Often the way we cook pasta, or our portion sizes, are problematic. Photo / Gett Images
It’s cheap, easy and one of our favourite carbs, but if you’re in midlife, it might be time for a rethink.
Sophia Loren once famously remarked: “Everything you see I owe to spaghetti.” As I shovel the leftover spag bol from my daughter’s plate into my mouth so I don’t have to bother to open the bin, I can’t help thinking that I could say the same. Just not in a good way.
In my mother’s heyday, pasta was exotic, pronounced “pusta”, bought fresh from a special deli in Soho and served at dinner parties with bolognese sauce that involved a complicated Elizabeth David recipe featuring chicken livers. For us 21st-century Britons, pasta has become almost as ubiquitous as bread.
It comes in plastic tubs as the second choice after sandwiches in “meal deals” and it’s one of the most available ready meals in various forms. Industry statistics show that in 2023, the UK sales volume of prepared pasta dishes was approximately 140 thousand tonnes – quite a few of them consumed by me.
Meanwhile, that most British of carbs, the potato, is in decline. A report by researchers at Scotland’s Rural College (SRUC) highlighted a 71% reduction in the demand for fresh potatoes in the UK since the 1970s, with consumers switching to alternatives such as rice and pasta. This is bound to continue, partly driven by a switch to vegan diets among young people, according to another report which reveals that the global pasta market is forecast to grow to US$45 billion ($75b) by 2030.
Bottom line. It’s cheap. It’s easy. It’s everywhere.
However, back in the kitchen, pasta is problematic. Often when we cook it ourselves we don’t control our portion sizes – studies confirm that portion sizes have increased dramatically over the past three decades and that’s not good.
Also, we don’t know how to cook it properly. I have been informed by my husband (who once had an Italian girlfriend and claims to know everything about it) that I overcook pasta, and to be fair he is correct. I can never quite believe the timings on the pack and always add a couple of minutes just in case.
I decide that, in my eternal quest to lose that final 3kg, I may as well try giving up pasta.
Before I set out to do this, I ask registered dietitian and nutritionist Nichola Ludlam-Raine for her views on the matter. She warns: “If pasta is a regular part of your diet, removing it might lead to a temporary drop in carbohydrate intake, which could affect weight, energy levels, mood, and workout performance. Unless there’s a medical reason such as gluten intolerance there’s no need to eliminate pasta entirely. A more sustainable approach is learning how to incorporate it mindfully.”
That said, she admits: “Cutting out pasta may help some people re-evaluate portion sizes and experiment with other grains (e.g., quinoa, lentil pasta, rice or bulgur wheat). Stopping it for a month will help someone to reevaluate their dietary intake and ask if it could be made more varied instead of relying heavily on wheat.
“For example, wheat biscuits for breakfast, bread at lunch and pasta in the evening could become porridge at breakfast, sweet potato and cottage cheese at lunch and a rice based stir fry in the evening. I’m a big fan of lentil and chickpea pastas to help people to reach their 30 different plant points for the week too.”
Crucially she adds: “It’s about moderation not deprivation. In middle-age the goal posts change. If you keep eating in the same way you will experience weight gain because your metabolic rate decreases as you start to lose muscle mass. You can’t just fix everything with a workout like you used to do. And diet is more important when it comes to weight than physical activity. If you want to give up pasta for a month go for it, but make sure to have meals in mind that you can rely upon and stock up on alternatives such as lentils, tinned beans, rice pouches and potatoes.”
I’m in. Here’s what happens.
After my leftover spag bol shame pushed the dial on the scales up by a couple of pounds I am happy to start. I add the inevitable pulses. I stay off the pasta and have meatballs on their own with bean salad and green veg – though I don’t make a song and dance about it, as I don’t want my teenage daughters to notice given that I have told them they shouldn’t cut out food groups.
I lose 0.45kg.
I’m still off it. Having usual breaded chicken, roast salmon and sweet potato soup. On pasta days – we usually have it at least two times a week – I substitute courgetti (steamed strips of courgette) for the pasta and add the sauce which works brilliantly.
I lose another 0.45kg.
I’m not finding it at all hard to forego pasta. As usual I eat roast chicken with all the trimmings on Sunday but I’m still avoiding pasta at both dinner and lunch.
My weight stays stable.
As usual I eat sensibly in the week although without pasta. At the weekend I can’t resist steak and chips one day and a bacon sandwich the next. Unsurprisingly I still don’t lose any more weight – but I don’t put any on either.
I am still avoiding pasta. I have come to realise that in my case it simply leads to pointless calories that can easily be replaced with vegetables, courgetti or pulses. If I’m going to splurge on carbs I’ll have something that’s worth it. In reality I haven’t lost any weight by this small change, but my weight has stopped increasing by an inexorable half a pound a week, which at the age of 59 seems like an achievement in itself, and I can only put this down to the missing pasta calories.
Now that I am more sensitised I can see that on the occasional lapses I have, I overdo the portions because I have no moderation when it comes to pasta (a bowl of macaroni cheese led to a full bucket-sized binge). Meanwhile even a normal-sized portion (ready meal lasagne) led to bloating the next day, with a blood sugar spike which leads to me feeling much more hungry.
I decide that at my age, you can eat some of the carbs all of the time, all of the carbs some of the time but you can’t eat all of the carbs all of the time.
It’s important to note that studies have concluded that pasta is actually good for you – one recent study demonstrated that pasta does not hinder weight loss or contribute to weight gain within a healthy dietary pattern. So, what if you don’t want to give it up? Here’s Ludlam-Raine’s advice on how to eat it healthily.
“If you love pasta too much to say goodbye, I’d encourage a reset in portion awareness, cooking methods, and pairings. Pasta isn’t the problem – it’s how much and how often we eat it, and what we pair it with. With the right balance, pasta can be a nutritious, satisfying, and culturally rich part of a healthy diet.”
Cook it properly
“When it comes to cooking pasta, following the instructions on the packet is a great place to start. You’ll know your pasta is al dente when it’s cooked through but still has a little bite – it shouldn’t be raw, but it also shouldn’t be falling apart. When pasta becomes too soft, it’s broken down more at the cellular level, meaning your body does less work to digest it. We actually want our mouths and gut to do some of the work. Think of it like the difference between mashed potato and a baked potato – the baked version offers more texture, more satisfaction, and a slower digestion process.
“A common myth is that throwing pasta at the wall to see if it sticks means it’s done. While fun, it’s not the most accurate method. Just taste it. It should be tender but firm.”
Be careful about eating it as a snack unless you’re working out
“If you’ve got leftover pasta in the fridge, great. It even contains more resistant starch once cooled, which is good for gut health. If you’re heading to the gym or need a quick energy boost, pasta can be a totally fine option. However, if weight loss is your goal, you might want to opt for a lighter snack. Pasta calories can add up quickly when you start adding sauces, oils, and toppings. In that case, snacks like carrots and hummus, apple with cheese, yoghurt with berries, or oat cakes with nut butter might be better options – these have carbs, but the carbs aren’t the star of the show like they are with pasta.”
Be precise about portion size
“If you’re unsure, a general guide is about 75g of dry pasta per person, which roughly doubles once cooked. If you’re aiming for weight loss, a helpful visual is below:
“Your needs will vary depending on your activity level. As we age or become less active (like after children have grown up), we may not need as many starchy carbs. But that doesn’t mean we cut them out completely. Carbs are the body’s preferred energy source – just try focusing on quality and quantity. Also, remember: protein helps preserve muscle mass, and healthy fats are essential for hormone production and vitamin absorption. And when it comes to getting the most nutrients per gram? Fruit and veg always win out over starchy carbs.”
Watch what you have it with
“When dining out I love a seafood and tomato-based sauce on pasta. At home, we typically have pasta once or twice a week – often with Bolognese or a simple mix of tuna and sweetcorn (a favourite with my kids). The key is understanding proper portion sizes, cooking pasta al dente, and paying attention to what you’re serving alongside it.”