Dietary Benefits of Pasta/Dietary Benefits of Pasta/A Current PerspectiveA Current Perspective

Patricia T. Berglund, Ph.D.Director

Northern Crops InstituteFargo, ND USA

Eating – one of life’s Eating – one of life’s greatest pleasuresgreatest pleasures

How does pasta fit into a healthy diet and lifestyle?

What’s New in Nutrition???What’s New in Nutrition??? Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2000Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2000

A — Aim for fitness B — Build a healthy base C — Choose sensibly

Dietary Guidelines Dietary Guidelines for Americans, 2000for Americans, 2000

Developed for the American public, many are overweight

Low calorie and low fat recommendations less important for some countries

Today’s FocusToday’s Focus

B — Building a healthy base

andC — Choose sensibly

A HEALTHY BASEA HEALTHY BASEThe Food Guide PyramidThe Food Guide Pyramid

Guide for daily food choicesBase - 6 to 11 servings of bread, cereal, rice, and pasta dailyServing size - ½ cup of pasta, cereal or rice

Many countries have food guides, most have grains as the base or main foundation

Why grains?Why grains?

Grains: Complex carbohydrates Provide vitamins and minerals Good source of protein Low in fat and sodium

Pasta: Complex carbohydrates Provide vitamins and minerals Good source of protein Pasta protein contains 6 of 8

essential amino acids

Provide all essential amino acids when combined with meat, poultry, cheese or dairy products

Low in fat and sodium Low calorie Calories from carbohydrates

(82%), protein (14%) and fats (4%)

Nutritional Value of Pasta, Nutritional Value of Pasta, Rice and Corn Tortilla:Rice and Corn Tortilla:

Pasta (1/2 cup)

Rice (1/2 cup)

Tortilla(1)

Calories 98 111 67Carbohydrates, g 20.0 25 12.8Protein, g 3.4 2.1 2.1Fat, g 0.5 0.1 1.1Cholesterol, mg 0.0 0.0 0.0Fiber, g 1.0 0.0 1.0Sodium, mg 0.7 300 53Iron 1.0 0.9 1.4 Zinc, mg 0.4 0.0 0.43Folic Acid (Folate) mcg

60.0 0.0 6.0

Niacin, mg 1.2 1.1 1.5 Riboflavin, mg 0.07 0.0 0.14 Thiamin, mg 0.14 0.12 0.2

Pasta and Rice are cooked

Exciting News in NutritionExciting News in NutritionFolic Acid FortificationFolic Acid Fortification

U.S. produced pasta fortified with folic acid, also called folate or folacin

Effective January 1998

ImagineImaginebeing able to reduce serious being able to reduce serious

birth defectsbirth defects

Folic acid (B vitamin) Folic acid (B vitamin) prevents:prevents:

Neural tube defects such as spina bifida Anencephaly (a fatal defect in which part of the

brain never develops) Oral and facial birth defects such as cleft palate May protect against some types of cancer and

heart disease

The U.S Center for Disease Control estimated reduction of spina bifida and anencephaly by 50 to 70 percent with sufficient folic acid intake

Who Needs Folic Acid?Who Needs Folic Acid? Required by males and females of all

age levels Most important for females of

child-bearing age

Fortification level of Fortification level of Folic AcidFolic Acid

0.7 mg folic acid per pound of flour ½ cup serving of cooked pasta has

60 micrograms Six or more servings daily from bread and grains

group needed to meet the Recommended Dietary Allowance of 400 micrograms

An Exciting Future??An Exciting Future??

Healthier Infants

Healthier Children

Healthier Adults

So what’s exciting about So what’s exciting about pasta nutrition?pasta nutrition?

Pasta, along with other grain products, forms the foundation of a healthy diet

Good source of protein Complete protein containing all the essential

amino acids when combined with meat, poultry, dairy products or beans

Good source of many vitamins and minerals

Excellent source of folic acid, when fortified

Low calorie and low in sodium Many shapes, as many as 350 to 600 Tastes great Adds variety to the diet Convenience food

Nutrition, Taste, Nutrition, Taste, Convenience, and Convenience, and

Variety all wrapped Variety all wrapped into one product… into one product…

PASTAPASTA

What more can we ask for??What more can we ask for??

Resources:Resources:

www.wheatfoods.orgwww.usda.gov/cnpp/index.htm

www.ilovepasta.org/nutrition.htmlwww.dakotagrowers.com