Is Pesto Healthy?

Pesto is a classic Italian sauce made from basil, olive oil, pine nuts, garlic and hard cheese. Freshly made pesto is a simple combination of ingredients and can be considered a wholesome food. Basil and pine nuts each offer nutrient density, olive oil offers healthy fats and garlic offers compounds with potential health benefits. Pesto is high in total fat and contains little fiber so use this tasty sauce in moderation. A couple tablespoons is all you need to make that plate of pasta delicious but still healthy.

History

Like other sauces based on oil, herbs, cheese and nuts, pesto originated in Italy. Like many early foods, a mortar and pestle were used to grind the herbs together with nuts and oil. Use this method in your own kitchen for a more authentic result. While many variations of pesto exist, the classic recipe endures even today.

Features

Classic pesto is a blend of basil, garlic, olive oil, pine nuts and hard cheese such as Parmesan. The largest component of pesto, by weight, is olive oil. Lots of basil is added--whole bunches instead of the few leaves often called for in other sauce recipes. Parsley, salt and pepper are also sometimes added. Walnuts or other nuts can be substituted for pine nuts to reduce cost.

Benefits

The health benefits of pesto come from its nutrient-dense ingredients. Although high in fat, pesto gets its fat from olive oil and pine nuts, which are both high in healthy unsaturated fats. Pine nuts are nutrient dense and, along with the basil, make pesto a good source of many nutrients, including vitamin A, vitamin E, vitamin K and many minerals.

Considerations

Homemade pesto ensures you are getting all the nutrition of fresh ingredients. Read labels of store-bought pesto carefully. Look for olive oil, basil, pine nuts and cheese high in the list of ingredient and choose a sauce that minimizes additional ingredients like preservatives and fillers. Salt is an optional ingredient in classic pesto (it's tasty enough without it) but watch out for high sodium levels in packaged pesto sauces. Other ingredients to avoid are hydrogenated oils, monosodium glutamate and artificial colors.

Misconceptions

It's easy to place pesto in the bad-for-you food category based on its high fat content. Granted, pesto is mostly olive oil and contains other high fat ingredients like pine nuts and cheese. But it's important to choose healthy fats over unhealthy fats when you do eat a high fat food. Eat healthy high fat foods like pesto some of the time and low fat foods at other times for balance.