This document discusses food education in Italian schools and promotes a Mediterranean diet high in carbohydrates like pasta. It argues that pasta deserves a place at the base of the food pyramid as a nutritious source of complex carbohydrates and minerals when paired with other foods. The document analyzes the nutritional composition of pasta and pasta dishes, finding them to be balanced sources of proteins, carbohydrates and lipids in line with recommended dietary guidelines. Pasta is presented as a healthy foundation of the Italian diet when consumed as part of a meal along with sauces, meat, vegetables and fruit.

1. L1N21P098 www.professionalpasta.it profpast@tin.it
22
In our beloved homeland of
Italy there are marked differ-
ences in food education on both
a regional and local level. What
immediately come to mind are
the things anyone would notice
visiting our schools, especially
nurseryandelementaryschools.
Alimentary education is deeply
ingrained and increasingly
subject to debate, but we
believe it is necessary for chil-
dren above all to be informed
on this subject through a
continuous flow of information
and “training” over the years.
But please note: this culinary
training should go hand-in-hand
with a heavy dose of hygiene-
related education, especially in
terms of the habits acquired
through contact with food and
sensorial stimuli which, prop-
erly included in the school
curriculum, can become useful
tools in reaching an educa-
tional goal.
A number of learning activities
related to alimentary education
have been promoted on a
national level with the goal of
making school children of all
ages (as well as adult school
personnel) cognizant of their
own choices.
Many regional and local
bodies, recognizing the impor-
tance and social relevance of
these initiatives, immediately
took up the challenge to
promote and expand upon
them. As a result of the projects
created along the proposed
ministerial lines, as well as a
number of creative initiatives,
ties have been formed between
educational activity itself and,
for example, the food service
facilities where the students eat
on a daily basis. In particular,
effortshavebeenmadetocreate
greater awareness around the
selection of dishes offered on
the menus, presenting tradi-
tional dishes that are less famil-
iar to younger generations. In
some cases, recipes based
entirely on organically-grown
products have been introduced
to highlight the individual and
the environment.
Clearly, launching of similar
activities is to be hoped for in all
our schools, given their impor-
tance in the general cultural
and social enrichment of each
person.
Our explicit goal is to under-
score the need to cultivate the
culture of food, alimentation
and nutrition in both children
and parents, up to and includ-
ing the elderly (who draw on a
wide store of popular belief…
some of which should be
disabused!).
Food, nutrition and cooking
have become popular topics of
discussion, partly the result of
the involvement of sector
specialists such as nutritionists,
dieticians and alimentary tech-
nologists. In recent years, this
latter profession has appeared
FROM THE PHARAOHS TO DANTE
AN INQUIRY INTO THE NUTRITIONAL VALUE
OF YOUR FAVOURITE PASTA DISH
by Alessio Marchesani

2. in a number of fields and is
involved in a range of functions
within the food production
chain.
Much of the information that
circulates in the alimentary field
is useful, but it may also be
misleading. We believe we
should stress the importance of
Mediterranean area eating
habits, a tradition that has
recently given its name to a
specific diet. Much has been said
and continues to be said about
the “food pyramid” as the
depository of the elixir to
longevity and which calls for the
consumption of those products
traditional to Italian cuisine.
Some weeks ago, in the United
States, the authoritative New
York Times ran a front page arti-
cle warning its readers against
the risk of eating carbohydrates,
the food group that forms the
base of the above-mentioned
pyramid.
The reasoning upon which this
advice was based is that by
completely eliminating carbo-
hydrate-rich foods (pasta being
one of the most important),
“the body would begin to burn
fats”. This article, entitled
“What if it’s all been a big fat lie”
and written by the renowned
science correspondent Gary
Taubes, was based on informa-
tion contained in a new and
intriguing nutritional theory
offered by Dr. Robert C. Atkins
that recommends the consump-
tion of fats and proteins as the
optimal diet.
Having made all the obvious
comments about the major
differences between Italian
eating habits and, more to the
point, its products compared to
those in other continents, it
should be stressed that the
pyramid-based diet, the result
of study of the Mediterranean
diet, was adapted to conform to
American society and food
production. And this explains
the difficulty in comprehend-
ing such healthy advice.
Fortunately, the vast majority
of the international scientific
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L1N21P098 www.professionalpasta.it profpast@tin.it
Analyses were made subject to cooking for pasta products, tomato and meat (1: durum wheat semolina
only; 2: extra virgin olive oil; 3: parmesan cheese).
Table 1 - AVERAGE PASTA AND INGREDIENT COMPOSITION IN A COMPLETE DISH
MICRONUTRIENTS
(g)
ENERGY MINERAL SALTS
(mg)
VITAMINS
(mg)
P L C Kcal Ca P Fe A B1 B2 C PP
PASTA1
100 g
70 g
10,8
7,6
0,3
0,21
73
51,1
338
236,7
17
12
165
115,5
1,3
0,91
-
-
0,14
0,09
0,11
0,08
-
-
2
1,4
TOMATO
100 g
25 g
50 g
1,24
0,31
0,62
0,5
0,12
0,25
2,3
0,57
1,15
20
5
10
10
2,5
5
24
6
12
0,2
0,05
0,1
0,8
0,2
0,4
0,06
0,015
0,03
0,04
0,01
0,02
24
6
12
-
-
-
OIL2
100 g
7 g
-
-
99
6,9
-
-
891
62,3
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
-
PARMESAN3
100 g
10 g
35
3,5
26
2,6
3,5
0,35
388
38,8
129
129
850
85
1
0,1
0,34
0,034
0,02
-
0,6
0,06
-
-
0,17
0,02
MEAT (beef)
100 g
25 g
20
5
9
2,25
-
-
162
40,5
12
3
220
55
3
0,75
-
-
0,12
0,03
0,16
0,04
-
-
5,6
1,4

3. community (to which
we make reference),
backed by numerous
epidemiological and
clinical studies, under-
scores the high - even
superlative - nutritional
value of pasta.
This defence might
seem purely academic,
but it’s not. We are,
first and foremost,
informed consumers
interested in spread-
ing their passion-filled
point-of-view.
Unfortunately, some-
times doubts do arise
about whether there is
a concerted effort and
desire to undermine
the competitiveness of
some of our products
so popular around the
world, as manifested in
some markets that are
economically impor-
tant for Italian compa-
nies.
For example, a few
years ago, some scar-
cely-justifiable anger
and resentment arose
regarding “radioactive
pasta”followinganarti-
cle published in the
Frankfurter Allgemeine
Zeitung.
However,inthispartic-
ular case, this was
probably the result of a
cursory reading of the
article.
To get back to the main
point of our inquiry,
we pose the following
question. What should
be done with the
healthy and balanced
Mediterranean diet,
this alimentary pyra-
mid as ancient as those
of the pharaohs and
with a centuries-old
tradition behind it?
At the basis of the
Mediterranean diet are
carbohydrate-rich
products such as pasta
and bread. The next
level up we find vege-
tables and fruit. As a
whole, the diet calls for
limited consumption
of meat, fish, eggs,
cured meats and
cheeses which appear
near the peak and
above them are fats
and simple sugars.
Our question, more
specifically, is: does
pasta deserve to be the
basis of this Egyptian
pyramid? A pyramid
that is also a bit
Dantesque because it
brings to mind the
stratified levels of the
poet’s “Inferno”.
For us, Mediterranean
culinary tradition is
based on the daily
consumption of this
golden-hued foodstuff,
a definition we hope is
shared by at least those
who appreciate both its
organoleptic and nutri-
tional qualities.
Dieticians and nutri-
tionists agree that,
independent of the
total caloric intake
required by an individ-
ual on a daily basis
(which varies on the
basis of such factors as
sex, age, physical activ-
ity, special medical
conditions, etc.), in
percentage terms,
caloric intake should
be as follows: protides
10-15%, lipids 30%,
glucides (or carbohy-
drates) 55-60%.
Without going into
detailed analysis of the
reasons behind these
figures, it should be
added that simple
carbohydrates must
not exceed a limit of
15-20% of the total.
Cereals and starch
products are highly
recommended be-
cause of their complex
glucide and fibre
content.
The distribution of calo-
ric intake throughout
the day is also of funda-
mental importance:
breakfast approx. 20%,
mid-morningsnack5%,
lunch 25-30%, mid-
afternoon snack 5%,
dinner 40-45%.
If we assume that this
diet may be followed
by consuming one-
dish meals that satisfy
the main nutritional
elements the body
requires and which
may be paired with
fruit and vegetables to
supply the needed
vitamins and mineral
salts, let’s analyze the
nutritional content of
pasta as it is generally
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L1N21P098 www.professionalpasta.it profpast@tin.it

4. consumed.
Pasta is an excellent
source of complex
glucides, but less signif-
icant in terms of
proteinandfatcontent.
As can be seen from
Table 1 (page 23),
mineral salt and vita-
min content is less
marked, but still note-
worthy.
In fact, if we compare
the values given for
pasta and beef, we see
that calcium, phospho-
rous and iron content,
as well as that of vita-
mins B1 and B2 is equal
or even higher in
pasta. However, for
both these foods, the
calcium/phosphorous
ratio - fundamental
during absorption and
use by our bodies - is
unbalanced.
Pasta,especiallyduring
cooking, loses some of
its main nutrients
(starch, protein, phos-
phorous, vitamin B1),
while its calcium
content increases,
passed on by the water
during cooking.
Given the imbalance in
amino acid content, in
particular lysine (an
essential, restrictive
amino acid), it is crucial
thatpastabeconsumed
together with other
foods with different
nutritional properties.
For example, a good
combination would be
legumes that are rich
in lysine and signifi-
cantly increase the
nutritional value of a
complete, balanced
dish.
The normal habit of
consuming a portion
of pasta together with
a wide range of ingre-
dients (for example,
those required in filled
pasta) and/or sauces,
enormously enhances
the overall nutritional
value. Although the
amino acid nutritional
value of pasta alone is
not high, the situation
changes through the
synergy created from
pairing with amino
acids found in meat,
fish and dairy prod-
ucts, ingredients that
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L1N21P098 www.professionalpasta.it profpast@tin.it

5. also contribute essen-
tial fatty acids and
additional vitamins
and mineral salts.
As can be seen from the
average nutritional
analysis of a portion of
pasta with sauce (Table
2), the recommended
caloric percentage ratio
between protides,
glucides and lipids is
largely maintained.
The only slight excep-
tion (albeit a positive
one) is that of pasta
with tomato sauce.
Also given are the same
indices for two types of
fresh filled pasta
widely available on the
market. The average
values give the weight
and percentages of the
main energy compo-
nents based on 100
grams of product for
two of the most popu-
lar types of filled pasta:
meat-filled pasta and
pasta with ricotta and
vegetable filling.
As with pasta with
sauce, but with calorie
percentage ratios
slightly off-balance,
fresh filled pasta can be
seen to be a very valid
product and fully
enters within that cate-
gory of foodstuffs with
a high nutritional
value, fully in accor-
dance with the Medi-
terranean tradition.
However, it should be
added that, in general,
a full evaluation should
also take into consider-
ation the other foods
eaten at the same meal,
preferably fruit and
vegetables.
As confirmation of the
importance of Italian
culinary tradition as it
has developed over
past decades, the
choices made by food
industry producers
and consumers in the
recent past should also
benoted. Inadditionto
concentrating on the
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1) pasta 70 g, oil 7 g, parmesan 10 g, tomato 25 g, meat 25 g.
2) pasta 70 g, oil 7 g, parmesan 10 g, tomato 25 g, meat 50 g.
3) average content refers to 100 g of product, calculated on the basis of label information on the packages of
those products most widely available on the market.
Dry and fresh pasta is made of durum wheat semolina; values are expressed in grams and indicate the
amount actually present in the types under examination.
Table 2 - MACRONUTRIENT CONTENT COMPARISON IN FIRST DISHES BASED ON PASTA
PROTEINS CARBOHYDRATES LIPIDIS KCAL(total)
PASTA WITH
MEAT JAUCE1
16,4 58,9 12,1
Kcal 65,6 235,6 108,9 410,1
Kcal % 15,9 57,4 26,7
PASTA WITH
TOMATO2
11,7 59,6 9,9
Kcal 46,8 238,4 89,1 374,3
Kcal % 12,5 63,7 23,8
PASTA FILLED
WITH MEAT3
16,2 41,2 9,1
Kcal 64,8 164,8 81,9 311,5
Kcal % 20,8 52,9 26,3
PASTA FILLED
WITH RICOTTA
AND VEGETABLES3
12,9 42,6 9,3
Kcal 51,6 170,4 83,7 305,7
Kcal % 16,9 55,7 27,4

6. development of new
types of sauces using
both traditional and
new recipes in order to
better meet the prefer-
ences of the “modern”
consumer (for exam-
ple, prepared sauces in
jars or in MAP for
heat-and-serve dishes
for bars and large-scale
distribution), there has
been rapid market
growth in the consump-
tion of both fresh and
dry filled pasta.
The explanation for
this would seem to lie
in the consumer’s
awareness of the nutri-
tional quality of these
types of products, as
wellastheconvenience
they offer and product
taste that brings to
mind handmade pasta
prepared in the home
or by chefs.
Today, when eating on
the run, why not enjoy
a good plate of pasta
(perhaps accompanied
by a nice glass of wine),
instead of an ordinary
sandwich and (overly
sweet and carbonated)
soft drink?
Personal tastes aside,
the reader will agree
with Prof. A. Keys (a
leading world expert in
human nutrition and
director of the study on
which the food pyra-
mid is based) who
exalts the Mediterra-
nean diet, “rich in peas-
ant dishes, the fruit of
the earth and imbued
with such noble ingre-
dients as oil, tomato,
vegetablesandcheese”.
A final note. Do you
know why a plate of
pasta, despite its
high-level, effortless
digestibility, is suitable
for those suffering from
problems connected
with the production of
uric acid, is recom-
mended for children
because of its easy
digestibility and nutri-
tional value, is rich in
phosphorous and iron,
is just plain good…
and leaves one feeling
satisfied well after a
meal?
The answer lies in its
glycemic index, very
favourable compared
with other starch prod-
ucts such as rice, bread
and potatoes because it
causes reduced gly-
cemic fluctuation.
For this reason, pasta is
recommended in the
diets of diabetes suffer-
ers as the main source
of carbohydrates.
We hope these simple
observations about the
nutritional value of
pasta have been useful
to dispel some of those
alimentary fears that
sometimes seem to
hover in the air, so that
the richness of the Ital-
ian cuisine can be
enjoyed to its full.
We wish you a hearty,
tasty … buon appetito.
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