The Truth About Pasta: Pasta Keeps You Fuller Longer

Pasta Keeps You Fuller For Longer

October 2016

Welcome to the new issue of The Truth About Pasta, the monthly newsletter from the International Pasta Organization. Each month's newsletter features a new and different topic -- all pointing to The Truth About Pasta. The truth is...pasta is healthy, sustainable, convenient, delicious, affordable, doesn't make you fat, and much, much more. Be sure to look for each new issue, with more topics and information.

Introduction

From spaghetti with homemade tomato sauce, to a hearty, Greek orzo salad, few foods are as sustaining as pasta. But as it turns out, there is actually a scientific explanation behind this phenomenon. When the pasta dough is extruded through the dies to make pasta shapes, it compacts the starch structure, so that the pasta digests more slowly and doesn't spike our blood sugar.

Foods that are absorbed more slowly, like pasta, provide the body with a steadier source of energy, and can help stave off rapid swings in blood sugar that can lead to health problems or overeating. Because of its gentle effect on blood sugar, pasta is low on the Glycemic Index. This means that it can help keep us fuller for longer, which is great news for both our taste buds, and our waistlines.

Experts Say

Scientists gathering from around the world last year to sign the 2015 Healthy Pasta Meals Scientific Consensus Statement agreed on the importance of healthy pasta meals. They explained that, " At a time when obesity and diabetes have a high prevalence around the world, pasta meals and other low-Glycemic Index foods may help control blood sugar and weight especially in overweight people. Glycemic Index is a factor that impacts the healthfulness of carbohydrate-rich foods. There is a beneﬁcial eﬀect in the way pasta is made. The process of manufacturing reduces its glycemic response. Whole grain pasta, which provides more ﬁber, is also a good choice."

This gentle blood sugar response can also be beneficial for patients with type 2 diabetes. In response to a new study about how plant-based diets rich in carbohydrates can improve health in people with type 2 diabetes, Dr. Neal Barnard, MD, FACC, (left) President of the Physicians Committee for Responsible Medicine, explains that , "Participants in our clinical studies and nutrition education classes eat as many whole, unprocessed or minimally processed carbohydrates as they want -- everything from fruit and sweet potatoes to beans and whole wheat pasta -- and they soon see improvements in their blood sugar control."