Why do they say stay away from pastas and flour based food?

Question

if your on a diet?

Answer 1

Acually, it has nothing to do with carbs or starch or fat. It has to do with the glycemic index of the foods you eat. Those foods such as white bread, potato, rice, pasta, etc. are high on the glycemic index. In other words, they will spike your blood sugar. The right carbohydrates are either complex carbohydrates or fiber, and have a low-glycemic index. Complex carbohydrates and fiber generally supply additional healthy trace elements and phytonutrients, as well as energy. A healthy diet includes a variety of protein sources including complete proteins, which contain all of the essential amino acids. Beneficial fats are high in essential fatty acids and low in saturated fatty acids. No more than 10 percent of your total daily calories should be derived from saturated fat.

The glycemic index is a way of measuring the rate at which carbohydrates are broken down and appear in the blood as simple sugars. Those foods that result in a rapid rise in blood sugar have a high-glycemic index. Carbohydrates that are broken down slowly and cause only a moderate increase in blood sugar have a low-glycemic index. Some carbohydrates fall in between.

High-glycemic foods provide quick energy, but it is usually short lived and hunger soon returns. Low-glycemic foods provide greater satiety and sustained energy, which makes eating less and losing weight easier.

High-glycemic diets also have been linked to obesity, type II diabetes, insulin resistance, and heart disease. Virtually all convenience foods and many meal replacement and diet products on the market today are unfortunately, high glycemic.3


If you want some information on the glycemic index, check out my website below. Also, Dr. Ray Strand has some great information on his site www.releasingfat.com .

Answer 2

Its because the flours in most pastas and breads are heavily processed. The current theory is that heavily processed starches are converted into sugar too easily, so your body ends up dealing with big surges of sugars after you eat. If there is no immediate need to burn it, you will store it.
So, the idea is to eat foods that are a little more complex in structure, so the body has to work harder to break it down. This means the energy (calories) from the food is released more gradually and over a longer period of time.
Be nice if they were right this time.

Answer 3

White flours have been bleached and all of the nutrition has been stripped out of it. Wheat is much healthier and also has great fiber for you. Wheat flour also contain more bran and protein. Some white flours can be purchased in which they say "enriched" as some of these things are added back into it. Why do they take it out and add it back in? Who knows! Anyway you're better off changing over to wheat and after awhile you'll really like it. It takes some getting used to, but it's not that big of a deal for most of us.

Answer 4

The simple answer - because they make you fat!

Simple carbs are converted into sugar very quickly and any excess in your blood stream gets stored as fat. This, btw..is true for any excess sugar in your bloodstream, not just those from carbs.

Pastas and other starchy carbs also cause water retention which is not real weight gain, but definitely affects the number on the scale and may have an emotional impact on your efforts.

Proteins and fats are harder to digest and stick with you longer and don't cause blood sugar spikes.

So if you stay off the carbs and onto protein, some fats (not all and not unlimited) and non-starchy vegetables, you burn fat faster and lose less muscle as you lose weight.

Answer 5

Carbohydrates (present in pasta, bread, rice and most other starches) are burned by the body as fuel, which is why runners and other athletes often eat high-carb meals before a big event. However, if you are less active than that you don't burn as many carbohydrates, and those excess carbs are converted into fats and stored for long-term energy -- in your hips, thighs, waist, etc.

Answer 6

Staying away from pastas and flour is bad, just limit the amount you eat. People say stay away because they are starches which can become fat

Answer 7

Eating these foods seems to go directly to the waistline. If you eliminate them from your diet you will notice the difference in just a few weeks without much change in exercise.

Answer 8

Simple carbs = sugar

Answer 9

Those foods are high in carbs, starch=BAD
Too many carbs make you a fatty

Answer 10

They are full of starches (carbs); they are slow to digest; they slow matabolism; thus weight loss is less "fruitful" when consuming these heavy foods.