You don't gain weight eating pasta

[bcruik]

New study shows that you do not gain weight eating pasta and I is actually good to incorporate pasta into your diet. Its all about moderation.

[USAF-Larry]

You are correct, @bcruik - All Things in Moderation.  We use nothing but whole wheat pasta, and it serves us very well.  Funny thing is that after eating whole wheat pasta, I can't stand the pasty stuff they call pasta in restaurants. 

[bcruik]

my grandmother who is 91 eats pasta every week and is very skinny and always have been. She eats 6 meals a day.

[MagsOnTheBeach]

That study was for people who had 1/2 cup of cooked pasta up to 3 times a week.  That is very little pasta.  I found that I don't miss pasta, I'm happy with zucchini. When I do have pasta, I have to measure it out - 1/2C is really a dismal looking serving size.

[USAF-Larry]

The report I read was published in the journal Nutrition & Diabetes back in 2016, and it did not limit participants to 1/2 cup of pasta, but required them to report the quantity they did eat and then evaluated it in the results.   The conclusion of the study was this:

"So when you boil down these results, they're not actually that surprising - you can have your pasta and eat it too if you maintain a healthy balanced diet. All those good carbs can help you feel full, and that's going to help you cut down on the calories, if you do it right."

[GershonSurge · Accepted solution]

I found the report thanks to Larry's quote. It is an excellent study in that it carefully documents the structure of the study and the limitations.

According to the study, BMI is negatively associated with the amount of pasta eaten except for obese people. What this means is that as people eat more pasta, they get skinnier except for obese people. They found that obese people eat other fattening foods with their pasta. When they adjusted for this confounding variable, pasta still made people skinnier.

What follows is from other sources:

The body does not have a mechanism to turn carbohydrates into fat. 

The problem is what many people eat with pasta. First, there is the meat sauce, which contains fat. A couple meat balls with fat, and then who can resist a few pieces of garlic bread with butter and cheese? Then there is the salad with oil and pepperoni on it. Fat doesn't satiate hunger, so add on a dessert and then second helpings. A meal that starts with a serving of pasta containing 250 calories can easily end up being 3,000 calories. 

The study also noted that people who ate more protein in the form of animal products had higher BMI's.

[bcruik]

Great answer. Thank you for sharing

[SunsetRunner]

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@GershonSurgewrote:

The body does not have a mechanism to turn carbohydrates into fat.  

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I am working night shift and am a little groggy right now, but are you seriously saying that there is no link between insulin production, obesity and diabetes?  Or that if I ate a diet of 100% refined sugar starting tomorrow that I would not get fat?  Because a quick Google search will turn up dozens of articles that refute that statement.

[GershonSurge]

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@SunsetRunnerwrote:

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@GershonSurgewrote:

The body does not have a mechanism to turn carbohydrates into fat.  

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I am working night shift and am a little groggy right now, but are you seriously saying that there is no link between insulin production, obesity and diabetes?  Or that if I ate a diet of 100% refined sugar starting tomorrow that I would not get fat?  Because a quick Google search will turn up dozens of articles that refute that statement.

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I didn't say any of that. What I said was the body doesn't have a mechanism to turn carbs into fat except in tiny amounts. The misconception that is constantly spread is based on a study done in the 50's on lab rats. They do have the mechanism. 

I didn't suggest eating refined sugar at all. Certainly not a diet of 100% refined sugar.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/mar/passionate.htm

[MagsOnTheBeach]

This is the study in the news right now - http://bmjopen.bmj.com/content/8/3/e019438

The internet has run away with the headlines:

Pasta isn't fattening, and can actually help you lose weight, study finds

Eat Pasta to Lose Weight, Study Says - The Daily Meal

Buon appetito! Eating pasta three times a week can help you lose weight

It's a small serving - and even the study doesn't say that - they saying that eating a moderate amount can be a good thing by adding variety.  

[SunsetRunner]

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@GershonSurge wrote:

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I didn't say any of that. What I said was the body doesn't have a mechanism to turn carbs into fat except in tiny amounts. The misconception that is constantly spread is based on a study done in the 50's on lab rats. They do have the mechanism. 

I didn't suggest eating refined sugar at all. Certainly not a diet of 100% refined sugar.

https://www.drmcdougall.com/misc/2009nl/mar/passionate.htm

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Sugar is a carb and it is the main source of obesity and diabetes.  In every country around the world -without exception - where refined sugar has been introduced into mainstream diets, obesity and diabetes have skyrocketed.  Saying the body has no way to turn carbs (i.e. sugar) into fat is simply absurd.  A quick google search will return plenty of evidence to the contrary.

[Bogdel]

Moderation Kills, Mr. @bcruik! As far as pasta, it has a high glicemic index, which means it turns into sugar as soon as it is digest, it has low nutritional value (empty calories). People die to hear good news about their bad habits. As soon as I replaced starchy foods with Greens, Beans, Nuts, Mushrooms, Berries, and Seeds, I started losing all the weight that starchy foods has put on my body, I lowered my blood sugar and my cholesterol. 

My suggestion is, don't believe everything that you read. Use critical thinking. The food industry is lying to us, so that they may sell their products, fill their bank accounts, while we get sick and overweight malnourished. 

Best Regards!

[Bogdel]

@MagsOnTheBeach, Don't believe everything you read on the internet. Instead, look who's writing, who's paying them, and who benefits from it. The consumer certainly doesn't. Each time I ate pasta, I became sluggish and I gained weight. As soon as I stopped, I lost weight, and reversed all my diseases. 

[MagsOnTheBeach]

I have no issue with a serving of pasta on occasion - I don't vilify any food.  A serving size of pasta for me is a dry ounce.  I would rather have half a small sweet potato or a serving of butternut squash - for me whole foods feel more satisfying. Or to have barley in my soup or a slice of my own whole wheat or sourdough bread. An ounce of pasta is just not worth the effort of boiling water.

My point was that the news says Eat Pasta, It Makes you Skinny! and that is how many read it instead of the study itself. Instead, it should say, refined grains are a special treat that might help you feel satisfied.  If you choose them, remember to weigh your portion so you don't overindulge. 

But no one wants to read that either.  I bet Olive Garden had a big week.

[Dominique]

You can gain or lose weight eating anything, it’s all about calories. There’s the story of the pizza chef who lost nearly 100 pounds in a year eating a (self-made) pizza everyday. There’s the nutrition professor who lost 27 pounds eating the "Twinkie diet". Are these optimal ways to lose weight? Certainly not, but they make the point that calories are king (for weight loss).

[WendyB]

Who says your limited to 1/2 cup pasta?

I do Weight watchers and a serving size is 1 cup. Sometimes I have a cup sometimes not.

Even places like caloriekIng.com to look up NI says a serving size is a cup

[MagsOnTheBeach]

One serving is 1 oz.  That is the standard measurement.  WW might give you 1 cup, but that maybe two servings of grains (depends on dry weight - using a measuring cup is inaccurate because of pasta shapes and sizes).  

I limit grains to a max of 3oz a day.  Often I choose a starchy vegetable in the place of 1 or 2 of those servings.  They tend to be more filling.

[WendyB]

Thats you @MagsOnTheBeach  Not me

The Package even states 2 oz

And who said I used a measuring cup?

[WendyB]

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@Dominique wrote:

You can gain or lose weight eating anything, it’s all about calories. There’s the story of the pizza chef who lost nearly 100 pounds in a year eating a (self-made) pizza everyday. There’s the nutrition professor who lost 27 pounds eating the "Twinkie diet". Are these optimal ways to lose weight? Certainly not, but they make the point that calories are king (for weight loss).

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I love this post

[Dstarchyme]

Ah, the old "if I eat nothing but sugar"....argument. 

I, too, am a McDougaller starchivore. Glad to see another on here. When I eat potatoes, pasta, veggies, and fruit I lose weight effortlessly. Thank you for posting the link to one of my favorite newsletters.