This is one of the most common questions for anyone trying to eat healthy or lose weight. For years, rice was perceived as healthier, and pasta as something "fattening," but in practice, the difference between them is much less dramatic than commonly thought.
In terms of calories, there is almost no difference. Both white rice and cooked pasta provide about 130–150 calories per 100 grams. In other words, someone trying to reduce calories will not gain a significant advantage just by choosing one of them. What determines it much more is the quantity and the accompaniment – how much oil, sauce, or toppings go onto the plate.
Blood sugar levels: The more interesting difference is actually in the effect on blood sugar levels. White rice breaks down relatively quickly and therefore causes a faster rise in sugar levels. Pasta, on the other hand, especially when cooked "al dente," is digested more slowly.
The dense structure of the starch causes a more gradual release of glucose, and therefore sometimes also prolonged satiety. For people trying to control hunger or maintain sugar balance, this can be a small advantage for pasta.
It is important to understand that this comparison is mainly true between regular pasta and white rice. Brown rice contains more dietary fiber and contributes to better satiety than white rice. Basmati rice tends to affect sugar levels less. Conversely, whole wheat pasta is preferable to white pasta, and legume pastas such as lentils or chickpeas already contain more protein and affect sugar levels less.
So what is better? If one must choose, pasta has a certain advantage in its effect on satiety and the rise of sugar, but it is a small difference. Rice can be just as healthy, especially when choosing brown rice or combining it correctly in a meal.
More data on pasta ahead of Shavuot: Regular, curly, spaghetti, durum, semolina, whole wheat, gluten-free... So many pastas in various colors on the shelves, that it is only natural that we get confused and don't know what to choose.
What is the healthiest?
Al dente: A lighter cooking level, it turns out, affects the glycemic index and the level of satiety. Al dente pasta is cooked for a shorter time, and is even more filling: If the cooking of the pasta is too long to the point of over-softness, this eases digestion and causes the pasta to be absorbed faster and satisfy for less time. Cooking to the al dente degree is the most recommended when wanting satiety for the longest time.
Durum: This is not a nutritional advantage and is not healthier! It is a variety of wheat called durum, which is harder, and the flour made from it is more suitable for pasta and not for bread.
Semolina: Also not something that indicates health; semolina is the grinding grade of the wheat, into grains similar to farina.
Whole wheat pastas: Contain more vitamins and dietary fiber, since the wheat grain was not peeled and the hull actually contains most of the nutritional values. The high amount of dietary fiber contributes to such pastas being satisfying for a longer time. In terms of caloric value, there is no difference between them and regular pastas.
Gluten-free pastas from legumes: Red lentil flour pasta, green lentil pasta, pea pasta... All are made from legume flours, and therefore also contain a high protein percentage, and more vitamins and fiber.
This is a high-quality protein suitable for building muscles, and a portion of such pasta can be considered a protein portion, meaning instead of meat/chicken/fish as a vegan protein portion, even though one is actually eating pasta.
Cream sauce: At home, tomato sauce will be the healthiest and also the most dietary choice, but in restaurants, cream sauce is not necessarily more calories than tomato sauce. In a container of 10% cream there are about 300 calories; this is like what is in 2 units of small tomato paste with a tablespoon of olive oil. When it comes to a whole pot of pasta, the addition of cream is no longer significant, and in restaurants, the amount of olive oil added to a dish equates the tomato sauce to the cream sauce in terms of calories, if not more.