Nourish
Vetta Smart Pastas: What is it? And When to Use Them
Vetta Smart Pastas is a new type of pasta that has the same taste and texture as traditional pasta but contains additional fibre and protein. Let’s take a closer look.
Whenever I go grocery shopping, I'll always grab a few packets of pasta. I like to mix things up, spaghetti, spirals, shells [wink].
This week my eyes were drawn to a bright green package with Smart Pasta written on it.
Twice the Fibre,
Same Great Taste!
The package read.
This pasta warrants a closer look, I thought. Let's delve in and see what Vetta's Smart Pasta range is all about and when you might look to use them in your cooking.
What I Smart Pasta?
Vetta has designed two varieties of smart pasta. 'Smart' meaning that these pasta are more nutritionally rich in Fibre and Protein, depending on the variety you buy.
1. Vetta Smart Pasta Protein
This product has additional wheat gluten, and oat fibre added, which almost doubles the Protein and Fibre's nutritional value compared to other pasta brands.
2. Vetta Smart Pasta Fibre
This product has additional Oat Fibre added, which takes the amount of Fibre from around 3g per serving to just over 6g per serve of pasta.
Why are Fibre and Protein Important?
Fibre is the part of a plant that your body can't digest. It helps keep your bowels healthy and regular. Interestingly, even though Fibre is abundant in fruits, vegetables, and wholegrains, many of us don't meet our daily recommendations for Fibre.
Protein is needed to build and repair muscles and can be found in meat, fish, eggs, dairy and plant sources such as soybeans, lentils, or beans. The amount of protein our bodies need varies enormously based on our current health, body size and more. We can quickly meet these needs with the regular foods that we eat most of the time. However, there are times when we may need more or less protein to heal or manage certain health conditions.
When would I Use These Kinds of Pasta?
The Vetta Smart Pasta Fibre could be a good option if you're not big on fruits and vegetables or struggling with the odd bout of constipation and feel like you could benefit from some more fibre in your diet. The great thing about this pasta is that it tastes the same as regular pasta and will give you an additional 3g of Fibre per serve. It might sound small, but every bit counts.
Vetta's Smart Pasta Protein option has almost half the daily protein needs for some adults per serving. That's quite a lot. Whether you need this amount of additional protein in your diet will come down to personal circumstances. For example, for vegan eaters, having an additional protein source could be a great way to replace the protein that would have been derived from animal sources.
As we get older, our need for protein can also increase while our appetite can decrease, so every mouthful does count in some situations. And foods that we can regularly use to help meet any additional protein needs are a good option.
As we wrap things up, it's worth mentioning that the Vetta Smart Pasta range contains gluten, so it's not appropriate for those needing to adhere to a strict gluten-free diet. The cost of this pasta at my supermarket was much like other branded pastas which is great. If budget is a factor sticking with generic brands instead is also a great option.
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