Can you lose weight eating pasta every day? (3+ benefits of pasta)

In this article, we will answer the question “Can you lose weight eating pasta every day?” and discuss how can you lose weight by eating pasta every day and what types of pasta are the best to include in a diet to lose weight.

Can you lose weight eating pasta every day?

Yes, it is possible to lose weight eating pasta every day. The ingestion of pasta is not a determinant factor of losing weight or not, rather how many calories are ingested in the diet and how many are wasted. 

A study showed that a high pasta diet (about 6 servings of pasta per week) or a low pasta diet (about 3 servings of pasta per week) were effective in reducing the weight of individuals that followed a low-energy Mediterranean diet (1).

How can you lose weight eating pasta every day?

You can lose weight eating pasta every day when the amount of calories ingested is lower than the amount of calories consumed by the body during rest and in your daily activities. 

The energy consumed by the body to maintain its basal metabolism, that is, its basic functions when at rest represents about 60 to 70% of the energy needs, while the other 30 to 40% are due to physical activities (2).

The uneven balance between the energy consumed and the energy expended during a day will lead to weight loss or weight gain. In other words, if you eat more calories than what you use, you will gain weight with time.

In this way, it is possible to lose weight by eating pasta every day if the amount of pasta ingested provides fewer calories than your daily needs. Pasta can be prepared in many ways and include healthy ingredients that contribute to a healthy diet.

When pasta is prepared the day before, it contains resistant starch, which is considered a dietary fibre and increase satiety and favour weight loss (3,4).

Why can pasta help in weight loss?

Pasta can help in weight loss because it contains carbohydrates, which increase satiety and reduce hunger, especially when it is cooked previously and cooled, and reheated before eating.

According to studies, pasta or another high-carbohydrate meal can contribute to greater satiety. Individuals consuming rice, potatoes or pasta in their meals could have their body weight reduced or increased or maintained because the ingestion of pasta alone was not determinant of the body weight (3).

The body weight was affected by the energy balance and the ingestion of a healthy diet, such as the Mediterranean diet, which includes fruits and vegetables, olive oil, whole grains and moderate amounts of dairy and meat (5).

What type of pasta can help in weight loss?

The pasta that has been cooked a day before and reheated can help in weight loss, in addition to whole wheat pasta (4,5).

Cooking and cooling pasta and then reheating it to be eaten can create resistant starch in pasta, which is considered a dietary fibre. Similarly, whole wheat pasta contains fibres, which contribute to weight loss (4,5). 

Pasta contains starch. When pasta is cooked and cooled, the starch molecules are restructured and reordered, creating a more crystalline formation, in a phenomenon called retrogradation of the starch, which is resistant to digestion (5).

Whole wheat pasta also contains a high amount of fibres, which are resistant to digestion. The rate of digestion is reduced, which leads to slower gastric emptying and reduced hunger. The ingestion of fibres is related to a lower risk of developing obesity and diabetes.

What are other benefits of eating high-fibre pasta?

Other benefits of eating high-fibre pasta every day are (5):

High pasta fibres can favour the growth of probiotic bacteria in the gut, which are related to health benefits, such as the production of short-chain-fatty-acids, and the improvement of the immune system.

The consumption of high-fibre pasta help reduce the risk of inflammatory diseases and cancer.

Other FAQs about Pasta which you may be interested in.

How can I thicken my pasta bake?

the pasta from absorbing all the sauce?

Does Pasta Go Bad?

Conclusion

In this article, we answered the question “Can you lose weight eating pasta every day?” and discussed how you can lose weight eating pasta every day and what type of pasta helps losing weight.

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References

1.-

Rosi A, Tesan M, Cremonini A, Biasini B, Bicchieri L, Cossu M, Brighenti F, Dall’Aglio E, Scazzina F. Body weight of individuals with obesity decreases after a 6-month high pasta or low pasta Mediterranean diet weight-loss intervention. Nutrition, Metabolism and Cardiovascular Diseases. 2020 Jun 9;30(6):984-95.

2.-

Howell S, Kones R. “Calories in, calories out” and macronutrient intake: the hope, hype, and science of calories. American Journal of Physiology-Endocrinology and Metabolism. 2017 Nov 29.

3.-

Sanders LM, Slavin J. Impact of Pasta Intake on Body Weight and Body Composition: A Technical Review. Nutrients [Internet] 2023;15(12):2689.

4.-

Walsh SK, Lucey A, Walter J, Zannini E, Arendt EK. Resistant starch—An accessible fiber ingredient acceptable to the Western palate. Comprehensive Reviews in Food Science and Food Safety. 2022 May;21(3):2930-55.

5.-

Poulimeneas D, Anastasiou CA, Santos I, Hill JO, Panagiotakos DB, Yannakoulia M. Exploring the relationship between the Mediterranean diet and weight loss maintenance: The MedWeight study. British Journal of Nutrition. 2020 Oct;124(8):874-80.