The Truth Behind Multigrain Pasta
Sunday, July 31, 2005 11:03
When the whole Atkins craze took off, bread and pasta manufacturers panicked. I even had a friend or two who swore off all food that looks white. Bread is okay if it’s multigrain or whole wheat. They even ate the no-carb bread and pasta, which they said were awful and dry but kept eating them anyway. I never got into this whole carb-avoidance phenomenon, which probably explains why I weigh 1x4. (Yeah, like I’m really going to reveal my weight… I’ll just keep you guessing on that middle number.) Whether I’m a glutton for punishment or just need to do something about my gluttony, I decided to try the enriched multigrain pasta, which in this case is the Barilla PLUS Rotini ($1.79). For those who really want to know what goes into this multigrain pasta, the ingredients to this pasta are: Semolina, grain & legume flower blend (lentils, chick peas, oats, spelt, barleg, egg whites, ground flaxseeds and wheat fiber), niacin, ferrous lactate (iron), thiamine mononitrate, riboflavin, and folic acid.
My issues: all the ingredients sound like the making of a nutritious meal; the box tells you how good this multigrain pasta is for you, and even tells you how much protein, fiber, and ALA Omega-3 you get in one cup of uncooked pasta. This makes me wonder how much of the good stuff I really take in after the pasta’s been boiled, because I, for one, don’t eat uncooked pasta.
So now that we know what goes into the multigrain pasta (kind of), how does it compare to regular pasta?
Regular rotini (or corkscrew) pasta usually takes about 8-10 minutes to cook, but with the multigrain rotini, I let it sit for about 13 minutes in boiling water. The box says “Due to its higher protein conten, Barilla PLUS takes several extra minutes to cook than traditional pasta.” Well, after 13 minutes, here is the final result:
It looks like regular pasta after it has been cooked. I even tried one right out of the pot, and while the multigrain is not as tender as regular pasta, I didn’t taste any difference between the two. So to those people who think multigrain pasta is less delicious than traditional pasta, I say, Give it a chance! I don’t think multigrain pasta is really much healthier for you (or as healthy for you as the box advertises), but it certainly does not taste bad.
Final step: mix with whatever kind of sauce is your choice. Me, I sauteed some lean turkey meat, threw in some red bell peppers, onions, and tomato sauce. Add in some seasoning and additional flavoring to your preference, top with paramsean and basil, and voila… my dinner last night.
By Pauline (see more of her posts).
VeggieGal says:
August 1st, 2005 at 9:45 am
I eat the multi-grain pasta all the time–I think it’s great. I like to use it when I’m making more “rustic” type pasta dishes because of the heartier tast of the pasta–like adding some white beans, some kale sauteed with garlic, some sliced veggie itailian sausages and lots of olive oil and parmesean–yum!!
Pauline says:
August 1st, 2005 at 1:39 pm
VeggieGal -
Your recipe with the multigrain pasta sounds much better than what I had! Mmmm…
Out of curiosity, do you think multigrain pasta is really that much healthier than traditional pasta?
VeggieGal says:
August 1st, 2005 at 4:40 pm
Hmm, I’m not entirely convinced that it’s healthier either. It does say on the package that it has Omega-3 fatty acids, but I would think boiling the pasta for 13 minutes would neutralize any effect the Omega-3’s would have. I’d say that the addition of the whole grains make it marginally better for you–but it’s still pasta.
Pauline says:
August 1st, 2005 at 11:37 pm
Ha! That’s what I thought, too. :)
Sonia says:
December 18th, 2005 at 3:02 pm
I just want to know about the vitamins, minerals, fat and protein content after it has been cooked and all. I don’t really care about it being in packaged form. Oh yes its been just recently I’ve switched from regular pasta to multi-grain and whole wheat. I love it. I just love pasta period!
Me says:
March 27th, 2007 at 2:07 am
I buy the multigrain, whole wheat and flax pasta all the time now. When it goes on sales, I get a bunch of it. The whole grain pasta is much better for you, and I find its more filling, and tastes better. It costs more, but on sale its fine.
wanda n damian says:
June 3rd, 2007 at 9:46 am
My fiancee and I tried multi-grain and love love love it. He used to (what I call) go into a carb coma after having any pasta dish. This is no longer the case.
tt says:
June 14th, 2007 at 3:09 am
WHAT IS THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN WHOLE WHEAT & MULTI-GRAIN??????? ACTUALLY MY REAL QUESTION IS WHICH ONE IS BETTER IF YOUR TRYING TO LOOSE WEIGHT??? I HAVE DECIDED THAT THE REGULAR STUFF IS THE DEVIL. SO SHOULD I BUY WHOLE WHEAT OR MULTIGRAIN~SOS~??????????
Pauline says:
June 14th, 2007 at 8:02 am
Whole wheat products are supposed to be made with whole-wheat flour, which is wheat kernels all ground up. Whole grain products on the other hand can be made from any variety of grains. Multi-grain is a bit tricky - it is not necessarily made entirely of whole grains.
I can’t tell you which you should buy, but I do think the multi-grain pasta is better than the “regular stuff.” If you’ve never tried it, you might not be used to the taste and texture. My advice for this is start off with mixing the regular stuff with the multi-grain - do a half and half. You won’t even notice the difference.
Matt Di Pasquale says:
April 8th, 2009 at 12:45 am
Pauline, you know how they tell you to go with your gut?
Well, your gut is correct in this instance: it looks the same because it is virtually the same: lacking in nutrition. As you say in your comment above: “Multigrain is a bit tricky - it is not necessarily made entirely of whole grains.” That is spot on [more discussion - http://www.wisegeek.com/what-is-multigrain-bread.htm. You want to stay away from "enriched" multigrain pasta like this because it is virtually as unhealthy as white pasta. "Enriched" means they take all the grains, strip all the natural fiber, minerals, and vitamins, and "enrich" the end malnutritious result by adding the following minerals and vitamins back: niacin (vit. B3), ferrous lactate (iron), thiamine mononitrate (vit. B1), riboflavin (vit. B2), folic acid (vit. B9). [ingredients -> ]
If you really must stick with Barilla, this is the pasta you want:
http://www.barillaus.com/home/Pages/Barilla_Whole_Grain.aspx
But it’s still only 51% whole grain and not organic, so there are pesticides in it and it is lacking in vitamin B12.
So if you really want to man-up, then you need to go with something 100% whole grain and all organic. For example: http://www.edenfoods.com/store/index.php?cPath=22_34
Finally, tt: wheat is a type of grain. Other grains are barley, quinoa, oats, etc. Whole wheat is usually better than multigrain because, as discussed above, multigrain is often not made of whole grains. But, if you can find multigrain pasta that is made of 100% whole grains, then that’s even better than whole wheat because you want to eat a variety of grains.
As far as weight goes, eating either will cause you to lose weight. They’ve done studies that if you eat a whole plant-based diet as suggested in The China Study, you can eat as much as you want and still lose weight. The Atkins diet will slowly kill you… plus you have to monitor what you eat. Why would you want to worry about all that calorie counting? It’s much easier to worry about ingredients. Well, actually, not that much easier with how corrupt our food industry is now, but it should be much easier. :)
MaxMillion says:
April 8th, 2009 at 3:30 pm
^ wow. fascinating stuff. thank you for commenting.
Rachel says:
September 17th, 2009 at 7:38 am
I have gestational diabetes, but Barilla Plus (as well as the generic store-brand version I had last night) does not raise my blood sugar like normal pasta does.
Marti Klever says:
July 16th, 2010 at 4:58 pm
Just started using multigrain pasta. I’m “sensitive” to white flour pasta, meaning that it triggers me to keep eating it and I’m never satisfied when the meal is over. I also crave it continually. I had a totally different response to the multi-grain, which I got at Fresh & Easy in Las Vegas. It’s called “Spaghetti with Omega 3.” I let it cook for 13-15 min. and I like the slightly grainy texture. It’s delicious. I mix it with a sauce of sauteed onions, garlic tomato sauce, canned tomatoes and fresh sliced mushrooms. Yum. I’m thrilled that I have found a pasta that actually satisfies me. OF COURSE it’s better for you. White flour pasta has no nutritional value whatsoever. This pasta is golden brown in color and contains 9 g. of protein per serving, which really works for a vegetarian like me. That’s a huge amount of protein for a packaged food. I have not been triggered to overeat after a meal of it and I don’t have that usual, bloated feeling I have eating white flour pasta. This one has legume flour, egg white, oat fiber, flaxeed (good for women’s health) whole grain barley and whole grain oat flour as well as enriched semolina. Oh, and sugar content: less than 1 g. We all know how regular pasta turns to sugar in your gut. I’m real happy with it. A half a package: 700 calories. I eat about half of that, and it’s a lot. With tomato sauce you’re eating a moderate calorie meal, and it wouldn’t hurt to have a nice green veggie alongside like asapragus or brocoli, or a salad.