In a striking food revelation, experts have suggested that pasta, which often carries the reputation of being a diet disaster, might actually not be the enemy to weight loss as it’s usually presumed to be. Popularly known as a staple carbohydrate, pasta forms a crucial part of diets around the world, along with other carbs like rice and bread.
Nevertheless, with evolving diet trends and a wave of carb-bashing in recent times, the idea has prevailed that weight loss could be achieved by entirely cutting out carbohydrates. However, this approach is subject to debate, as an expert has now indicated that pasta could aid in weight loss, instead of being a weight gain catalyst that it is often accused of being.
A diet specialist, Giulia Crouch, unraveled a peculiar method to make pasta healthier. According to her, reheating pasta after it has cooled down could be the secret to turning this dish into a much healthier version of itself. This practice of cooking and cooling pasta down alters its structure, creating what is known as “resistant starch”. This type of starch is beneficial for gut bacteria.
A scientific study conducted in 2020 supports this claim, adding that when this cooled pasta is reheated, the amount of resistant starch in the dish increases. This amplifies the health benefits. Furthermore, a study by the University of Minnesota, released in 2023, found a lack of association between pasta and body weight or composition. Surprisingly, it highlighted an inverse association between pasta consumption and body mass index (BMI) and abdominal obesity.
This suggests that, in the context of a balanced diet, pasta intake could reduce weight rather than causing weight gain. Describing her personal experience with pasta, Giulia mentions that she thoroughly enjoys reheated pasta, particularly when it gets crispy. Her views are supported by the 2020 study, which affirms that cooling cooked pasta changes its structure, converting it into resistant starch. This further functions as fiber in the body, nourishing the beneficial gut bacteria. Upon reheating, this cooled pasta becomes even more abundant in resistant starch.
Diet expert Thomas Whitehead, shares Giulia’s views on health and diet. He recently shared a list of low-calorie foods comprising white fish, green leafy vegetables, and egg whites on his Instagram profile. Whitehead promotes the weight loss benefits of caffeine, calling it the top ingredient in most fat burners due to its appetite-suppressing properties.
Supporting Whitehead, social media enthusiast Gen Coco has spoken about the use of caffeine when it’s paired with an additional dose of protein. According to her, protein coffee serves as an easy way to attain your protein needs with breakfast. Handy protein enrichment tips, such as adding a half serving of protein to the coffee to achieve a creamy texture without overpowering the taste, could help in ensuring a high-protein start of the day.
Additionally, she believes that such protein-enriched drinks can increase satiety, reduce food cravings, and boost metabolic efficiency. This goes well with the idea of transforming regular recipes into protein-rich ones, a trick which she considers instrumental in her personal weight loss journey of 50 lbs.
To summarize, the popular belief that pasta inherently leads to weight gain might have to be rethunk. Methods of preparing and consuming carbohydrate-rich foods, such as pasta, can significantly determine their effects on body weight and metabolic efficiency. Healthy preparation practices, like reheating pasta, and balanced consumption habits can turn this so-called villain of weight loss into a formidable asset in a weight management diet.
