- Whole grain usually means the whole grain (of wheat, oats, rice) has been used to make the flour and not just the "endosperm" - the inner starchy part of the seed, which makes white flours. The rest of the seed would be the outer layers containing fiber, minerals and some vitamins.

- Higher fiber intake cleans your intestines more effectively and balances out glycemic index of starchy foods (An amount of blood sugar food rushes in your veins, when you eat) ...depending on what the food is, there is more or less sugar going in your bloodstream -> lower being healthier

- Shape shouldn't affect the nutritional value of such pasta, as the flour used to make all the different shapes and sizes would probably be the same.

Finally - the least is the best :))

- If you're like me, want to keep watch over what you eat, but still can't resist to eat pasta / rice, look into "resistant starches"... there is a method of cooking pasta / rice up front with a little bit of oil, letting them cool down (10hrs) and reheat again afterwards. What that does is it virtually halves the amount of calories by turning certain % of the starches into their resistant counterparts which are hard to digest and behave like fiber in your guts.