Pasta and Weight Gain
Pasta, being a highly processed food, is basically stripped of all its nutrients, leaving behind a bunch of empty calories. There are basically two mechanisms by which pasta causes weight gain.
First, when carbohydrates are highly processed, they’re transformed from complex carbohydrates into simple carbohydrates. Complex carbohydrates and simple carbohydrates are processed very differently in the body. Simple carbohydrates such as glucose immediately spike blood sugar. Insulin is then produced to drive glucose into cells. This glucose is the cell’s primary fuel for energy production. However, when there is an excess of it, it is converted into fatty acids,triglycerides and lipids, for long-term energy storage. Complex carbohydrates on the other hand, are taken to the liver to be broken down into glucose for immediate energy production, or to be stored as glycogen for long-term energy strorage. In other words, complex carbohydrates work on an as-needed basis for energy production; while simple carbs flood the bloodstream and cells with fuel (glucose), with the excess fuel being stored as fat.
The second mechanism by which simple carbs (processed carbohydrates) produce fat is due to the acidifying nature of processed foods. ALL processed foods have an acidifying effect in the body. It’s well known and accepted that an acidic environment is a breeding ground for disease. Oxygen levels go down in an acidic environment, leading to fermentation, and the proliferation of bacteria, viruses, and even cancer. An acidic environment can also burn through cell membranes, so the body compensates by first neutralizing the acidic environment with its stores of alkaline minerals, such as calcium, sodium, potassium, etc. After a while these alkaline minerals become depleted, and the body resorts to neutralizing the acids by surrounding them with fat molecules. Thus, fat builds up in body tissues as a protective mechanism.
Healthier alternatives would be whole food carbohydrates (complex carbs) such as brown rice, quinoa, whole wheat, barley, and millet. Unfortunately, all pasta (even brown rice or quinoa pasta) is highly processed, so is not a very healthy alternative.
