The New Complete Book of Food



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r Pasta

See also Flour.

Nutritional Profile

Energy value (calories per serving): Moderate

Protein: Moderate

Fat: Low

Saturated fat: Low

Cholesterol: None

Carbohydrates: High

Fiber: Low to High

Sodium: Low

Major vitamin contribution: B vitamins

Major mineral contribution: Iron

About the Nutrients in This Food

The basic ingredients in pasta are water plus flour or semolina (the coarsely

milled inner part of the wheat kernel called the endosperm). Whole wheat

pasta, which is darker than ordinary pasta, is made with whole wheat

flour. Egg noodles are made with flour and water plus eggs. Spinach pasta

adds dried spinach for taste and color. High-protein pasta is fortified with

soy flour. Light pasta is treated to absorb more water than regular pasta.

Imitation pasta is made with flour ground from Jerusalem artichokes rather

than wheat. Rice noodles are made with rice flour, cellophane noodles with

flour ground from sprouted mung beans.

All pasta is high-carbohydrate (starch) food. Since semolina is virtu-

ally all protein, the more semolina the pasta contains, the more protein it

provides. The proteins in pasta are considered “incomplete” because they

are deficient in the essential amino acids in lysine and isoleucine. Pasta

made without eggs has no fat and no cholesterol.

All pasta is a good source of the B vitamins thiamin (vitamin B 1 ) and

riboflavin (vitamin B 2 ). Pasta made with flour also contains nonheme iron,

the inorganic form of iron found in plants, which is harder for your body

to absorb than the iron in foods of animal origin.

* Dry pasta.