Such a fun and important conversation. Pasta is not the devil! Choose whole grains! Look for 'whole grain' as the first ingredient, and ensure the ratio of total carbohydrate grams to fiber grams is 5:1 or less for grain products.

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Article published, December 13, 2023, reported that plant based diets including whole grains reduce risk of diabetes by a whopping 24%. https://www.usnews.com/news/health-news/articles/2023-12-13/plant-based-diets-cut-diabetes-risk-by-24

Also, a massive systematic review and meta analysis including over 3 million participants concluded that more intake of whole grains reduced risk of all causes of death 23%. https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0261561423003631

Gut microbiome composition is linked to whole grain-induced immunological improvements (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/23038174/)

"This meta-analysis provides further evidence that whole grain intake is associated with a reduced risk of coronary heart disease, cardiovascular disease, and total cancer, and mortality from all causes, respiratory diseases, infectious diseases, diabetes, and all non-cardiovascular, non-cancer causes. These findings support dietary guidelines that recommend increased intake of whole grain to reduce the risk of chronic diseases and premature mortality." (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27301975/)

"Those with all types of diabetes should be encouraged to have adequate intake of dietary fibre. Vegetables, pulses, whole fruits, and whole grains are excellent sources. There is no suggestion from cohort studies or controlled trials that relatively high intake of these carbohydrate-rich foods are associated with deterioration of glycaemic control or weight gain. These findings do not detract from the widely accepted recommendation to reduce intakes of sugars and rapidly digested starches." (https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC7059907/)

Whole-Grain Intake in the Mediterranean Diet and a Low Protein to Carbohydrates Ratio Can Help to Reduce Mortality from Cardiovascular Disease, Slow Down the Progression of Aging, and to Improve Lifespan: A Review (https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34444699/)