Heres why experts say eating leftover pasta may…
A viral social media hack claims that yesterday’s pasta may be simpler on your blood sugar than a contemporary bowl — and experts say there’s some science behind it.
The trick is comparable to claims that freezing and toasting bread can help curb blood sugar spikes, with both concepts suggesting that heating and cooling starchy meals can slow digestion.
Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis highlighted the pattern in an Instagram video not long in the past, sharing with her followers the “hot tip” that eating pasta the next day may be simpler on the intestine.
“Leftover pasta for the win,” De Laurentiis said in her video.
The pattern is backed by research, experts told Fox News Digital.
“When you cook pasta, let it cool and then reheat it in the microwave, some of the digestible starches turn into what’s called resistant starch,” said Ashley Kitchens, a North Carolina–based plant-based dietitian.
“Resistant starch is what it sounds like — it resists digestion. Because of that, less sugar or glucose is going into your bloodstream.”
Resistant starch acts like fiber in a manner, Kitchens added, feeding helpful intestine bacteria somewhat than being shortly damaged down into sugar.
A viral social media hack claims that leftover pasta may be simpler on your blood sugar than a contemporary bowl. Drazen – stock.adobe.com
Resistant starch kinds through a course of called retrogradation, nutrition experts say. When pasta is cooked, its starches gelatinize and grow to be simple to digest.
After chilling in the fridge — ideally for 24 hours or more — some of those starches reorganize into a construction that the physique can’t totally break down.
As a end result, refrigerated and reheated pasta delivers fewer digestible calories and leads to a smaller rise in blood sugar after meals, according to nutrition experts at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center.
Resistant starch incorporates roughly half the calories per gram of common starch and passes into the colon, where it feeds helpful intestine bacteria, according to a 2024 article from the medical heart.
Celebrity chef Giada De Laurentiis shared her help for the leftover pasta pattern. Photo Image Press via ZUMA / SplashNews.com
Studies recommend the impact is real but relies upon on the individual, particularly people with diabetes.
Research from the University of Surrey in England also exhibits decrease blood sugar and insulin responses after eating pasta that’s been cooked, cooled and reheated in contrast to freshly cooked pasta, particularly when ready al dente.
“It’s not a guaranteed ‘hack’ and the effect varies,” agreed Lauri Wright, an affiliate professor at the University of South Florida College of Public Health.
“It can modestly blunt or shift the glucose rise, but it does not make pasta ‘free’ from a blood sugar standpoint,” Wright told Fox News Digital.
The strategy may be helpful for people who are managing their blood sugar, including those with diabetes, but as a “tool, not as a cure-all,” she said.
For people with diabetes, resistant starch may help soften blood sugar spikes, but it will possibly also change how shortly glucose enters the bloodstream, which may have an effect on insulin timing, Wright famous.
Refrigerated and reheated pasta delivers fewer digestible calories and leads to a smaller rise in blood sugar after meals, according to nutrition experts at The Ohio State University Wexner Medical Center. алекÑÐ°Ð½Ð´Ñ ÑаланÑев – stock.adobe.com
Portion measurement still issues, experts stress.
“Only a portion of the starch becomes resistant,” Kitchens famous. “If you’re eating large portions of pasta, the trick may not be that beneficial.”
Experts agree that reheating pasta can offer a small metabolic benefit, but balanced meals, fiber consumption and portion control stay most important.
To try it out, nutritionists suggest cooking pasta al dente — not too smooth — refrigerating it in a shallow container for 12 to 24 hours, then reheating it completely before eating.
Rice and potatoes may show an even stronger resistant starch impact, while bread can endure related adjustments, relying on kind and processing.
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