Why al dente pasta is better for your health
Many Americans cook their pasta for too long, when nutritionists and chefs say al dente is best.
Why it matters: How pasta is prepared could mean the difference between a health-optimized dinner and one that spikes your blood sugar.
How it works: When pasta is cooked al dente, it has a lower glycemic index (a measure of how quickly specific foods raise blood sugar) than overcooked noodles. A higher GI can potentially leave diners hungry and tired after eating.
Firmer pasta also requires more chewing, helping with digestion.
It's a small difference that can be especially important for anyone tracking their blood sugar or looking to punch up their meal's nutrition.
What we're hearing: Minutes matter.
Al dente means "to the tooth" in Italian. "You want to feel something in your teeth. Nothing like Wonder Bread or marshmallows," Mediterranean diet ambassador and chef Amy Riolo told Axios. If it's crunchy, though, it's not ready.
Denver-based chef Elise Wiggins recommends cooking pasta until it's three-quarters done (still "stiff-looking"), then finishing it in the sauce.
Mushy pasta's glycemic index could mimic that of white rice, while al dente pasta is closer to farro or barley, says Melissa Mroz-Planells, Seattle-based spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics.
Boxed spaghetti typically cooks in just 9 minutes, and Riolo told Axios it's best to check for doneness at 7 minutes. The boiling process is also important:
Water should be rapidly boiling (with big bubbles at the top).
Add salt (at least a teaspoon). Salt also speeds up the boiling process.
Add pasta and stir.
Turn the heat down to medium-high or medium. (You don't want the water boiling over.)
Fun fact: Barilla created Spotify playlists that match its pasta cook times.
Never rinse pasta after cooking because that washes away nutritional value, Mroz-Planells says.
Plus, that surface starch is "essential for the sauce to adhere well," says Claudia Bouvier, co-founder of Boulder-based heirloom wheat pasta company Pastificio.
Also, don't add oil to the water, award-winning chef and TV personality Tiffany Derry warns. "That's just a waste, and it keeps your sauce from sticking like it should." Oil can be used after the pasta is cooked.
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Axios
6 hours ago
- Axios
Why al dente pasta is better for your health
Many Americans cook their pasta for too long, when nutritionists and chefs say al dente is best. Why it matters: How pasta is prepared could mean the difference between a health-optimized dinner and one that spikes your blood sugar. How it works: When pasta is cooked al dente, it has a lower glycemic index (a measure of how quickly specific foods raise blood sugar) than overcooked noodles. A higher GI can potentially leave diners hungry and tired after eating. Firmer pasta also requires more chewing, helping with digestion. It's a small difference that can be especially important for anyone tracking their blood sugar or looking to punch up their meal's nutrition. What we're hearing: Minutes matter. Al dente means "to the tooth" in Italian. "You want to feel something in your teeth. Nothing like Wonder Bread or marshmallows," Mediterranean diet ambassador and chef Amy Riolo told Axios. If it's crunchy, though, it's not ready. Denver-based chef Elise Wiggins recommends cooking pasta until it's three-quarters done (still "stiff-looking"), then finishing it in the sauce. Mushy pasta's glycemic index could mimic that of white rice, while al dente pasta is closer to farro or barley, says Melissa Mroz-Planells, Seattle-based spokesperson for the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics. Boxed spaghetti typically cooks in just 9 minutes, and Riolo told Axios it's best to check for doneness at 7 minutes. The boiling process is also important: Water should be rapidly boiling (with big bubbles at the top). Add salt (at least a teaspoon). Salt also speeds up the boiling process. Add pasta and stir. Turn the heat down to medium-high or medium. (You don't want the water boiling over.) Fun fact: Barilla created Spotify playlists that match its pasta cook times. Never rinse pasta after cooking because that washes away nutritional value, Mroz-Planells says. Plus, that surface starch is "essential for the sauce to adhere well," says Claudia Bouvier, co-founder of Boulder-based heirloom wheat pasta company Pastificio. Also, don't add oil to the water, award-winning chef and TV personality Tiffany Derry warns. "That's just a waste, and it keeps your sauce from sticking like it should." Oil can be used after the pasta is cooked.
Yahoo
7 hours ago
- Yahoo
Novo Nordisk ends collaboration with Hims & Hers for discounted weight loss meds
Novo Nordisk said Monday it will end its collaboration with Hims & Hers that offered the weight loss medication Wegovy for patients who have a prescription for the medication but no insurance coverage for it. When the collaboration between Novo Nordisk and Hims & Hers was announced in April, Wegovy was made available on Hims through Novo Nordisk's NovoCare Pharmacy for a discounted price of $499 per month, in addition to Hims' monthly subscription fee. Hims has also continued to sell "personalized" doses of compounded semaglutide -- the main active ingredient in Wegovy -- for $165 per month, according to its website. Wegovy is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for weight loss in people with obesity or who are overweight with additional risks for cardiovascular disease. In explaining the decision to end the collaboration, Novo Nordisk alleged that Hims & Hers' has continued to offer compounded versions of Wegovy "under the false guise of 'personalization.'" "Novo Nordisk is firm on our position and protecting patients living with obesity. When patients are prescribed semaglutide treatments by their licensed healthcare professional or a telehealth provider, they are entitled to receive authentic, FDA-approved and regulated Wegovy," Dave Moore, Novo Nordisk's executive vice president of U.S. Operations, said in a news release Monday. "We will work with telehealth companies to provide direct access to Wegovy that share our commitment to patient safety -- and when companies engage in illegal sham compounding that jeopardizes the health of Americans, we will continue to take action." Wegovy to be sold on Hims, Ro and LifeMD for reduced price Hims & Hers' CEO Andrew Dudum said in a statement shared on X that the platform intends to continue to provide Wegovy for patients. "We are disappointed to see Novo Nordisk management misleading the public. In recent weeks, Novo Nordisk's commercial team increasingly pressured us to control clinical standards and steer patients to Wegovy regardless of whether it was clinically best for patients. We refuse to be strong-armed by any pharmaceutical company's anticompetitive demands that infringe on the independent decision making of providers and limit patient choice," Dudum said. "We take our role of protecting the ability of providers and patients to control individual treatment decisions extremely seriously, and will not compromise the integrity of our platform to appease a third party or preserve a collaboration. The health and wellness of individuals always comes first. He continued, "We will continue to offer access to a range of treatments, including Wegovy, to ensure providers can serve the individual needs of patients." Hims & Hers did not immediately reply to ABC News' request for further clarification about Wegovy remaining available on the platform. A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk told ABC News they have no additional comment. Compound drugs are copies of FDA-approved medications. They are made by licensed pharmacies, but not approved or inspected by the FDA. Drug compounding is allowed when drugs are on the FDA's shortage list, or in circumstances when a patient can't take a version of a drug made by a pharmaceutical company and they need an alternative. In recent months, Eli Lilly, the maker of Zepbound and Mounjaro, and Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, have each said they are able to meet the demand for the medications after facing shortages since 2022 due to the drugs' growing popularity. The FDA has declared the shortages as "resolved," removing the drugs from its shortage list. Super Bowl ad for Hims & Hers' weight loss drug sparks backlash Last week, a federal judge in Texas upheld the FDA's decision to remove semaglutide from the shortage list, blocking compounding pharmacies from making copies of Wegovy and Ozempic, according to court documents.
7 hours ago
Novo Nordisk ends collaboration with Hims & Hers for discounted weight loss meds
Novo Nordisk said Monday it will end its collaboration with Hims & Hers that offered the weight loss medication Wegovy for patients who have a prescription for the medication but no insurance coverage for it. When the collaboration between Novo Nordisk and Hims & Hers was announced in April, Wegovy was made available on Hims through Novo Nordisk's NovoCare Pharmacy for a discounted price of $499 per month, in addition to Hims' monthly subscription fee. Hims has also continued to sell "personalized" doses of compounded semaglutide -- the main active ingredient in Wegovy -- for $165 per month, according to its website. Wegovy is approved by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration for weight loss in people with obesity or who are overweight with additional risks for cardiovascular disease. In explaining the decision to end the collaboration, Novo Nordisk alleged that Hims & Hers' has continued to offer compounded versions of Wegovy "under the false guise of 'personalization.'" "Novo Nordisk is firm on our position and protecting patients living with obesity. When patients are prescribed semaglutide treatments by their licensed healthcare professional or a telehealth provider, they are entitled to receive authentic, FDA-approved and regulated Wegovy," Dave Moore, Novo Nordisk's executive vice president of U.S. Operations, said in a news release Monday. "We will work with telehealth companies to provide direct access to Wegovy that share our commitment to patient safety -- and when companies engage in illegal sham compounding that jeopardizes the health of Americans, we will continue to take action." Hims & Hers' CEO Andrew Dudum said in a statement shared on X that the platform intends to continue to provide Wegovy for patients. "We are disappointed to see Novo Nordisk management misleading the public. In recent weeks, Novo Nordisk's commercial team increasingly pressured us to control clinical standards and steer patients to Wegovy regardless of whether it was clinically best for patients. We refuse to be strong-armed by any pharmaceutical company's anticompetitive demands that infringe on the independent decision making of providers and limit patient choice," Dudum said. "We take our role of protecting the ability of providers and patients to control individual treatment decisions extremely seriously, and will not compromise the integrity of our platform to appease a third party or preserve a collaboration. The health and wellness of individuals always comes first. He continued, "We will continue to offer access to a range of treatments, including Wegovy, to ensure providers can serve the individual needs of patients." Hims & Hers did not immediately reply to ABC News' request for further clarification about Wegovy remaining available on the platform. A spokesperson for Novo Nordisk told ABC News they have no additional comment. Compound drugs are copies of FDA-approved medications. They are made by licensed pharmacies, but not approved or inspected by the FDA. Drug compounding is allowed when drugs are on the FDA's shortage list, or in circumstances when a patient can't take a version of a drug made by a pharmaceutical company and they need an alternative. In recent months, Eli Lilly, the maker of Zepbound and Mounjaro, and Novo Nordisk, the maker of Ozempic and Wegovy, have each said they are able to meet the demand for the medications after facing shortages since 2022 due to the drugs' growing popularity. The FDA has declared the shortages as "resolved," removing the drugs from its shortage list. Last week, a federal judge in Texas upheld the FDA's decision to remove semaglutide from the shortage list, blocking compounding pharmacies from making copies of Wegovy and Ozempic, according to court documents.
