Spaghetti, Linguine, Tagliatelle et al. Take On the Low-Carb World

[Guest guest]

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A21958-2004Mar2.html

Some excerpts from the article:

.......Moreover, they stressed that the long-term safety of extreme low-carb eating has not been determined, that the diets tend to be high in saturated fat and deprive the body of important nutrients found in fruits, vegetables, beans, peas, lentils, seeds, nuts and cereal grains -- such as the ones used to make pasta.

.....Not platters full of pasta but pasta eaten in appropriate portion sizes. And it's even better, they said, if the pasta is eaten with some of its traditional accompaniments such as olive oil, tomatoes and other vegetables, moderate amounts of protein, beans, legumes and nuts.

The conference's focus on pasta is in line with the eating patterns of the Mediterranean Diet, which Oldways espouses. That diet is not a restrictive plan but rather a way of eating characterized by the consumption of olive oil; fruits and vegetables; legumes, nuts and seeds; grains, especially whole grains; moderate amounts of dairy and fish; little meat; a daily glass of wine with meals; and daily exercise. It's an approach to food -- and, for that matter, to life -- that's hard to fault.

Could it be that pasta was really a healthful food choice, that it breaks down and enters the bloodstream differently from other starchy carbohydrates and can therefore be included regularly in a sensible diet?

Absolutely, said the 34 scientists worldwide who have already signed the consensus report from the Rome conference, including several who are at the forefront of work with the glycemic index and the glycemic code-- concepts that are at the heart of extremely low-carbohydrate diets.

" And pasta, with its dense compact structure, is a low-glycemic-index food, " said , a co-chairman of the conference. " And it's even lower if it's eaten with beans, chick peas and other low-glycemic-index vegetables. "

Pasta is not the only starch with a low-GI value. Though they're rarely craved as much as pasta, other traditional foods, such as barley, legumes, whole-grain breads and steel-cut oats are in that category as well. However, the contemporary diet is full of refined starches with a high-GI value -- rice, breads, breakfast cereals, crackers and chips, cookies and other sweets, and many of them are manufactured with added sugars.

" A pasta meal is very healthy if it uses vegetable or tomato sauce and/or

accompaniments such as olive oil, fish and lean meat and small amounts of

cheese. It is healthy because the fats are good -- unsaturated -- and the carbs are

good -- low GI, and you are getting lots of micronutrients from the

accompaniments. You are getting a balance of carbs, fats and proteins, " she said.

" The message is that low-glycemic-index carbohydrates, especially from

traditional carbohydrate foods such as beans, peas, lentils, fruits and vegetables

and from traditionally processed foods such as pasta, bulgur and pumpernickel

breads are healthy foods and can be part of a healthy diet, " said .