Pasta consumption figures are rising the world over

People who still believe they should stay off pasta if they want to loose weight couldn’t be more wrong. It is true 100 grams of pasta contain 360 calories, but the fat content is less than 1%, which is the important one to watch and reduce to lose weight or not gain any. The other important factor about pasta is its starch carbohydrate content, the good energy type that is released into the body gradually and not quickly like proteins or sugars. Therefore 360 calories from carbohydrates will release energy slowly as the body needs it; that is why pasta is an ideal meal to have for lunch. Even nutritionists advise to watch the GI (Glycemic Index), the rate at which blood glucose levels rise and pasta has a low GI rating. What tends to happen, the condiment on pasta - what makes it tasty - is often too rich and that’s responsible for the gain in weight not the pasta itself. Learning to watch the fat content and not only the calories of what we eat is the key to a good healthy diet.

Pasta is no longer strictly Italian, but is consumed all over the world. However Italian people remain the biggest consumers and it is rare to find one who wouldn’t have a plate of pasta at least once a day. Moreover Italy remains the largest producer of pasta in the world with over three tons produced every year with 65% of it exported mainly to Europe and figures are rising.