Celeb Chef Whips Up Low-Cholesterol Recipes How Joe Bastianich Turned His Life Around With Pasta

Pasta doesn’t have to mean weight gain, says TV’s Joe Bastianich. With the right ingredients, you can create low-cholesterol recipes that are delicious and even low-fat. Here, the “MasterChef” judge shares his inspiring weight-loss story along with tips and recipes for healthy pasta meals... Just five years ago, Joe Bastianich suffered from high blood pressure and high cholesterol. He was 40 pounds overweight and went to bed every night struggling to breathe. I was a “big, lazy slob,” admits Bastianich, who owns 22 restaurants (some with Mario Batali), a high-end Italian marketplace, three Italian vineyards and two retail wine shops. (You may have seen him alongside Gordon Ramsay on FOX’s reality TV cooking competition “MasterChef.”) Then he got a wake-up call: a sleep apnea diagnosis. Doctors told him to use a CPAP mask to treat the disorder, which causes sufferers to stop breathing during the night and can lead to high blood pressure, heart attack, stroke and diabetes. “If I didn’t do something about my health, I was going to have to wear a mask and use a breathing machine to bed every night,” he says. Instead, he remade his life: Bastianich lost 40 pounds, started running marathons and learned to nurture his passion for Italian food while maintaining a healthy lifestyle. Today, he is the picture of health – and he didn’t have to give up pasta. In this exclusive Lifescript interview, Bastianich reveals his eating and workout habits, and the low cholesterol recipes he’s developed for foods everyone loves. How did your journey to good health start? I had both high blood pressure and high cholesterol, and I can’t convey how serious these problems are. My doctor and I worked out a plan that included medication, exercising and dieting. But, personally, exercise has become the most important. Running really transformed my life. One mile became three miles, three became five, and as I got faster and stronger, it continued to fuel my athletic ambitions. Now, I run marathons, which is something I never thought I’d do, partly because I didn’t believe I was physically capable of it. What were some of the first steps you took to combat your health problems? Like a lot of people, I felt overwhelmed at first. But the easiest way is to change how and what you eat. [For example,] I quit eating at night and changed my approach to food. I knew I wouldn’t be able to give up the food I loved, especially when I’m always surrounded by it. So rather than drastically changing my diet, I focused on portion control and finding ways to make the food I loved more healthful. How did running change your outlook? Once I began running, I viewed food differently. It became fuel, and, even if you don’t run, remembering to view food as fuel can help you make better choices. Eating bad food doesn’t give your body what it needs. But pasta is high-carb and doesn’t fit into many healthy eating plans. There’s this misconception that healthy food and low cholesterol recipes can’t be delicious and tasteful, but it really can be. It can be soul satisfying. Pasta is my secret weapon, though I’m aware it gets a bad rap. People are afraid of carbohydrates. But the problem isn’t pasta, it’s the portion sizes, over-saucing the pasta and overdoing it with cheese. With the right ingredients, you can create low cholesterol recipes for pasta that are lusty, delicious and satisfying. You can easily cut saturated fat by using extra virgin olive oil. You can amp up flavor by using fresh herbs. Once you become familiar with these tips and tricks, you can create healthy meals that also feel fulfilling. How did you keep up with running restaurants and wineries while focusing on cholesterol control? Isn't overeating and drinking inherent to your job? I realize now that was just an excuse for gluttony. There’s no excuse for not taking care of your body. Is it true the [food] industry can facilitate bad habits? Sure, but you don’t have to fall into them. And when you’re aware that the environment you’re in makes you more apt to develop bad habits, you have t to push against it. Obviously, I hadn’t been trying very hard. Lowering blood pressure requires lifestyle changes. What were some of the bad habits you dropped that made the biggest difference in your health? I eliminated all processed junk food from my diet and stopped eating late at night, which is something I [once] did regularly. Training for the marathon also changed the whole game. It required that I make a lifestyle commitment, and everything I did drove that commitment and ambitions to make that goal a reality. I’m always motivated by the next race and know that I have to stay in shape to perform the way I want to. I don’t diet – I never have. The way I live – exercise and eating well – those are all second nature. They’re not anything that I have to think about anymore, and I owe that to running. Do you ever fall off track? Sure! I don’t want to feel differently from everyone else. I don’t want to go out with friends or family and not be able to indulge in something very rich or share a late-night meal. That’s part of life. You have to learn to adapt to those situations and not beat yourself up over it [when you eat badly]. I’ve learned that if you stay on track overall, you’re going to be OK. What tips do you have for people who want to dish up low-cholesterol recipes but aren’t interested in “dieting”? The best thing is to purchase a kitchen scale. Weigh out 100 grams of pasta and see what it looks like. Cook it and pay attention to how you feel after [you eat it]; it should fill you up without making you too full. You’ll see that moderation isn’t about depriving your body of what it wants or needs, but about looking at food differently. In your quest for better health, what’s the most important thing you’ve learned? Most of us dedicate our lives to others – our friends, family and work. But you have to carve out time for yourself. Training for a marathon is a very selfish endeavor. It takes me away from my family, but is necessary for me and my health. If you can find a way to take some time for yourself, your body will give back to you. Pomodoro Sauce Ingredients 2 tablespoons olive oil 2 garlic cloves 1 16 ounce can whole Italian tomatoes 1/2 teaspoon kosher salt 1/2 teaspoon pepper 1 teaspoon Sicilian oregano (optional) Preparation 1. Heat olive oil in a saucepan over medium heat. 2. Crush the garlic cloves with the heel of your hand. Add to olive oil and sauté until golden brown. 3. While the garlic browns, pour the tomatoes into a bowl. Squeeze with your hands to break them up. 4. Once the garlic is browned, add tomatoes and their juice to the saucepan with the garlic. 5. Add salt and pepper and oregano (if using). 6. Simmer over low heat for 45 minutes, adding water to keep the sauce from becoming too thick. Note: Pomodoro sauce should be a rich red color. If it turns brick red, it’s too thick. 7. Add more salt and pepper, if needed. Tips: For convenience, make up a large batch and freeze smaller portions in freezer bags. Pasta Primavera Ingredients 1 medium onion, thinly sliced 1 medium zucchini, cut into 1/2-inch slices 1 cup sliced mushrooms 1 cup peas 1 yellow pepper, sliced into 1/2-inch strips 2 teaspoons olive oil 1 cup cherry tomatoes 1 pound whole wheat rigatoni or other pasta Pomodoro sauce (full recipe) Preparation 1. Boil salted water for pasta and preheat oven to 400 degrees. 2. Place the onion, zucchini, mushrooms, peas and yellow pepper onto a baking sheet. 3. Salt and pepper. Drizzle with olive oil. 4. Broil the vegetables at 400 degrees until almost tender, about 15 minutes. 5. Add the cherry tomatoes to the vegetables and broil for 2 more minutes. 6. Add pasta to the boiling water. 7. While pasta cooks, heat pomodoro sauce in a large saucepan. 8. Add the broiled vegetables and stir sauce slightly. 9. Two minutes before the pasta is done, remove from boiling water and add to pomodoro sauce, along with enough pasta water to keep the sauce liquid. 10. Stir and simmer over low-heat until the pasta is tender. 11. Salt and pepper to taste, if needed. Note: This recipe can feature almost any vegetables that are in season. Pasta Puttanesca Ingredients 1/4 cup olives 1/8 cup capers Pomodoro sauce (full recipe) 1 teaspoon fresh thyme 1 teaspoon fresh oregano Anchovies (optional) 1 teaspoon fresh mint 1 pound dried strozzapreti or other pasta Pinch of Kosher salt Preparation 1. Bring salted water to a boil for pasta. 2. While waiting for the water to boil, slice the olives. 3. Pour a little olive oil into a saucepan and add chopped olives and capers. Sauté for 5 minutes. 4. Add pomodoro sauce. 5. Toss in chopped thyme and oregano and simmer at low heat for 15 minutes. 6. Add anchovies (if using) and simmer while the pasta boils. 7. Two minutes before the pasta is done, remove from boiling water and add to the sauce, stirring to coat the pasta. Add a little pasta water if necessary to keep the sauce liquid. 8. Add chopped mint leaves. 9. Simmer until the pasta is tender. White Bean Stew with Swiss Chard and Tomatoes Ingredients 2 pounds Swiss chard, large stems discarded and leaves cut crosswise into 2-inch strips 1/4 cup extra-virgin olive oil 3 garlic cloves, thinly sliced 1/4 teaspoon crushed red pepper 1 cup canned tomatoes, chopped 16-ounce can unsalted cannellini beans, drained and rinsed 1/4 teaspoon Kosher salt Preparation 1. Bring a saucepan of water to a boil. Add the chard and simmer over moderate heat until tender, about 8 minutes. 2. Drain the greens and gently press out excess water. 3. In the saucepan, heat the olive oil. 4. Add the garlic and crushed red pepper to the olive oil and cook over moderate heat until the garlic is golden, about 1 minute. 5. Add the tomatoes and bring to a boil. 6. Add the beans and simmer over moderately high heat for 3 minutes. 7. Add the chard and simmer over moderate heat until the flavors meld, 5 minutes. 8. Season the stew with salt (to taste) and serve. For more recipes, visit this link. How Well Do You Know Your Carbs? Can you tell whole wheat from wheat bread? Do you know which kind of pasta works with a low-carb diet?