HAND-MADE
MULTI-GRAIN FETTUCCINE
(Part II)
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Last night, I cooked the fettuccine I hand-crafted the night before. I used a tested pesto sauce recipe and sauteed a few vegetables for added colour, texture and nutrition.
Browsing through numerous internet sources for home-based pasta making, I came across the note of a common issue. Pasta made with amaranth, quinoa, chickpea and other gluten-free flour often falls apart during the cooking process.
My fettuccine were not gluten free, thanks to wheat and rye flour, and therefore passed the test, having retained their structural integrity even after 10 minutes of cooking. The taste was that of other whole-grain noodles I purchased in the past- a touch harder, thanks to a higher fibre content. Preparing gluten-free noodles will be my next challenge!
Devouring another helping of pesto fettuccine for lunch this afternoon, I wondered what nutrients were in my meal, at least as far as noodles. To figure it out, I referred to USDA's National Nutrient Database for Standard Reference. This handy tool allows searches for various raw, cooked and otherwise processed foods and their nutritional value. One can also specify the weight or measurement for each food, and the software will automatically spit out adjusted dietary figures. The Canadian resource is called the Canadian Nutrient File and can be found here.
For simplicity, I looked up whole-grain wheat flour in lieu of unbleached wheat and Polish wheat flour. Then, calculated the content total of all nutrients and compared it with the recommended intake. Using Health Canada's online Dietary Reference Intake Tables, I was able to look up RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) values for each of the minerals and vitamins present in all three types of flour. The results are as follows:
*According to Health Canada, RDA is the average daily dietary intake level that is sufficient to meet the nutrient requirement of nearly all (97 to 98 per cent) healthy individuals in a particular life-stage and gender group. My values are derived for women aged 19-30 years old.
Since I made enough noodles for four servings, I divided the total for each nutrient by four and compared the results with the RDA. Immediately, I noticed that solely through pasta (discounting pesto sauce and vegetables), I met 26 per cent of fibre, 27 per cent of magnesium and 31 per cent of phosphorous intake requirements.
Now, if I chose to use salmon in my pasta (perhaps, opting out for a different sauce), I would have added 21.62g of protein, 31mg of magnesium and 218mg of phosphorus (among other elements) per 85g serving and taken the percentage totals to 28 per cent for protein, 26 per cent for fibre, 37 per cent for magnesium and 63 per cent for phosphorus. This is what I call a hearty meal! As for vitamins, the numbers are as follows:
A great source of thiamine (or vitamin B1), it lacks in other vitamins which were plenty in vegetables served with my pasta. Once again, that proves Dr. T. Collin Campbell's statement that a varied diet is capable of supplying enough of every essential nutrient for ultimate functioning, although the diet he advocates is plant-based.
 |
| Cooked hand-made fettuccine |
For simplicity, I looked up whole-grain wheat flour in lieu of unbleached wheat and Polish wheat flour. Then, calculated the content total of all nutrients and compared it with the recommended intake. Using Health Canada's online Dietary Reference Intake Tables, I was able to look up RDA (Recommended Daily Allowance) values for each of the minerals and vitamins present in all three types of flour. The results are as follows:
Grain Type
|
Protein (g)
|
Fibre (g)
|
Calcium (mg)
|
Iron (mg)
|
Magnesium (mg)
|
Phosphorus (mg)
|
Zinc (mg)
|
Amaranth (1/2 cup)
|
4.67
|
2.60
|
58.00
|
2.58
|
80.00
|
182.00
|
1.06
|
Whole Wheat (1 1/4 cup)
|
19.82
|
16.00
|
51.00
|
5.40
|
206.00
|
536.00
|
3.90
|
Rye (1/4 cup)
|
5.09
|
7.60
|
12.00
|
1.59
|
51.00
|
160.00
|
1.61
|
TOTAL
|
29.58
|
26.20
|
121.00
|
9.57
|
337.00
|
878.00
|
6.57
|
Total Per Serving
|
6.40
|
6.55
|
30.25
|
2.39
|
84.25
|
219.50
|
1.64
|
RDA*
|
46.00
|
25.00
|
1000.00
|
18.00
|
310.00
|
700.00
|
8.00
|
Since I made enough noodles for four servings, I divided the total for each nutrient by four and compared the results with the RDA. Immediately, I noticed that solely through pasta (discounting pesto sauce and vegetables), I met 26 per cent of fibre, 27 per cent of magnesium and 31 per cent of phosphorous intake requirements.
Now, if I chose to use salmon in my pasta (perhaps, opting out for a different sauce), I would have added 21.62g of protein, 31mg of magnesium and 218mg of phosphorus (among other elements) per 85g serving and taken the percentage totals to 28 per cent for protein, 26 per cent for fibre, 37 per cent for magnesium and 63 per cent for phosphorus. This is what I call a hearty meal! As for vitamins, the numbers are as follows:
Grain Type
|
Thiamin (mg)
|
Riboflavin (mg)
|
Niacin (mg)
|
Vitamin B6 (mg)
|
Folate (µg)
|
Vitamin A (IU)
|
Vitamin E (mg)
|
Amaranth (1/2 cup)
|
0.02
|
0.03
|
0.29
|
0.14
|
0.00
|
0.00
|
0.23
|
Whole Wheat (1 1/4 cup)
|
0.75
|
0.25
|
7.44
|
0.61
|
66.00
|
14.00
|
1.06
|
Rye (1/4 cup)
|
0.10
|
0.08
|
1.37
|
0.14
|
11.00
|
4.00
|
0.87
|
TOTAL
|
0.87
|
0.36
|
9.09
|
0.89
|
77.00
|
18.00
|
2.16
|
Total Per Serving
|
0.22
|
0.09
|
2.27
|
0.22
|
19.25
|
4.50
|
0.54
|
RDA*
|
1.10
|
1.10
|
14.00
|
1.30
|
400.00
|
2333.00
|
15.00
|
Grain Type
|
Vitamin K (µg)
|
||||||
Amaranth (1/2 cup)
|
0.00
|
||||||
Whole Wheat (1 1/4 cup)
|
2.80
|
||||||
Rye (1/4 cup)
|
1.90
|
||||||
TOTAL
|
4.70
|
||||||
Total Per Serving
|
1.18
|
||||||
RDA*
|
90.00
|
A great source of thiamine (or vitamin B1), it lacks in other vitamins which were plenty in vegetables served with my pasta. Once again, that proves Dr. T. Collin Campbell's statement that a varied diet is capable of supplying enough of every essential nutrient for ultimate functioning, although the diet he advocates is plant-based.
Cited Sources:
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/protein
http://www.webmd.com/food-recipes/features/fiber-how-much-do-you-need
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