Whole Meal Pasta: Advantages, Benefits and How to Choose It

The whole meal pasta is obtained from a mixture of whole durum wheat and water. But what are the benefits and advantages of choosing this product rather than the white variant?

Advantages of whole meal pasta

Choosing whole meal pasta rather than the more common and used white pasta offers some advantages. This product is in fact made with a flour obtained from the whole grain of wheat and therefore richer in nutrients than the refined one.

It is in particular a good supply of fiber that is useful to our body in many ways: from gastrointestinal well-being to the reduction of the glycemic index of the food and its caloric intake. The quantity of fiber can even be 5 times greater than that of white pasta and also the protein intake (about 12%) is much higher. Precisely for the latter reason, whole meal pasta is also an excellent choice for vegetarians and vegans who sometimes take little protein during the day.

The whole wheat grain, which when ground gives whole meal flour with which this pasta is then made, is rich in vitamins (especially vitamins of group B and E) and minerals (almost absent in the refined variant) as well as polyphenols with antioxidant power.

Thanks to all its characteristics, whole meal pasta is also particularly recommended for those who follow a controlled diet aimed at weight loss. Precisely due to the presence of fiber, this pasta gives a greater sense of satiety and slows down the absorption of carbohydrates.

In summary, the advantages of whole meal pasta are:

Contains all parts of the grain and is therefore a complete food

Contains minerals and vitamins

It is rich in fiber (which help intestinal transit)

The protein intake is greater

Tends to satiate more

It is less caloric

Has a lower glycemic index

Reduces the absorption of fats and cholesterol

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Benefits of whole meal pasta

The benefits of consuming whole meal rather than white pasta are especially evident. The reasons why it is better to consume whole meal rather than white pasta can be summarized as follows:

Improves intestinal well-being

Glycemic peaks are avoided

You are less hungry throughout the day

You manage to keep your weight under control

It has a protective effect against type 2 diabetes, heart disease and colorectal cancer

How to choose it?

It is very important to understand if the flour with which the pasta is made is really whole meal flour. In fact, there are some products which in spite of being defined as "whole meal" are actually made with normal white flour (therefore refined) to which re-milled bran or small bran (waste from the refining process) is added. It is therefore in reality not only a product that is not truly whole meal but of flour subjected to two processes and therefore defined as "reconstituted whole meal".

A useful indication to understand if it is really whole meal pasta, the color must generally be dark and fairly uniform, not light with darker dots (otherwise it is precisely the added bran).

Another aspect not to be underestimated is to choose an organic whole meal pasta. This is important because, being unrefined products, if pesticides have been used in the cultivation of wheat, these will also be found largely in finished foods.

If you want to avoid large-scale brand and help the local economy, you can find some organic whole meal pasta producers in your area. It will cost a little more but it will certainly be a higher quality and handcrafted product.

Summarizing a good whole meal pasta:

It must be truly integral

It must be organic

Better if from small trusted producers

Conclusion

It is important to point out that some people with a delicate intestine or with certain problems may poorly tolerate whole meal pasta, in this case it might be useful to try the semi-whole meal variants and go to the bottom with the help of an expert to restore the right intestinal balance. It often happens that, accustomed to the much less intense flavor of white pasta, it is difficult to consume the whole meal variant at first.

Tarun is a former semi-professional sports person with a serious addiction to the internet.