Well, I'm happy to say I'm a pesto convert and huge pesto lover now. But before you dive into a bowl of pesto pasta like this Walnut Pesto Pasta Salad , pictured above let me break down a bit more about pesto nutrition and what's in pesto, how to make it healthier at home and if you can enjoy it if you want to lose weight spoiler, yes! Related: Healthy Pesto Sauce Recipes. Nutrition will vary by brand or if you're making it yourself.
Pesto is typically made with basil, pine nuts, olive oil, Parmesan cheese and garlic. It's a super-flavorful sauce that can be made with different herbs and nuts and without cheese to accommodate vegan or dairy-free diets. You'll want to be mindful of the sodium content.
Some jars have more than mg per serving and the Dietary Guidelines recommends you eat no more than 2,mg per day. Most of the fat in pesto is coming from oil and nuts, so you're getting the heart-healthy kind. There is some saturated fat in pesto too, thanks to the cheese, but not a lot. I find on pizza, I can spread pesto nice and thin. Our delicious Campfire Caprese Grilled Cheese sandwiches use 3 tablespoons for 4 sandwiches.
I would start with 1 to 2 tablespoons and see if you want to add more. Thinning out your pesto sauce with some starchy pasta water is also a great way to coat your noodles , while using a bit less pesto, and still getting a very creamy sauce.
I'm a true believer that any food can fit into your diet, even if you're trying to lose weight. Besides its indescribable deliciousness, pesto has multiple health benefits. A lot of people will take on look at the nutrition label, see the calorie count and put the bottle back on the shelf. Please do not be that person. Pesto is high in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, calcium and iron. I think the real health benefit comes from the fact that it is used as a substitute for things like mayo, creamy pasta sauces and ranch dressing.
Ditch the mayo or mustard and throw some pesto on your sandwich. My other food necessity? Pesto plus hummus is the way to my heart. Or, throw a spoonful of pesto into nonfat greek yogurt for a flavorful vegetable dip. Some varieties also have ground pine nuts or other types of nuts for added flavor and texture.
Make your own pesto at home by blending these ingredients in a food processor or purchase ready-to-eat pesto at your local market. The flavorful ingredients in pesto sauce help protect your heart and can lower your risk of chronic disease. Olive oil in pesto sauce is full of a heart-healthy fats called monounsaturated fats, or MUFAs. Replacing unhealthy saturated and trans fats in your diet with beneficial MUFAs can improve your health. Monounsaturated fats can help lower blood cholesterol, stabilize blood sugar levels and aid in blood clotting in case of injury, explains Dr.
Donald Hensrud, a preventive medicine specialist with the Mayo Clinic. Even though olive oil is high in healthy monounsaturated fats, consume only moderate amounts of this ingredient. All fats, including MUFAs, are calorie-dense and offer 9 calories per gram. If you mix a large spoonful of pesto with your pasta, you may unintentionally consume a large amount of calories from fat.
Basil in pesto sauce adds plenty of phytochemicals to your diet.
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