Pasta factoid

[Jenise]

Per statistics quoted yesterday on CBS's morning magazine, Sunday Morning, Italians eat 63 pounds of pasta per person annually compared to America's 20. Yet a ranking of obesity places America pretty much at the top of the heap and Italy in just 25th place.

Makes me wonder...I'm avoiding pasta why?

...Yet a ranking of obesity places America pretty much at the top of the heap and Italy in just 25th place.
Makes me wonder...I'm avoiding pasta why?

I avoid pasta because it sends my blood sugar numbers through the roof. The obesity thing has nothing to do with pasta - it's the fat.

Jenise-
Absent blood sugar issues, maybe the average American should consider tripling the intake of pasta and eliminate 90% of the other sh!T they shovel into their mouths. (Noted that most FLDG participants are far from "average")
Bill

Pasta to me has much akin to bread in that there is a huge variety of both. Morevoer, there is an enormous number of sauces that are appropriate to pasta. Largely because of the great selection available to me I would object to neither bread nor pasta being placed, in a moderate portion, on my table once a day every day.

As to the amount of pasta that Italians consume, if my arithmetic is accurate, 63 pounds annually comes to only 17% of a pound daily - a mere 3 ounces - in fact, quite a reasonable amount.

Best
Rogov

Do most Italians eat the whole wheat pasta? I find it rather awful. We seem to be eating more pasta than in previous years. It seems easier on the digestion than red meat. I've become a big fan of pasta, shrimp, fresh lemon, and fresh parsley picked from my garden. Over a year ago, I bought a Fasta Pasta, a microwave cooker for pasta. We love it for the two of us. So easy and clean-up is a breeze.

[Robin Garr]

Do most Italians eat the whole wheat pasta?

Not in any part of Italy I've ever seen!

[Robin Garr]

I'm avoiding pasta why?

Unless you're on a permanent low-carb diet, which wouldn't work for me, or if you have a blood-sugar issue like Howie, I can't imagine why. We probably eat more pasta than any other carb, although rice, potatoes and bread - probably in that order - are also present. Never more than one carb with a meal, though, and portion control. We'll usually cook 4 to 5 ounces dry pasta for both of us. Two ounces or so make a decent bowl, and the smaller amount also seems to lead to rational amounts of sauce.

Others' mileage may vary, and that's fine, but we've found the key to weight control to be moderation: Moderate exercise, and moderate portions at mealtimes, but within those limits, we're open to enjoying anything from tofu to pasta to lard.

Robin...

You can truly enjoy tofu????????

Best (and Smiling)
Rogov

[Robin Garr]

You can truly enjoy tofu????????

Absolutely, but I prefer it in the context of Asian cuisine. There are some fairly weird commercial products in the west that don't appeal to me. I did catch the tongue in cheek, but sure, well-made tofu in dishes fashioned by a competent chef and designed to take advantage of its character can be just excellent. We have a Vietnamese woman here in Louisville who's built two very popular restaurants focused on Zen Buddhist influenced cuisine, and she's about to open a third featuring entirely dishes made from a variety of house-made tofu and other soy dishes. I'll be happy to be one of the first in line when she opens the doors.

[Jenise]

Unless you're on a permanent low-carb diet, which wouldn't work for me, or if you have a blood-sugar issue like Howie

Oh, understood and agreed. It's just one of those foods where, for me, the words "portion control" fly straight out the window. I don't want it as a side dish, I don't want a dainty half cup, I want a bowl. A big bowl. If some genie offered to make one food name-the-damaging-thing free for me for the rest of my life, pasta would be my choice.

[Robin Garr]

It's just one of those foods where, for me, the words "portion control" fly straight out the window. I don't want it as a side dish, I don't want a dainty half cup, I want a bowl. A big bowl. If some genie offered to make one food name-the-damaging-thing free for me for the rest of my life, pasta would be my choice.

I hear you!

I guess it's just that as a graying Baby Boomer - and particularly, one who still manages to eke out a rude living from eating and drinking well - I came to the conclusion that keeping my weight (and my dear bride's) under control wasn't just a matter of good looks but potential health and longevity for us. Once we crossed that line, then it was relatively easy to embrace portion control as a much happier alternative than ascetic denial. And yeah, the first few times we faced a four-ounce portion of pork chop or steak, it was tough. But I'm surprised how quickly we got used to it. Frankly, the pasta portioning was easier. Two ounces dry spaghetti each, once it's cooked and sauced, still manages to make our regular pasta bowls look reasonably full.

And of course, the beauty thing about moderation is that it applies to all things, including moderation itself. It's no crime to permit an occasional blowout.

[Jenise]

The obesity thing has nothing to do with pasta - it's the fat.

And the sugar and the processed foods. It's really about your overall eating lifestyle. Pasta CAN do harm if combined with the wrong things though all by itself, as you point out it's fairly benign for most people.

[Robin Garr]

The obesity thing has nothing to do with pasta - it's the fat.

And the sugar and the processed foods. It's really about your overall eating lifestyle. Pasta CAN do harm if combined with the wrong things though all by itself, as you point out it's fairly benign for most people.

Bear in mind, though, Jenise, that fat carries about 2 1/2 times the calorie load per gram as carbs or proteins. Given that balance is important, for weight loss purposes, reducing fat in the diet is the most effective approach, and tends to be the best for blood chemistry.

Here's a crazy story, recently in the news, that makes this point in a decidedly unexpected way:

http://www.cnn.com/2010/HEALTH/11/08/tw ... index.html

Oh ye Puritans. Keep in mind that culinary hedonists can also live long, productive, not necessarily overweight and quite happy lives.

In my own case, for example, a T-bone steak weighing in at under 450 grams (just about 1 lb) or an entrecote weighing under 350 grams (12 ounces) is not worth the trouble of either cooking or eating (well, okay perhaps if making sandwiches); pate de foie gras and the best cheeses should all be served not only with toast points but those toast points should be generously spread with butter; cheese that has under a 16% fat content is an sin; and chocolate with under a 65% cocoa fat content is an insult. Oh yes, and unless one is lactose intollerant, substitutes for milk or sweet cream are abominations in the eyes of whatever God or gods you choose to worship.

Thus speaketh ye faithful curmudgeon (who has neither a bulbous red nose nor anything than more than a few kilos of overweight).

Rogov

[Jenise]

I came to the conclusion that keeping my weight (and my dear bride's) under control wasn't just a matter of good looks but potential health and longevity for us.

You're so right. We're trying to become more moderate ourselves.

[Jenise]

Oh ye Puritans. Keep in mind that culinary hedonists can also live long, productive, not necessarily overweight and quite happy lives.

In my own case, for example, a T-bone steak weighing in at under 450 grams (just about 1 lb) or an entrecote weighing under 350 grams (12 ounces) is not worth the trouble of either cooking or eating (well, okay perhaps if making sandwiches); pate de foie gras and the best cheeses should all be served not only with toast points but those toast points should be generously spread with butter; cheese that has under a 16% fat content is an sin; and chocolate with under a 65% cocoa fat content is an insult. Oh yes, and unless one is lactose intollerant, substitutes for milk or sweet cream are abominations in the eyes of whatever God or gods you choose to worship.

Rogov

I trust that all this continues because you have a mighty constitution, and blood tests don't indicate any abnormalities that would cause you to curtail your decadence. You do realize how unusual and lucky you are, don't you?

There was an intriguing meta-study published about 10 years ago in which researchers correlated obesity trends with eating habits. Their conclusion, after looking at 10 years worth of published nutritional studies, was that the least obese group had the highest intake of carbohydrates such as bread, rice and pasta. This is just a correlation, not cause-and-effect, and it came out at a time when the Atkins diet was all the rage, but it's still quite provocative.

Mark Lipton

[Jenise]

There was an intriguing meta-study published about 10 years ago in which researchers correlated obesity trends with eating habits. Their conclusion, after looking at 10 years worth of published nutritional studies, was that the least obese group had the highest intake of carbohydrates such as bread, rice and pasta. This is just a correlation, not cause-and-effect, and it came out at a time when the Atkins diet was all the rage, but it's still quite provocative.

Mark Lipton

I recall that. Best I can tell, you kind of have to choose. If your diet is going to contain a lot of animal-based proteins, better curb the carbs. But the reverse also works. Where things usually get dangerous is when both are present at the same time meal after meal after meal without minimizing portions or combining for the sake of nutrient value. Me, I'm a carboholic so in fact it's the worst food for me--the more I have, the more I want!

So torture for you, Jenise, would be eating just one potato chip or handful of popcorn (two of the carbs people seem to like to eat large quantities of)?

I don't like lareg quantities of pasta or rice, but I agree that a half cup of either seems to be a waste fo time....

[Jenise]

So torture for you, Jenise, would be eating just one potato chip or handful of popcorn (two of the carbs people seem to like to eat large quantities of)?

Pretty much. Potato chips (if they're a brand I like) are the one food that's not safe in the house. It's the cook carbs on my dinner plate that I crave the most, the way they provide a plain or savory vehicle for so many complex sauces and other ingredients.

So torture for you, Jenise, would be eating just one potato chip or handful of popcorn (two of the carbs people seem to like to eat large quantities of)?

Pretty much. Potato chips (if they're a brand I like) are the one food that's not safe in the house. It's the cook carbs on my dinner plate that I crave the most, the way they provide a plain or savory vehicle for so many complex sauces and other ingredients.

Certain foods are just not allowed in our house, gourmet potato chips and with my red face Cheetos.
I remember a few years back I would play tennis practically all day on a Saturday & Sunday then come home to Nevada Pale Ale beer and a copious amount of Cheetos. My wife who among her numerous degrees is a registered dietitian would exclaim "for you to burn off as many calories as you do in one day and then negate that by the beer and Cheetos is really ludicrous. Oh well life is full of contradictions.

In our house it isn't Cheetos, it is Hawkins!

Pasta to me has much akin to bread in that there is a huge variety of both. Morevoer, there is an enormous number of sauces that are appropriate to pasta. Largely because of the great selection available to me I would object to neither bread nor pasta being placed, in a moderate portion, on my table once a day every day.

As to the amount of pasta that Italians consume, if my arithmetic is accurate, 63 pounds annually comes to only 17% of a pound daily - a mere 3 ounces - in fact, quite a reasonable amount.

Best
Rogov

Daniel,
This is quite a telling statistic. When Italians eat pasta, it is a small starter portion. When Americans eat pasta, it is the filling part of the meal - typically half-a-pound - and loaded with way too much heavy sauce like Alfredo. So Americans tend to eat their 20 pounds in perhaps 40 meals, while Italians have it 360 times a year in small portions.

When Americans eat pasta, it is the filling part of the meal - typically half-a-pound...

Are you kidding? 1/2 lb of pasta is an insane amount for one person. We usually eat 1/4 lb of pasta per person per meal, although even that seems rather large and it is one of our most filling 'regular routine' meals. Not that I'm complaining, it also happens to be my favorite in the rotation