What a week! Butter was moved off the dietary villain list, and now it looks as though eating pasta is good for you.

When enjoyed as part of the much-touted Mediterranean diet, could help you lose weight.   This good news comes from a study published this week in Nutrition and Diabetes.

Moderate consumption appears to lower your chances of obesity – especially in the all-concerning abdominal area.

The research on over 23,000 people linked pasta consumption to both lower body mass and waist-to-hip ratio.  Detailed questions were asked of each participant: what they had eaten over the past 24 hours, including time, place of consumption, description of foods or beverages, quantity consumed, and portion size.

The study found no relation between eating pasta and an unhealthy weight. In fact, eating pasta was linked to being slimmer.

The bottom line:  keep your portion sizes modest,  and think of pasta as a side dish instead of a meal. Don’t forget that those good carbs will  help you feel full and eat less.

A nice tangle of Fettucini Carbonara, anyone?