*Fresh Pasta Health Facts*

According to Beachbody, creators of P90X Extreme Home Fitness and authors David Zinczenko and Matt Coulding, who wrote the book "Cook This, Not That"; fresh pasta is the way to eat healthy, while enjoying incredible tase and feeling full.

1. Always select fresh pasta which is made without egg or oils.

2. Skip adding oil to the cooking water, the sauce provides plenty of flavor and moisture.

3. Regular spaghetti is made from some whole grains, and you can boost you weight loss benefits of your next at-home dish even more by opting for whole-grain pasta. It can triple the fiber load in your pasta, not to mention add nutritional cache of B vitamins, manganese, and tryptophan.

4. Don't forget your sauce! Turning a normal tomato into a marinara sauce will increase its protective powers. The lycopene concentrations in the tomato will multiply by a factor of about seven, making the sweet red sauce the most lycopene-rich food you'll ever eat.

5.  Uttering the words, "Fettuccine Alfredo" at your local Olive Garden will put your tailor on notice to let out your pants! It more than doubles your calories due to the portion sizes and the fattier sauce. Freshly made alfredo sauce and fresh pasta, in a smaller portion, will decrease your calories and provide a lower calorie dinner.

6. Lastly, remember, portion size is key. Your portion size should be not larger than your fist. The smaller the portion size, the less calories you are consuming.