Be honest. Do you find yourself passing by the pasta aisle because you’re afraid of a bright-light-in-the-eyes carb-police interrogation? Well, the truth is, pasta can be a part of a healthy diet. Let’s investigate the truth about carbs and your health, including in pasta.

Truth: Healthy eating habits include healthy carbs.

To hardcore ketogenic fans, healthy carbs may seem like an oxymoron. But it’s true. Complex carbs are one of the essential macronutrients, along with proteins and healthy fats, needed to fuel our bodies, especially our muscles and brain.

Carb Fact: Both semolina and whole grain pasta are considered a complex carbohydrates.

Truth: Not all carbs are created equal.

Carbohydrates with a glycemic index (GI) provide steady energy to the body instead of a spike in blood sugar.

Carb Fact: A serving (~1 cup) of pasta has an average GI value below 55. (Compare this to one serving (~1 slice) of bread—white or brown—which has an average GI value of 75.)

Truth: Comprehensive research studies confirm that a leading cause of obesity is a high-calorie diet, not a diet that allows for carbohydrates. 

Staple carbohydrates, including pasta, contain no added sugar, fat, and sodium and serve as a base for foods that you need to eat more of (ie. vegetables, healthy fats, lean proteins).

Carb Fact: The obesity rate is much lower in countries that follow the Mediterranean-style diet and lifestyle. Scientifically proven to be an exceptionally healthy way of eating, the Mediterranean diet includes pasta—typically paired with colorful, seasonal vegetables, lean proteins and fresh herbs—as a major component in lunch and dinner recipes.

Looking for ways to incorporate healthy carbs into your diet without the calories? Barilla has a delicious selection of pasta dishes, all under 500 calories.

Does pasta have carbs? Guilty as charged. But unlike a lot of other carb-rich foods, pasta's rap sheet is so clean... it's nutritious.

Source: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/
articles/PMC5996878/