Highlighting that pasta is part of a balanced diet, Nebraska’s NTV discusses great ways to fit pasta into your balanced diet.
Check out the video below for fun facts, history, and tips on creating a delicious and healthy meal with pasta!
Cons of a Gluten-Free Fad Diet from the Daily Mail
With celebrities from Gwyneth Paltrow to Miley Cyrus touting their wheat-free lifestyles, a recent news article from the United Kingdom’s Daily Mail discusses the fad of gluten free diets, weight, and overall health.
With research from British Medical Journal, the article cautions that those without Celiac Disease who give up their favorite wheat products including breads, pastas and other products might in fact gain weight.
The full Daily Mail article can be found here: The gluten free con: It’s the stars’ favourite food fad. But costly wheat-free products just make most people FATTER – with no health benefits at all.
Spring Into Health With Pasta and the Mediterranean Diet
Celebrate May with a Mediterranean Diet and Pantry Makeover:
Tips to Help You Enjoy Quick, Delicious and Healthy Meal Planning
Spring is a time for clearing out the old and starting fresh. Weary of winter, people are spring cleaning, becoming more active outdoors, and focusing on healthy, happy living. There’s no better time than spring to start fresh with meal planning and diet choices, too. By combining pantry spring cleaning with the Mediterranean Diet, home cooks can spend less time in the kitchen and more time enjoying the warm weather.
The Mediterranean Diet: Easy, Healthy, Delicious
The Mediterranean Diet, which for decades, has been studied by scientists for its connection to enduring good health, is a smart way to invigorate eating and diet plans. Perhaps that’s why May has been designated as International Mediterranean Diet Month — a time for consumers and nutrition professionals to focus on one of the world’s most healthy and delicious diets.
What makes the Mediterranean Diet so wonderful? An abundant array of plant-based foods including vegetables, fruits, nuts, beans and grains – especially pasta. Add to that, a variety of seafood, olive oil as the principal source of fat, dairy products such as cheese and yogurt, moderate amounts of poultry and eggs, small servings of red meat and wine.
Pasta: A Pantry Must-Have – Healthy Recipes You Can Make Tonight!
Keeping pantry staples like dry pasta on hand is always helpful, especially for those days when the fridge and cupboard are a bit bare – no need for pricey takeout or complicated recipes. It’s easy to make a delicious, healthy meal in minutes that will satisfy the whole family. Take a look at some of the ideas below to see how pasta can fit into your meal planning.
Be sure to stock your pantry and refrigerator with such ingredients so you always have a quick, healthy and affordable meal at your fingertips. With olive oil, salt, pepper and a vegetable, lean meat or legume of your choice, you can always whip up a delicious meal!
QUICK PASTA PANTRY IDEAS
- Pasta + Pesto + Peas + Roasted Red Peppers (in the jar) = Pasta with Pesto
- Pasta + Eggs (or egg whites) + Lean Ham + Parmesan Cheese = Pasta Carbonara (Bonus: Add some peas for color and veggies!)
- Pasta + Tuna + Olives + Olive Oil = Weeknight Pasta Nicoise
- Spaghetti + Black Pepper + Grated Cheese + Olive Oil = Easy Cheese and Pepper Pasta
- Pasta + Cherry Tomatoes + Basil + Olive Oil + Garlic = Quick Pasta with Fresh Tomatoes (add chopped parsley for extra flavor and presentation!)
- Pasta + Chick Peas + Green Onion + Olive Oil + Garlic + Salt + Pepper = Pasta with Chick Peas (substitute chickpeas for peas or beans for alternative flavors and dishes!)
- Pasta + Zucchini Slices + Salt + Pepper + Olive Oil + Onion = Pasta with Zucchini (you can substitute zucchini for asparagus, peas, cauliflower, broccoli or any vegetable of your choice!)
- Pasta + Walnuts + Parsley + Garlic + Dried Red Pepper + Sautéed Onions + Feta Cheese = Greek Walnut Pasta
- Pasta + Cooked Butternut Squash + Kale + Olive Oil + Sage = Winter Butternut Squash Pasta
- Pasta + Cilantro + Chicken (leftover cooked chicken) + Sliced Green Olives + Tomato Sauce = Pasta with Chicken and Green Olives
Mediterranean Diet Credited with Fighting Heart Disease
Eating a Mediterranean diet can help fight heart disease, according to a Spanish study published in The New England Journal of Medicine. The most surprising aspect of the study was that changing to this diet after age 55 made a significant difference.
The study concludes that, ”Among persons at high cardiovascular risk, a Mediterranean diet supplemented with extra-virgin olive oil or nuts reduced the incidence of major cardiovascular events.”
The Mediterranean diet is based around the fundamentals of nutritious and healthy eating, and usually includes pasta, vegetables, fruits and rice. It’s also been published that a Mediterranean Diet of certain vegetables, pasta, and even wine can help with menopausal hot flashes.
Some of the Foods in the Mediterranean Diet:
- Pasta
- Couscous
- Rice
- Bread
- Legumes
- Olive Oil
- Vegetables
- Fruits
- Red Wine (in moderation)
- Fish – recommended twice weekly
- Red Meat – no more than a few times a month
- Cheese
You can find a list of our pasta recipes here, and more about the Mediterranean Diet here.