ottawa foodies

Have decided to try whole wheat pasta for the first time in a looooooong time. Both the New York Times and Cook's Illustrated specifically recommend the Bionaturae brand. I can get it through mail order, but I wonder if anyone has seen it in any of the stores around town?

Or any other whole wheat pastas that float your boat?

Thanks!

Mark

haven't seen it. i'd suggest calling around: la bottega, nicastros, param ravioli, even herb & spice.

We buy our whole wheat pasta directly from mountainpath.com. They sell to the Herb & Spice and other green grocers here in town, so you could look there. We're been really happy with it. They also carry the Giardino brand, in addition to their Mountain Path brand.

We used to buy whole wheat pasta once in a while until I crunched the numbers and found that the nutritional benefits just don't seem worth it unless you happen to prefer the taste/texture of whole wheat pasta. You're better off tossing some beans into your sauce to add fiber and nutrients.

Once you make the move to whole wheat, it might be in your interest to try brown rice pasta - I find it to be closer to regular white pasta than whole whaet is.

You are right, FreshFoodie--this is a little counter-intuitive, given that we are told that whole grains are better. You do get some nutrition and vitamins from the germ, but I deal with that by tossing some fresh wheat germ into my bread (tastes great, too). Some benefits of the fiber, too, though those are not enormous.

Both my partner and I have strong family histories of diabetes. So I had thought that it would be better, but it turns out that the glycemic index of whole wheat pasta is about the same as regular pasta. When served with most sauces (containing some fat and protein), the glycemic index is quite favourable for both whole wheat and regular pasta. What does seem to matter is how well it is cooked: overcooked pasta has a much higher glycemic index than al dente. Reason? Al dente takes longer to break down in the stomach, hence slowing the release of carbohydrates. Brown rice pasta appears to have a variable glycemic index--some tests have shown it to be high (like 90) and others low (like in the 40's). May relate to the specific brand and how well it is cooked.

For grain products, what does help when it comes to glycemic control is how coarsely ground the grain is--coarser is better because it slows the digestion. In other words, whole grains ARE better but they have to be whole or in larger pieces in order to get the benefits with respect to blood sugar. So I am thinking of changing my regular bread recipe to a cracked wheat bread. May even try to go to a sourdough bread because that also appears to help. And adding some butter and egg to the bread will also slow down the absorption and soften the crumb. Thankfully, cholesterol is not an issue for me!

Mainly, I am just curious to try the whole wheat pasta to see how it is. Appreciate the tips on what to try and where to find it!

warby - while you are right the same really holds true for just about anything you could ever possibly want to eat. Individually it will not kill you or even harm you. But eat enough of it and that is no longer true. With whole wheat pasta or whole wheat anything it is a cumulative effect.

And for me it is also a matter of principle. I still eat the odd pastry from the bakery made from white flour - but it is rare.

We started eating whole wheat pasta because, as a T2 diabetic, I DO notice a difference in my numbers after a meal if there's more fiber in it. More fiber is very rarely a bad thing for us. But after having it a few times, then making "white" pasta, my family has decided we prefer the whole wheat. The texture is favorable in our eyes, and it's definitely more flavorful. We don't buy anything special, though, just whatever we can find at the supermarket/Costco...

I like Catelli Healthy Harvest pasta. The nutritional information is here: www.catellihealthyharvest.ca