of cooked pasta. As the serving size increases, so does the calorie, carb and fat count. Enjoy pasta with lots of vegetables and lean protein to increase the nutrition and help keep you full. Try the recipe below for a low fat, high fiber pasta treat.

Spaghetti with Broccoli and Lemon

Prep Time: 20 minutes Servings: 4

INGREDIENTS:

8 oz. wheat spaghetti (about 2/3 of a box)
3 Tbsp. olive oil
1 clove garlic, thinly sliced
1 package frozen broccoli, thawed
½ tsp. crushed red pepper
Salt and pepper, to taste
1 lemon, zest and juiced
1 cup grated Parmesan cheese

INSTRUCTIONS:
Cook the pasta according to the package directions. Reserve ¾ of the cooking water. Drain the pasta and return to the pot.
Meanwhile, heat the oil in a skillet over medium-high heat. Add the garlic and cook, stirring until golden. Add the broccoli, red pepper, salt and pepper. Cook 1-2 minutes.
Add the broccoli mixture, lemon juice, Parmesan cheese and the reserved water to the pasta. Cook over medium heat, stirring until combined and heated through. Sprinkle with the zest.

Per Serving:
Calories: 303, Fat: 18 g, Sat fat: 5.9 g, Chol: 22 mg, Carb: 22.7 g, Sugars: 2.4 g, Protein: 15.5 g, Sodium: 417 mg.

Heather Neely, RD
CNY Healing Arts Center
Call me at 315.671.5755
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