Surprising new weight loss food – pasta

In Italy, a country of big consumers of pasta, a new study has originated that ties eating pasta to a lower body mass index. In other words, eating noodles might actually help you lose weight.

Pasta is a staple of the Mediterranean diet, and the new research from Italy’s Neuromed Institute of Pozzilli, reviewed two separate studies of more than 23,000 people who live there. Research results were published in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes, reporting that more research is needed to determine just how eating pasta, a food long considered to be fattening, actually helps decrease waistlines.

Both studies used by the researchers were conducted with Mediterranean populations, so many of the respondents to the study surveys adhere to traditional Mediterranean diets. According to the University of Reading’s Gunter Kuhlne, who is an associate professor of nutrition and health, eating pasta might be part of the reason people can stick to the Mediterranean diet.

The study noted that pasta consumption in Italy has decreased over the last decades as the vilification of carbohydrates and obesity have spread. “What is interesting, however, is that these results clearly show that it is wrong to demonize carbohydrates as the data clearly show that consumption of a carbohydrate-rich food such as pasta does not have an adverse effect on body weight,” Kuhlne said.

The researchers caution against using the study results to justify boiling up a pot of spaghetti for dinner, as it is still unclear how the findings relate to American diets. The Mediterranean diet is far different from that in the U.S., including more tomatoes, onions, garlic, olive oil, cheese and rice. Americans tend to eat more red meat and sugar.

However, the findings of the research says that pasta is reasonable as part of a balanced diet, although that does not mean indulging in large portions. It recommends eating no more than 10 percent of daily calories from pasta, which means about 200 calories, or one cup of pasta. It’s also better to choose whole gran options.