Healthy Recipe, homemade Italian Spaghetti with Delicious Bolognaise-Style Sauce a different version of the recipe
Heart-Healthy Recipes - The Mayo Clinic

Diabetes-Friendly Recipes - The American Heart Association

For Weight Watchers, Cooking How-to: Italian
Links to full-text articles on the hM NewsWire are at the bottom of this page
The heartMonitron Journals - Published for Educational Purposes, only your Doctor can provide advice
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a Low-Fat, Low Cholesterol, High in Fiber Healthy Recipe (vegetarian and meat sauce versions).
a different and healthy version of the old classic recipe
Italian Spaghetti with Delicious Bolognaise-Style homemade Sauce
Evaluate for yourself the nutritional information below and determine which variation is best for you...
Choose between three delicious, different and healthy versions of the classic Italian spaghetti Bolognese recipe
"Italian" Spaghetti alla Bolognese can be absolutely delicious and healthy at the same time.
Time to compare and weigh the health benefits of a homemade and lighter sauce!
Healthy Recipe makeovers
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Note: Only your doctor or dietitian can provide advice. The hM JOURNALS contain articles, news and recipes relative to Health Care and Improvement, Nutrition, the Management of Coronary Heart Disease, Type 2 Diabetes, High Cholesterol, weight loss and the Maintenance of a Healthy Weight, including Computer Assisted Diet Planning and Nutrition Analysis - hM strongly recommends using the information in the articles and healthy recipes provided on this website under the professional supervision of your doctor or registered dietitian . Whether you are seeking to improve your general health, reverse heart disease, control diabetes or your weight, always assume that getting professional advice from your MD or RD is best. NGBeditor
Ingredients List
Heart Healthy Recipe
Version
Diabetic Friendly Recipe
Version
Weight Loss, Control and Ideal Weight Maintenance Light Version of Recipe
1- 3 cups Ground soy (found in most supermarkets)
1b- or ground lean turkey breast if you must absolutely have meat - See notes about protein content of soy, below.

2- 2 Whole Onions, Finely Chopped
3- 1/2 Cup Chopped Celery
4- 1/2 Cup Green pepper, Chopped
5- 2 Medium Tomatoes Ripe / Diced / or canned
6- 1 Can Tomato sauce or Campbell's tomato soup (0% fat)
or reduced-sodium Hunt's tomato sauce.
7- 1 Tsp Oil blend 50% olive, 50% canola
8- 1/4 Tsp Ground pepper
9- 1/2 Clove Garlic, Crushed (or garlic flakes)
10- 1/2 Tsp Basil
11- 1/4 Tsp Ground allspice
12- 1/8 Tsp Ground chili (1/4 tsp if you like hot and stingy)
13- 1/2 Tsp Psyllium (Metamucil) or equivalent (FiberSure)
14- 1/3 Tsp No-Salt TM a salt substitute Check with your MD
15- 1 Tsp Parsley fresh or flakes
16- 500 Grams Spaghetti, WHOLE WHEAT
1- 3 cups extra lean ground beef (or ground lean turkey breast)
2- 2 Whole Onions Finely Chopped
3- 3/4 Cup Celery
4- 1/2 Cup Green pepper Chopped
5- 2 medium Tomatoes Ripe / Diced / or canned
6- 1 can Tomato sauce or Campbell's tomato soup (0% fat) or reduced-sodium Hunt's tomato sauce.
7- 4 tbsp Oil blend 50% olive, 50% canola
8- 1/4 tsp Ground pepper
9- 1/2 Clove Garlic Crushed (or garlic flakes)
10- 1/2 tsp Basil
11- 1/4 tsp Ground allspice
12- 1/8 tsp Ground chili (1/4 tsp if you like hot and stingy)
13- 3/4 tsp Psyllium (Metamucil) or equivalent (FiberSure)
14- 1/3 tsp No-Salt TM a salt substitute Check with your MD
15- 1 tsp Parsley fresh or flakes
16- 400 Grams Spaghetti, WHOLE WHEAT
1- 3 cups Ground soy (found in most supermarkets)
1b- or ground lean turkey breast if you must absolutely have meat - See notes about protein content of soy, below.

2- 2 Whole Onions Finely Chopped
3- 1/2 Cup Celery
4- 1/2 Cup Green pepper Chopped
5- 2 medium Tomatoes Ripe / Diced / or canned
6- 1 can Tomato sauce or Campbell's tomato soup (0% fat)
7- 1 tsp Oil blend 50% olive, 50% canola
8- 1/4 tsp Ground pepper
9- 1/2 Clove Garlic Crushed (or garlic flakes)
10- 1/2 tsp Basil
11- 1/4 tsp Ground allspice
12- 1/8 tsp Ground chili (1/4 tsp if you like hot and stingy)
13- 3/4 tsp Psyllium (Metamucil) or equivalent (FiberSure)
14- 1/3 tsp No-Salt TM a salt substitute Check with your MD
15- 1 tsp Parsley fresh or flakes
16- 300 Grams Spaghetti, WHOLE WHEAT
 
To mix and boil with the pasta:
17- 2/3 cup chopped spinach
and
18- 2/3 cup shredded celery
/ Recipe Serves 4 persons
/ Recipe Serves 4 persons
/ Recipe Serves 4 persons
Making your Homemade
Spaghetti Bolognese
Tasty and Delicious
1- How to Extract the Flavor. (Rapid oil infusion)

There are substances (like tasty molecules) that dissolve better in oil and others that dissolve better in water. The same is true for the aromatic molecules that are responsible for the flavor of a dish. This knowledge can do wonders as to how the dishes you cook will taste. Let's start by infusing the small amount of oil we are going to use with the flavor of the spices.

First, using an oil sprayer, spray a fine mist of oil at the bottom of the pot. Then sprinkle with half the amount of the spices and herbs. Spray again with a fine mist of oil. If not using a sprayer, pour a very small quantity of oil in the pot and sprinkle half of the spices and herbs in the oil. Let stand for ten minutes so the herbs are impregnated with oil. Using more chili or letting the sauce simmer for a longer period will make the sauce hot and spicy.

Add the chopped onions, chopped celery and chopped green pepper on top. Spray again with a fine mist of oil. Stir thoroughly and heat at low intensity until the veggies are half cooked. You will notice that this starts to smell real good ...so will the other members of your household.

2- Mixing the Soy (or meat), the other vegetables and the liquid / saucy part.

Add the ground soy (or the extra lean ground beef or ground turkey breast) with the diced tomatoes, the tomato sauce and a can of low-sodium Campbell's tomato soup. Add 1/4 cup of water. Stir and bring to the boiling point at medium heat, stirring occasionally. (Use a little less water if you use Hunt's tomato sauce)

3- Adding the second half of the spices. (In the more watery part of the sauce)

Once it has reached the boiling point, add the remaining half of the spices and herbs. Stir and let sauce simmer for a half hour. Add water, or V-8 vegetable juice or Garden Cocktail, if and when needed.

4- Boiling the Spaghetti or other kind of Pasta.

Most people like their spaghetti or pasta to be "al dente" that is still with a bit of firmness."Al Dente": the Italian expression means "Cooked so as to be still firm when bitten". Furthermore, mushy and overcooked pasta is reported to induce a marked glycemic peak in diabetics.

5- How to add a volume of fiber (Weight Loss and Weight Control Light Versions).
 
In the weight loss and control version, a volume of vegetables (spinach and celery) with a high content of dietary fiber is substituted to a volume of pasta. The reasons are explained in the health notes on the right. Add these veggies to the boiling water just before cooking the spaghetti.

6- Serving: Quantities will vary according to your size, gender and daily energy requirements.

Pour sauce over the spaghetti and serve with a Mediterranean salad, garlic bread and maybe a small glass of red wine.

Enjoy!
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If you decide to change your dietary habits,
make sure pleasure is one of the first ingredients that will be the backbone of your new diet. We live only once. Why not make every wholesome or healthy meal a pleasurable and wholesome feast?
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Preparation
Why these Ingredients?
Why these Amounts?
1- Why ground soy instead of meat in the heart healthy and weight loss versions?

Like meat, soy provides complete protein. Soy is the only plant that all of the amino acids necessary for the synthesis of protein. When used in a spaghetti sauce, not only does it look, feel and cooks like meat, but it offers many advantages: It contains absolutely no dietary cholesterol, no trans-fats and has low saturated fat content. These attributes make it an ideal source of protein to prepare heart-healthy spaghetti recipes. Often referred to as soy meat, it is available in supermarkets under the following brands: Lightlife Smart Ground, Boca Ground Crumbles with Natural Ingredients, Melissa's Soy Ground or Yves Veggie Original. Should you decide to use meat, make sure to use the leanest of meat? Skinless, ground turkey breast would probably be the best choice.

2- Why such small amounts of oil?

The diets that are documented as reversing heart disease and causing coronary plaque to regress are very-low fat. In either Dr. Ornish's, Dr Esselstyn's or Dr Gould's diet, the fat content is only at 10 to 15% of calories coming from fat. Avoid saturated fats and use only small quantities of the good fats such as olive and canola oil. For heart health and weight control, a light sauce may be better.

3- Why FiberSure or Metamucil?

A small quantity of psyllium husk will increase the fiber content of the recipe and will be beneficial to diabetics. It will also make you feel full longer, something weight loss seekers will appreciate in a recipe. Note that phylum (Metamucil) also helps lower cholesterol slightly.

4- Why add spinach and chopped celery to the boiling spaghetti or pasta?

Spinach, besides containing healthy nutritional elements, has also high fiber content. It is used in this weight loss recipe to reduce the volume of the pasta and thus reduce the total number of calories. This will also procure a feeling of satiety and will keep you from getting hungry. Whether a diabetic or a weight watcher, spinach is indeed "good for you".

5- Why whole-wheat or whole-grain pasta?

When it comes to comparing nutritional values, one quickly sees that whole grains are much denser and rich in phytonutrients, antioxidants, vitamins, minerals and fiber. Heart and diabetic patients are encouraged to increase their intake of whole grains by both the American Heart Association and the American Diabetes Association.
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The explanations given below are based on medical and scientific facts published in medical journals and by health associations. For the benefit of our readers, the links to the relevant medical, scientific and governmental documents are provided at the bottom of this page.
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Health Notes
Recommended readings and sources of healthy recipe makeovers.
1- Losing Weight for Good, By Lawrence J. Cheskin MD - Johns Hopkins Weight Management Center
2- The Cleveland Clinic Healthy Heart Lifestyle Guide and Cookbook - The Cleveland Clinic Heart Center With tips as to how to make heart-healthy recipes.
3- Diabetes Meal Planning Made Easy Authors: Warshaw and The American Diabetes Association
4- Cooking for Diabetes Software Contains 1,000 recipes. Author: The American Diabetes Association (Cook'n Main Software Required). Comes with advice as to how to make diabetic-friendly recipes.
5- Cooking Low Fat Low Cholesterol, Betty Crocker Health Series - Cook'n Software Program Complement.
6- Cooking Healthy & Hearty , Betty Crocker Health Series, Recipe Software Program Complement. Recipes for heart patients written by dietitians and specialists.
Traditionally, Bolognese spaghetti sauce is made with ground meat. Two versions are presented here, one uses ground soy instead of ground beef and this is why we refer to it as Bolognese Style. The other version uses some extra lean ground beef and could be labelled as spaghetti meat sauce. The protein content of both versions is similar but the total fat and saturated fat content is very different. The soy-based sauce is cholesterol-free. The meat sauce will contain cholesterol and a higher proportion of the less desirable saturated fats. The health benefits of each version being different, talk with your doctor or dietitian to find out which sauce version is best for you, vegetarian soy-based-sauce or meat sauce. Heart Health, Cardiac Care Diets / Notes: When cooking to reverse or roll back coronary heart disease, make sure that the ingredients you use will yield the smallest possible quantity of LDL cholesterol - the bad cholesterol. The liver tends to produce more of the LDL cholesterol when you ingest saturated fats. For this reason, the healthy heart version of this recipe suggests to use ground soy instead of ground beef. Soy provides a complete protein / amino acids content, just like beef. However the fat or lipid profile is very different. Large and extensive scientific studies, like the one conducted by the Cornell and Oxford teams, show that in those populations who use such protein sources the rate of heart disease is less than 1 / 10th the western or American rate. In this version the quantity of oil used is kept to a minimum. A blend of Olive and Canola oil is suggested for a better lipid profile. A reduced or low-sodium tomato paste or cream of tomato is recommended. We used Campbell's in this recipe because it is fat-free and comes in a reduced-sodium version, it is also easy to find. For ground soy, ask for the Boca products section in your supermarket. The software uses data and values similar to those of the SR20 Release from the United States Department of Agriculture data bank as a base for nutritional data analysis. Whereas it is one of the largest scientific nutritional databases we know of, not all of the ingredients in the world are included. If you use a recipe software program to create, edit and / or analyse your own personal healthy recipes, on rare occasions, some exotic. unusual or improbable ingredients will cause a "no available data alert”! Discuss with your MD or RD regarding which nutritional values you should be aiming for. Diabetes Care Diets / Notes: The diabetic diet version of this recipe differs from the heart version in the fact that some extra lean ground beef is used. However some ground soy was used since diabetics, like cardiac patients, should also reduce the saturated fat content of a recipe. The other difference is that the overall vegetable and fiber content was increased to keep the desired profile. The high fiber content will help slow down the absorption of blood sugar. A natural form of psyllium (known as Metamucil) was used to slightly increase the fiber content. Make sure you always use a whole wheat or pasta (or unrefined whole grains)... in any pasta recipe. Keep the vegetable and fibre content high. The red kidney beans provide protein, fiber and the complex and "whole" type of carbohydrate. As for oil, we have used a blend of canola and olive oil to improve the lipid profile. Regarding the use of No-Salt TM or Nu-Salt TM salt substitutes for diabetics, check with your MD before using. Weight Loss and Management Diets / Notes: The heart healthy recipe version was used as a base. The ingredients list is the same with a few variations. The differences are pointed out in the next table. The carbohydrate content was reduced a little by reducing the amount of spaghetti. The oil content was kept low. Reducing the overall fat content to around 20 to 22% will favour weight loss. In order to procure a feeling of satiety, some cut snow peas and shredded carrot are used as extras. The half a cup snow peas and the 1/4 cup of shredded carrot do not go in the sauce, these are to be boiled with the spaghetti. They restore volume, increase the fiber content, provide a feeling of satiety and slow down the absorption of carbohydrate. - Any suitable vegetable would do (NOT a potato!) as long as it is low in carbohydrate and high in fiber. The version described above yields 377 Kilocalories, 19% from fat, 52% from carbohydrate and 30% from protein. However, in a weight loss or management diet, your personal targets and energy requirements will affect the nutritional analysis. Use the heart healthy recipe as base and the variations suggested above; adjust them according to your own preferences. The analysis results should be close to that of the heart health recipe, depending on the extent of the changes you make. Besides using soy, people who wish to make a vegetarian or vegan spaghetti Bolognese can use legumes as substitutes to meat. When combined with cereals, legumes such as lentils and kidney beans will provide complete protein. Legumes are nutritious and useful in making light versions of most recipes.
hM strongly recommends using the information contained in the articles or the healthy recipes provided on this website under the professional supervision of your doctor, registered dietitian or nutrition professional. Whether you are seeking to improve your general health, reverse heart disease, control diabetes or control your weight, always assume that getting some professional advice from your MD or RD is best. Registered Dietitians have studied the science of nutrition in a recognized college or university. They specialize in health care matters. Dietitians are the best qualified professionals to help you plan a balanced diet and suggest recipes or good cooking methods suitable to improve your health condition.

Want to Comment?
Wish to Express your Opinion
on this subject or to agree or disagree with the content or quality of this article?
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Heart-Healthy Recipes - The Mayo Clinic
Diabetes-Friendly Recipes - The American Heart Association
For Weight Watchers, Cooking How-to: Italian
Links to full-text articles on the hM NewsWire
Wish to comment on some of these topics?
Use one of the blogging platforms below
Dietary Guidelines: The Great Fat Controversy
Weight Loss Guidelines Summary.
About very low-fat Diets
Whole Grain Bread Benefits
Weight Loss and Maintenance Planning - Institutional Views
Weight Loss and Maintenance Recommendations Summary.
Links to the relevant medical, scientific and governmental documents
Study Shows Soy Protein Lowers Men's Cholesterol -- Agricultural Research Service, USDA October 1, 1998
Dietary Fats and Heart Disease -- the Harvard School of Public Health Nutrition
Study Finds Dietary Factors Influence Diabetes Risk -- the Harvard School of Public Health
Fiber: Essential for a healthy diet. Fiber offers benefits - Aids in weight loss. Lowers blood cholesterol levels - Helps control blood sugar levels -- the Mayo Clinic
The Key to Getting Your Whole Grains -- The American Dietetic Association
hM NewsWire, Also Read
Recipes for Health Series - Pasta and Spaghetti
The New York Times
Italian Spaghetti alla Bolognese can be absolutely delicious and healthy at the same time. Time to compare and weigh the health benefits 
of a homemade and lighter sauce!
Tim Cebula, from Cooking Light Magazine , gives a good example of how to make a lighter and healthier spaghetti Bolognese meat sauce. Video by CookingLight
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