Pesto

Food · Pantry & Condiment · Food, Typed Supps

Thirty-seven per cent fat, and most of it the kind worth eating.

Stage by stage

Aromatics (Nose): Basil’s volatile compounds are heat-sensitive, which is why pesto is never cooked.
Energy density (Stomach): 382 calories per 100 g, almost all of it from the oil and nuts.
Fat quality (Circulation): 21.7 g monounsaturated against 6.9 g saturated — the profile guidelines favour.
Sodium and calcium (Systemic): The hard cheese brings 147 mg of calcium and most of the 1,251 mg of sodium.

Timing

Off the heat, stirred through. Simmering it destroys the aromatic compounds and leaves you with oily salt.

Time to effect

Per 30 g: Around 115 calories and 375 mg of sodium.
—: Nothing accumulates; portion size is the only lever.

Allergens

None of the fourteen major allergens. May contain: Tree nuts. Derived from what this food is, not from a product label.

Eating patterns

Fits: Vegan, Vegetarian, Pescatarian, Halal, Kosher, Gluten-free. Depends on the product: Keto, Low-FODMAP.

Satiety

Not scored: the satiety index is measured on 240 kcal servings, and nobody eats a 240 kcal serving of this. The question does not apply rather than the answer being unknown.

Cost band

Mid — roughly £5 per kg, as a band midpoint rather than a price.

Key nutrients

Monounsaturated fat
Vitamin E
Calcium

Nutrition per 100g

Calories: 382
Protein: 5.3g
Carbohydrate: 7.4g
of which sugars: 2.1g
Fat: 37.1g
of which saturated: 6.9g
Fibre: 1.5g
Sodium: 1251mg

Food vs. supplement

Pesto is a good illustration that "high fat" and "unhealthy" are different claims. The fat here is largely the monounsaturated kind that dietary guidance actively encourages; what constrains the serve is the salt that came with the cheese.

Kitchen tip

Thin it with a spoonful of the pasta water rather than more pesto. It coats further, and the sodium stays where it was.

Common myth

“Pesto is too high in fat to eat often.” In reality: It is high in fat, and mostly the right kind — 21.7 g monounsaturated against 6.9 g saturated per 100 g, from olive oil and pine nuts. The number that should actually govern how much you use is sodium: 1,251 mg per 100 g, so a 30 g serve is close to a fifth of the daily target. Making it at home fixes the salt and changes nothing about the fat.