It’s hard not to love pasta, but how can you avoid glycemic peaks following its consumption? Today, on the occasion of World Pasta Day, we wanted to discover some “tricks” to keep blood sugar at bay without depriving ourselves of the pleasure of a good plate of pasta and how it would be better to cook it. Is it true that pasta al dente is better? “Our” nutritionist answered these questions.
Many people eat pasta almost every day but there is pasta and pasta and, especially if we care about our health as well as the figure, we should choose one with certain characteristics. Those who also have some problems with blood sugar will have to take extra precautions. What to watch out for? We asked for help from the nutritionist Flavio Pettirossi.
Here’s what he told us.
How to choose the best pasta? As always, the first step is a careful visual evaluation, i.e. the color of the pasta must be as similar as possible to the flour from which it was produced. This represents for us a certainty that the times and processing methods have been respected and that this has allowed a good conservation of the pasta. In reference to the processing methods, I always recommend to orient yourself for the bronze drawn pasta, an indication that we will also find on the label of course. Second step is a careful reading of the label in which, among the ingredients, only durum wheat semolina must be present, in fact, no others are needed to make pasta and this also applies to fresh pasta. Also usually the amount of proteins he should be wandering around between 12% -13%.
What if we want to buy egg pasta?
For egg pasta the situation is different, in fact in this case we must also pay attention to the type of eggs that are used to produce it. On the label we must find the wording type A eggs, this allows us to avoid buying pasta produced with egg derivatives or ovo products.
What is the best pasta if we want to avoid glycemic spikes?
Wholemeal pasta. This is produced with unrefined flour and the grain of wheat is present in its entirety: bran, germ and endosperm and is not subjected to refining processes. The bran in particular is rich in fiber, fatty acids, vitamins and minerals; own the fiber they are very important because they help to promote the sense of satiety and intestinal peristalsis e they keep the glycemic index at bay by avoiding blood sugar peaks. Among the fibers we remember that beta-glucans are very useful for those suffering from hypercholesterolemia as they are able to “sequester” cholesterol and promote its expulsion. My advice is therefore to choose wholemeal pasta or, if you don’t like wholemeal, anyway good quality pasta.
How should we cook the pasta?
As for cooking we try to strictly respect the times indicated on the packages, it must not be overcooked nor too raw (the best thing is to get used to eating it al dente) because the quantity of water absorbed by the starch determines both its digestibility and its assimilability. In fact, when the pasta is al dente or in any case cooked to the right point starches are less digestible and therefore there will be less impact on blood sugar. On the contrary, prolonged cooking causes the release of starches and an excessive absorption of water by the pasta which will therefore be less tasty, with a higher glycemic index and therefore not suitable for those with blood sugar problems or those following a slimming diet. .
What other tips can you give us to avoid blood sugar spikes?
We also try to pay close attention to the condiments, all strictly based on extra virgin olive oil possibly raw and above all with many vegetables, which thanks to their fibers can be an excellent brake for blood sugar, but also help reduce hunger and give a sense of satiety. If you intend to stir the pasta in a pan with the vegetables, remember to drain it when it is still slightly raw in the center and finish cooking in the pan with the chosen sauce.
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