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traineo Community / Healthy Recipes & Treats / How good or bad is my pasta?
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Edward B
traineo Newbie
Posts: 11
Post History
 # Posted: 11 Nov 2007 21:57 - Edited by: edwardbc


Hi!

Last couple of months I've been cooking most of my food. One of the things I eat the most is pasta (specially because it requires less than 25 minutes to do). The thing is, I've heard that eating too much of this is not good, and even makes you really fat

How true is that? My only ingredients are:
- Rotini or Chinese Rice Pasta
- Olive Oil
- Peppermint, Salt, Basil, Cilantro, Oregano, Garlic
- Zuccini
- Bell Pepper and Cayenne Pepper
- Onion
- Tomatoes + Pre-made tomato sauce
- Sometimes sliced mushrooms or sausage (I usually don't use any of this two)
- No cheese or dressings.

What do you think?
Matt A.
Fitness Guru
Posts: 253
Post History
 # Posted: 11 Nov 2007 23:51


Well, eating too much of anything makes you fat, that's what fat is, excess. Pasta has good nutritional value, and your pasta seems even better and tasty.Y ou should eat fruits and veggies as well as pasta throughout the day. I say stick with it if you don't get sick of it daily.
Jordan Bentley
traineo Newbie
Posts: 18
Post History
 # Posted: 11 Nov 2007 23:58


Pasta is fine, just make sure that you aren't over eating. Look at how many calories are in it if your trying to lose weight. Also, check out whole wheat pasta if you want something more nutritious.
Splint Chesthair
Fitness Guru
Posts: 471
Post History
 # Posted: 12 Nov 2007 01:07


I'm not a big fan of blindly cutting this or that type of food out. I recently lost 35 pounds and pretty much ate whatever I want as long as I stayed below 2000 calories. Of course certain foods will get you there quicker so you've got to watch portions.

But I'm not dismissing the fact that certain people will see results cutting out or cutting down on a certain type of food, even if the result is just feeling better. I wouldn't cut out pasta because someone says it's bad and will make you fat. Try a week without pasta. Maybe substitute spaghetti sqash instead (a really neat squash imo). See what happens. If you don't feel different or see better results, then bring it back in.
THE NEW ME
The Master
Posts: 2856
Post History
 # Posted: 12 Nov 2007 01:18


well you have been doing this for a couple of months so you would be the best judge of what is happening to your body. are you getting the results you want? how much of it are you having? how many times a day? week? month? variety is impt in diet. there are so many missing peices of info so im not sure how to help but if you give more info maybe i/we can help
Edward B
traineo Newbie
Posts: 11
Post History
 # Posted: 13 Nov 2007 21:23


Thanks for the help!

@ jennifer: I'm eating a bowl for lunch twice a week, but also the days I eat it I also eat it in a small portion at night. That'd mean I'm eating two cups and two small portions per week.

I'm currently working out to burn some extra fat I have since I'm skinny and lost weight, but still have the extra skin there. Would pasta affect this?

Also, what's the difference of wheat pasta? (other than the price which I heard is twice, but worthy).

Thank you all.
Josephine McCulley
Fitness Guru
Posts: 384
Post History
 # Posted: 13 Nov 2007 21:59


I think the key here is that for some people, myself included, pasta is a slippery slope. It's easy to eat a lot of it, and to make it heavy on noodles and fat and light on the good stuff, and thusly really sabotage your nutrition.

If you make your pasta with a lot of great veggies, and it sounds like you do, and don't eat more than you should, then it can be part of a great meal (or a great meal in and of itself).

Have you considered using the whole wheat pastas that are now available? It's just another easy way to make your pasta meals more nutritionally sound.
Marleah Augustine
traineo Newbie
Posts: 2
Post History
 # Posted: 16 Nov 2007 15:23


I have completely switched my pasta so that I am always eating whole wheat pasta, usually rotini. I've found that I really prefer the flavor of the whole wheat pasta to regular pasta - it has a bit more taste to it, a little nutty. I don't think that the price is really that different. A lot of grocery stores have generic brand whole wheat pasta, and it doesn't cost much more than regular at all. I even get the organic kinds, and that costs a bit more, but still not really bad.
Mikaela K
Fitness Guru
Posts: 274
Post History
 # Posted: 16 Dec 2007 19:14


Switch to wheat pasta and it's not -that- bad. Carbs can make you fat IF you don't burn them off, but I eat a ton of carbs and haven't had a problem (remember, though, I'm a teenager).

Splint has a good point, where calories are a big factor. I wouldn't cut anything out that wasn't proven like...deadly.
Minu ~
The Master
Posts: 2592
Post History
 # Posted: 16 Dec 2007 19:21


Edward, if you're still around, along with switching to whole wheat, (and the higher price might also help you from over consuming), consider adding a lean source of protein to each dish, (chicken breast, fish, shellfish, etc), along with those colorful veggies. This will make for a more balanced ratio of protein/carbs/fats, (the good kind).
Mikaela K
Fitness Guru
Posts: 274
Post History
 # Posted: 17 Dec 2007 00:39


I agree on the lean protein. Besides adding nutrition, it might up the taste!
Edward B
traineo Newbie
Posts: 11
Post History
 # Posted: 17 Dec 2007 00:59


Thanks for the advice!

Does tuna counts as lean? I do eat a lot of tuna (the one that comes in water or olive oil)

I'm starting to use wheat pasta, but I've noticed that in this kind of pasta is harder for it to absorb some of the sauce's flavors. Anyway, I'll keep eating it


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