Starting from Italy centuries ago, pasta has earned the reputation of being the world’s favorite food. Mainly it is believed that pasta originated from Italian streets. But there are some popular legends there who claim that it was a Chinese dish brought to Italy by the famous traveler Marco Polo in the 13th century.

But no matter what is the origin of pasta, and from where it enters into different countries as currently, it is the best meal in the whole world and no one can neglect this fact. This might help you to understand the popularity of pasta that about 62 percent of the people inhabited in the United States eat pasta regularly. But your eyes are going to expand with wonder that 83 percent of Italians have pasta on their dinner table every day. 

From white sauce pasta to many other types, all are equally famous. But despite all this popularity, there are some preventive measures that should be adopted to eat pasta healthily. Most of the athletes that eat pasta regularly, follow different steps or guidelines to prevent themselves from bad impacts. Following are these steps that you should follow while eating pasta.

1. Choose the Right Pasta

The first step of eating healthy pasta is to choose it wisely. It’s a simple thing that you will eat what you will buy. So you should always tend to buy good quality pasta. The best pasta will be the one which is made up of whole grains. 

Check the ingredients of pasta while buying it and ensure that it has whole wheat flour at the first number. The reason behind this is that this flour is rich in carbohydrates and can deliver you enough calories. But don’t forget to calculate the calories it is providing and that your body requires. So that you never exceed the calorie levels in the body. 

2. Veggie Swap

This might seem odd but you can also fulfill the desire of eating pasta without even taking calories. This is quite simple. You have to swap the floured pasta with that of veggie pasta. The best way to do so is to take your preferred vegetables and rinse them off. After that use a peeler to cut them into thin noodle shapes. You can also buy pasta sauce to add to these vegetables and enjoy this calorie-free pasta.

3. Increase Volume With Vegetables

The next step towards eating healthy pasta is to load it with vegetables. It is different from the above swap method. In this step, you have to boil pasta in less than the required amount. Now add vegetables of your choice to increase its volume. 

You can add vegetables in both boiled or fried form or simply in raw form.  The best vegetables that can be used in pasta are capsicum, carrots, pepper, spinach, mushrooms, etc. This will also make your pasta suitable for both vegetarians and non-vegetarians. 

4. Adding Proteins

Once your pasta is packed with vegetables, the next step is to add some proteins. The best way to do so is to add roasted or grilled meat to it. Make sure that you are using lean muscle meat present in the chicken, turkey, or beef. 

Meatballs will also be a good option but make sure that they are made up of lean meat of your favorite type. If you are a vegetarian you can also add some nuts or beans in place of meatballs to make it protein-rich.

5. Pasta Sauce

You might think pasta sauce is just for taste in the pasta. But the role of pasta sauce is not limited to this level. From tomato ketchup to oyster sauce, all sauces can be used in pasta. But make sure that the sauce that you are using in your pasta has healthy ingredients and is capable of providing you with some energy. Also, take a look at the calorie level of the sauce, so you don’t take more than enough amount of them that can add fat to your body.

Follow all the above steps while making pasta the next time so you can enjoy the taste and get the health benefits as well.