Shavuot is considered by many to be a holiday of cheeses, savory pies, and pastas. For years, the combination of pasta in a cream or cheese sauce received the image of a "calorie bomb", but from a nutritional standpoint, the story is much more complex and interesting.
It turns out that the combination between pasta and dairy products has several benefits that are not always thought of, and some of them are even backed by studies.
Slowing sugar absorption
The first benefit is related to the feeling of satiety and the effect on blood sugar levels.
Pasta alone is a source of carbohydrates, but when combining it with cheeses, yogurt, cream sauce, or other dairy products, a meal is obtained that digests more slowly. The proteins and the fat in dairy products slow the rate of stomach emptying and the rate of carbohydrate absorption into the blood. The meaning is that the rise in sugar after the meal is more moderate, and the feeling of satiety lasts for a longer time.
Studies that examined combined meals of carbohydrates and protein found that combining protein in a meal reduces its overall glycemic index and contributes to greater stability in sugar and insulin levels. This is one of the reasons that many people feel more satiated after pasta with cheeses compared to pasta with tomato sauce alone.
The type of pasta also affects. Pasta has a relatively low glycemic index compared to white bread or potatoes, among other things thanks to the dense structure of its starch. When adding cheeses or cream, this effect strengthens even further.
Improving protein quality
The second benefit is less known, and it is related to the quality of the protein.
In one hundred grams of dry pasta there are usually about 12 grams of protein, but the problem is that the quality of wheat protein is not ideal for building muscle, skin, or hair, and we do not count wheat protein as part of the required daily protein amount. One of the reasons is that it relatively lacks an essential amino acid called lysine.
Precisely here dairy products enter the picture. Cheeses, yogurt, and milk are rich in lysine, and therefore when eating pasta together with dairy products, a mutual completion of amino acids is obtained. The meaning is that the body is able to better utilize part of the wheat protein as well for purposes of building and renewal, and not only for energy production.
This is a very familiar principle in nutrition, which is called "protein completion". Exactly as hummus and pita complete each other in terms of protein, pasta and cheeses also create a higher quality protein combination than each of them alone.
Calcium absorption
Another benefit is related precisely to calcium.
Studies found that certain types of carbohydrates can improve the environment in the gut and encourage better absorption of minerals, including calcium. In addition, when a meal contains both carbohydrates and protein, insulin is secreted in a moderate amount, and this matter may positively affect the entry of various components into the cells as well.
Of course calcium absorption is affected by many other factors: Vitamin D status in the body, age, physical activity, the general amount of protein in the menu, and more.
But contrary to the myth, pasta does not "cancel" the benefits of the cheeses, but on the contrary, it can integrate well into a balanced meal rich in calcium.
Pasta for a diet?
Cream sauce has an image of a "fattening" food, but in practice, a 10% cream sauce does not always contain more calories than a tomato sauce with olive oil. In tomato sauce, several tablespoons of olive oil are sometimes added, and each such tablespoon adds about 120 calories. In the end, the caloric difference between the two dishes can be much smaller than what people imagine.
Beyond that, precisely a more satiating meal can help some people persist with a diet over time. People who try to eat only "diet food" and feel deprived are liable to find themselves snacking an hour later. In contrast, a pasta portion with a light cream sauce and cheese can be very satisfying from a psychological standpoint as well, and prevent a constant search after something sweet later in the evening.
The problem is usually not the very combination of pasta and cheeses, but the quantities. A huge plate in a restaurant, together with garlic bread, dessert, and a sweet drink, is already a completely different story. But a reasonable-sized home portion can integrate excellently into a balanced menu for weight loss as well.
Another interesting point is that pasta that cools slightly after cooking contains more "resistant starch", a type of starch that behaves in the body a bit like a dietary fiber. Such starch breaks down more slowly and contributes to a more moderate rise in sugar levels. So no, there is no recommendation here to suffer and eat cold spaghetti, but a pasta salad with cheeses, vegetables, and herbs can actually be a not bad choice at all.
In conclusion, in recent years more and more studies try to look at meals as a whole, and not only on a single component. Instead of asking if "pasta is fattening" or "cheese is fattening", they examine how the combination of foods affects satiety, on sugar levels, on protein quality, and on our behavior later in the day. And in the case of pasta and cheeses, it turns out that the answer is much more positive than what is customary to think.