The National Pasta Association has created a handful of resources for health professionals, nutritionists, registered dietitians, and other key opinion leaders to provide shareable information about pasta’s benefits, nutritional value and versatility, and various pasta recipes.

Enjoy NPA’s National Nutrition Month® toolkit to help you share content throughout the month of March (and beyond) as it relates to nutrition information, healthy pasta meals, Mediterranean Diet information, pasta research, and more.

March is National Nutrition Month and this year’s theme, “Fuel for the Future” promotes healthy eating to nourish our body, our community and our planet. And, what better way to “fuel the future” than with pasta! Here are four reasons why pasta can help you and your clients eat with sustainability in mind throughout the year:  

• Pasta is nutritious and well-liked. Pasta is a healthy complex carbohydrate that provides energy to the body. It is also fat-free and low in sodium. The ideal vehicle for increasing other healthy foods in the diet, pasta pairs easily with lean meats, any type of seafood, leafy greens, cruciferous vegetables, low fat dairy, beans, peas and nuts and seeds. Well-liked by young and old, it is the perfect way to add more variety to the diet, introduce new vegetables and have your family enjoy a delicious meal together. 

• Pasta is friendly to the environment. As a plant-based food pasta is naturally environmentally-friendly. It often partners with other with climate-friendly foods like beans, legumes and an array of vegetables and is a mainstay in many vegetarian and vegan dishes.  

• Pasta is convenient. Few foods are as easy to prepare as pasta. Versatile and convenient easy pantry pasta meals can be whipped up in less than 20 minutes. Other more extensive or longer cooking recipes like lasagna or baked ziti, can often be made in advance and then just reheated for a quick week-night dinner. It also goes well with a variety of meat, fish, chicken and vegetables, so blends well with whatever you happen to have on hand, whether a pasta salad, soup or simple pasta dish, pasta is an ideal family meal.    

• Pasta is budget-conscious. For people on a budget, low-cost pasta is a great way to stretch a dollar. Combined with inexpensive ingredients like canned beans, canned meat or seafood and a jarred tomato sauce or drizzle of olive oil, pasta makes an inexpensive, yet filling and satisfying meal. So whether feeding one person or a crowd, pasta pleases all palates and all budgets!   

How Pasta Fits into a Healthy Diet

• Latest Pasta Research 
• Pasta and the Dietary Guidelines 
• Making the Most of the Mediterranean Diet