Pesto pasta is one of the new pasta flavors people eat today, aside from the traditional spaghetti and carbonara. While spaghetti and carbonara have tomato and creamy taste, respectively, pesto gives an herbal taste to a person’s taste buds. The following are the health benefits of pesto pasta, along with a sample recipe.
Health Benefits
Energy
One health benefit of pesto is energy. It gives energy to the body thru calories and fats. Calories serve as the body’s fuel to carry out its functions and activities of daily living while fats serve as secondary energy source when carbohydrate stores go down. According to Live Strong, a one-fourth cup serving of the pasta gives about 270 calories and 23 grams of fat, which supports cardiovascular health because it is mostly unsaturated. In addition, the saturated fats in pesto pasta also enhance healthy cholesterol levels. Hence, pesto can be an alternative to creams sauces like carbonara and Alfredo.
Antioxidants
Pesto pasta also have antioxidant properties. According to Blogher, pesto contains basil, which contains phytochemicals like orientin and vicenin, which act as antioxidants, which help the body neutralize and reduce free radicals, which kills healthy cells and cause disease like cardiovascular disease and cancer. Hence, eating pesto pasta helps cleanse the body and its systems, boosting its daily functionality.
Anti-Inflammatory
Another health benefit of eating pesto pasta is inflammation management and prevention via basil. According to World’s Health Foods, basil has eugenol, a substance that inhibits the activity of cyclooxygenase (COX), an enzyme that is also blocked by many pain medications like non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs and acetaminophen. As per the publication, this property of basil makes it an anti-inflammatory food that provides healing properties to the body. Hence, it may be helpful to people who have inflammatory conditions like rheumatoid arthritis and inflammatory bowel disease.
Cardiovascular Effects
Pesto pasta also helps promote the health of the heart and the blood vessels. According to San Francisco Gate, pesto sauce has garlic, which helps reduce blood cholesterol levels, which helps decrease the risk of fat accumulation in the blood vessels and diseases like hypertension, coronary artery disease, and stroke. In addition, garlic helps prevent toothache, which is associated to sore throat occurrences, which also contribute to rheumatic heart disease.
Protein
Another health benefit of pesto pasta is protein, a macronutrient that contributes to cellular growth and repair. According to Qtrove, the pine nuts in pesto sauce are protein-rich, which helps develop the muscles of the body. The nuts also have essential fatty acids, which help in metabolism and reduction of bad cholesterol. Hence, one who wants to grow his muscles and promote metabolism may consider eating pesto pasta.
Sample Recipe
One sample recipe for pesto is Pesto Pasta. According to All Recipes, the ingredients include two and a half tablespoons pesto, half cup chopped onion, two tablespoons olive oil, two tablespoons grated Parmesan cheese, one 16-ounce package pasta, salt, and ground black pepper. To prepare, as per the publication, the pasta is cooked in a large pot of boiling water until done; then, it is drained. Next, oil is heated in a frying pan over medium low heat. After that, onion, pesto, salt, and pepper are added; the dish is cooked for about five minutes or until onions soften. Once done, the pesto mixture is mixed into the pasta in a large bowl. Finally, grated cheese is stirred in prior to serving.
Pesto pasta is another pasta taste and it is also nutritious with its many health benefits. Thus, it can also be added in various meal menu recipes for groups of friends and families.
Source: jessicasepel.com
