Pasta: Role in Diet

Pasta is a key component of the traditional Mediterranean diet. The best pasta is produced using durum wheat semolina, which confers excellent rheological and organoleptic properties. Among carbohydrate-rich foods, pasta has a low glycemic index, which has beneficial effects on the regulation of body weight, blood glucose and insulin metabolism, and plasma lipid control. In order to favor whole grain product consumption, whole grain durum wheat and other grains can also be used to make regular pasta. Moreover, recently, several additional ingredients such as fibers, proteins, and vitamins have been used to improve the nutritional properties of pasta.