No weight gain from pasta

Eating small amounts of pasta regularly needn’t cause you to pile on the pounds, provided it’s part of a healthy diet.

People often assume that because pasta is a refined carbohydrate it’s best avoided. But unlike potatoes, white bread and short-grain white rice, pasta is a low-glycaemic food: it releases energy slowly and doesn’t cause blood sugar to spike.

Scientists from Canada analysed 30 trials involving people who had eaten pasta as part of a low-GI diet, and found no evidence that it led to increased weight or higher fat levels – in fact the pasta eaters often lost weight.

However, they were only consuming it in modest quantities (three half-cup servings a week, typically). That’s not much pasta!