DOES PASTA DESERVE TO BE CALLED A REFINED FOOD?

The short answer is no, but one would be forgiven for thinking it should. Afterall, it appears to be white in colour, the bran layer and germ have been removed. It tastes great, just like white bread and white rice, and it has a long shelf life, in years. For this very reason, one of my friends thinks it has undeclared food additives and abstains from pasta entirely. What a shame!

I personally adore pasta, its many shapes, mouthfeel and myriad ways of preparation, but my enjoyment would be sorely impacted if you insisted it had to be wholegrain. It is definitely richer in micronutrients, but not many people choose to eat the brown version. To me, it tastes bitter because I am a ‘supertaster’ (1), and the texture and consistency are not as firm. I don’t think there’s a need to suffer in the name of good nutrition. Let me tell you why white pasta is not your average white food.

First pasta is not made from white flour. It’s made from extremely hard, golden wheat called durum wheat (durum from the Latin word for ‘hard’ as in durable). In many countries, such as France and Italy, the species is specified in their food laws. Durum even has a different scientific name (Triticum turgidum subspecies durum) from the wheats used to make bread (Triticum aestivum). They even have different numbers of chromosomes!

This degree of hardness means that the grain is glassy and tough to crack between stone or steel roller mills. It’s particularly easy for the miller to remove the bran layer without removing the coat of cells immediately underneath, surrounding the starchy endosperm. This is called the aleurone layer, and it’s incorporated into the finished product. The aleurone cells are rich in protein, micronutrients and antioxidants (carotenoids, minerals, vitamins), richer than the bran itself, but not as high in fibre (2). The golden colour of pasta is a consequence of beta-carotene, also responsible for the colour of carrots.

The other important point about pasta is that it’s made from cracked wheat, or semolina, that is, particles similar in size to sugar crystals, not the nano-fine particles that we see in flour (3). During manufacture, precise amounts of water and heat are added to semolina which allows semi-hydration, not full hydration of the starch granules. Interactions take place between the proteins, fats and starch, such that the final appearance under a microscope is a little like a sponge network. The proteins form a cell-like barrier protecting the starch from further hydration. This means that during the final cooking stage in boiling water, the unique pasta shape (e.g. spaghetti vs penne) holds fast. This also ensures that the starch is slowly digested during its passage down your gastrointestinal tract. Nearly all types of pasta have a low glycemic index – about 30-50, compared with 70-75 for white and wholegrain bread, and 70-80 for most potatoes (4).

But it’s easy to ruin pasta (I know, I know) which will also result in it being more rapidly digested in vivo (in your body) and less satiating. If you cook it for longer than instructed, so that it’s no longer ‘al dente’ (firm to the tooth or bite), the GI will be in the 60s. This results in more micronutrients being lost into the water too. Arnold Bender, Professor of Food Science and Nutrition at Queen Elisabeth College in London and author of ‘Food Processing and Nutrition’ famously once said ‘there is large scale destruction of nutrients executed by mothers in the home kitchen’.

Attempts to add more fibre or make wholewheat pasta taste better may inadvertently increase the GI by altering the relationship between the protein and the starch. And some fresh pasta (that has not been subjected to drying) may have a higher GI.

Pasta has played a starring role in Mediterranean diets for over 1000 years (5). It was incorporated into regional diets as early as the 9th century when Arab conquerors introduced dried pasta to Sicily. By the 12th century, large-scale pasta production flourished in towns like Trabia, and it became a staple. The tradition of serving it with simple, heart-healthy ingredients evolved over centuries. It acts as a vehicle for olive oil, tomatoes, vegetables and small amounts of protein and dairy. The pasta itself contributes more plant protein than bread wheats – about 13 grams per serving.

Importantly, in systematic reviews and meta-analyses, pasta comes out favourably – it is not associated with weight gain, and it helps to reduce the risk of developing type 2 diabetes (6). Our Canadian colleagues, Laura Chivalaroli, David Jenkins and John Sievenpiper at the University of Toronto assessed 32 trials with almost 2,500 participants comparing pasta in a low GI diet versus high GI starchy staples. They concluded that “pasta in the context of low-GI dietary patterns does not adversely affect adiposity and even reduces body weight compared with higher-GI dietary patterns” (7).

Although durum wheats rely on water and good quality soils, we can give pasta a big tick on sustainability grounds (8). It is grown in many semi-arid regions of the world, including Australia. Durum wheat possesses a natural genetic resilience to heat, that makes it hardier and more drought-tolerant than bread wheats, although it requires careful use of nitrogen fertiliser. The industry now focusses on precision irrigation and crop rotation.

If I were in-charge of dietary guidelines, I would specifically recommend two meals a week based on pasta or noodles. It is very wrong to label it a refined food. And the experts agree (5). To me, it is a perfect example of how people all over the world can eat a healthy, inexpensive, sustainable and delicious “all-in-one” meal. The one I made last week came from the New York Times Cooking section. It had a peanut-butter based sauce topped with crumbled stir-fried tofu and coriander. I added some broccolini florets for good measure. It ticked all my reward buttons.

Read more:

1. Prescott and colleagues. Binary Taste Mixture Interactions in PROP Non-tasters, Medium-tasters and Super-tasters, Chemical Senses, 2001.
2. Meziani and colleagues. Wheat aleurone layer: A site enriched with nutrients and bioactive molecules with potential nutritional opportunities for breeding. Journal of Cereal Science, 2021.
3. Bresciani and colleagues. Pasta-Making Process: A Narrative Review on the Relation between Process Variables and Pasta Quality. Foods, 2022.
4. Atkinson and colleagues. International tables of glycemic index and glycemic load values 2021: a systematic review. Am J Clin Nutr, 2021.
5. Augustin and colleagues. Pasta: Is It an Unhealthy Refined Food? The Journal of Nutrition, 2025.
6. Huang and colleagues. A systematic review on the relations between pasta consumption and cardio-metabolic risk factors. Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases, 2017.
7. Chiavaroli and colleagues. Effect of pasta in the context of low-glycaemic index dietary patterns on body weight and markers of adiposity: a systematic review and meta-analysis of randomised controlled trials in adults. BMJ Open, 2018.
8. Pinel and colleagues. Nutritional contributions and processability of pasta made from climate-smart, sustainable crops: A critical review. Critical Reviews in Food Science and Nutrition, 2025.

Emeritus professor Jennie Brand-Miller held a Personal Chair in Human Nutrition in the Charles Perkins Centre and the School of Life and Environmental Sciences, at the University of Sydney until she retired in December 2022. She is recognised around the world for her work on carbohydrates and the glycemic index (or GI) of foods, with over 300 scientific publications. Her books about the glycemic index have been bestsellers and made the GI a household word.