Hyperprotein pasta – these starchy foods enriched with protein – have gradually gained ground in the shelves (and on social networks), to “conquer the heart and stomach of consumers. For a few more euros, they promise to promote the maintenance of muscle mass, to support weight loss and to regulate blood sugar. On the right side? should we swap our package of classic pasta against a hyperprotein mixture?
Eggs, lenses, beans and peas
By examining more closely the composition of these famous pasta, we see that they display a rather flattering Nutri-score: they indeed obtain the best note (A), so coveted by industrialists. A rating that is not due to chance, but to their composition: they have egg white powdered (up to 10-12% for certain packages).
Other brands, for their part, favor vegetable proteins: lentil, beans or pea flours are thus honored. This is the case with “Spaghetti High Protein”, of the Cecco brand. They would present “An exceptional outfit in cooking and a perfect consistency for chewing” and would, as a bonus, “Naturally rich in fiber, phosphorus, manganese and source of zinc, selenium and iron.”
Sufficient arguments to convince our nutrition expert, Alexandra Murcier? Yes, provided you balance the said pasta dish.
Twice as much protein as in the “classic” version
Alexandra Murcier is rather seduced by these pasta.
“High -protein pasta are among the few rare protein products that I find interesting, because when you eat a dish of pasta, the dish itself is unbalanced: you mainly consume carbohydrates and little proteins and fibers”, she says. While by favoring this product, “We almost double the protein intake compared to the classic version, and proteins – often pea – are rather healthy. Finally, the product does not contain dangerous additives“, She continues.
The fact of adding proteins also reduces the glycemic index of the dish – which is high enough for a classic pasta dish. “”The best, would still be to enrich complete pasta in protein by the way“, Specifies the expert.
If we add a real portion of vegetables to these pasta, the dish is rather well balanced: “For a vegetarian person, or to reduce their consumption of animal proteins, this is an interesting alternative. Recall that protein intake must be daily because they are essential to the operation of the body, without falling into a hyperprotein diet, harmful to our health.”
On the other hand, watch out for other hyperproteinized products: “They very often contain sweeteners and potentially carcinogenic additives, they do not all have a real nutritional interest even for proteins – the gap is sometimes very low between the classic version and the enriched version, for a much higher price. The composition can also be less good than the classic version, because the products prove more sweet and/or more salty “, concludes Alexandra Murcier.