Leftover pasta, the new high-fiber food

I saw this on FlyerTalk and thought it would be of interest here on LTH, though I wasn't sure whether it was a topic for Shopping & Cooking or Other Culinary Chat.

Strange but true: according to research reported by the BBC, cold pasta is better for you (raises blood sugar less) than freshly cooked pasta; reheated pasta is even better. Also true of potatoes, white rice, and white bread.

I just finished the last of the leftover Christmas turkey tetrazzini, and for once, I feel happy and healthy at the same time.

Very cool! Thanks.

It's possible that this is true, resistant starches aren't a new thing (and don't react the same way in everyone), but testing 9 people in one study does not exactly make it a scientific. For starters they did not even randomize who ate which meal on which day of testing, and make no mention of what they may have eaten in between, or if they fasted. Unless eating pasta everyday is a normal things, for anyone who eats pasta for 3 days in a row your pancreas will be working overtime and will produce more insulin the more frequently you consume those simple carbs, thus a smaller blood glucose spike. This could account, at least partially, for the apparently less dramatic BG spikes on the 2nd and 3rd day of the testing. Just a thought.

According to a book I have from Dr. Andrew Weil, the more al dente the pasta is cooked, the less it spikes blood sugar levels. More fiber (i.e. whole grain) pastas can also have less impact on blood sugar levels than white, mushy pasta. Don't overcook the spaghetti!

Katie wrote:I saw this on FlyerTalk and thought it would be of interest here on LTH...

Another LTHer/FTer among our ranks!

laikom wrote:your pancreas will be working overtime

Physiology talk on LTH?

What gives?