Food pyramid builds on Mediterranean method

[Guest guest]

I will be interested to see how you all feel about this post. I do believe

we need carbs, but find it hard to control portion when you sit down to a

speghetti dinner. Anyone else feel mixed feelings here? Hugs, Marilyn

> Food pyramid builds on Mediterranean method

> DIET: A food think tank is promoting the benefits of eating pasta. But

> portion control is key.Yes, portion control is the key.

> By MARK PETIX / Press-Enterprise

>

> They came to praise pasta, not watch it buried under the weight of the

> low-carb craze.

>

> Health and food experts met in Rome earlier this year to tell the world not

> to fear fettuccini, spaghetti and penne.

>

> Pasta, they said, is a good carbohydrate.

>

> " Confused by the low-carb diet craze, people are avoiding some of their

> favorite foods - like pasta - and moving away from healthy, balanced

> diets, "

> conference organizer K. Dun Gifford announced at the time.

>

> " The good news of this conference is what high-level scientists have always

> said: A balanced diet is key to maintaining a healthy weight - not extreme

> fad diets that pose dangerous health risks. "

>

> Gifford is founder and president of Oldways Preservation Trust, a

> Boston-based food think tank that is now spreading the good news about a

> very old diet.

>

> The 38 nutrition experts wo gathered in Rome for the three-day conference

> concluded that the Mediterranean diet is the gold standard for health, with

> its balance of olive oil, vegetables, grains, cheese and red wine.

>

> The trust is promoting the diet based on a Mediterranean food pyramid that

> begins with pasta, bread, rice and potatoes as its food base and something

> to be eaten daily.

>

> Portion sizes are key, the trust claims. They recommend one to two cups of

> cooked pasta per serving, with each cup about 200 calories.

>

> Avoid fatty sauces, especially cream-based sauces, and choose foods that

> offer a healthy partnership with pasta including vegetables, fish, tomatoes

> and olive oil.

> Pasta is low on the glycemic index, and does not cause a rapid rise in

> blood

> sugar, and the trust said a traditional Mediterranean diet significantly

> reduces the risk of death from heart disease and cancer.

>

>