Carbohydrates have gained a bad reputation over the years, with links to weight gain and chronic disease.
But health experts say a simple hack could make carbs one of the healthier options on the menu and even help you to lose weight.
Dr Michelle Routhenstein, a registered dietitian specializing in heart disease at EntirelyNourished.com, told Daily Mail that cooling your carbs before eating can change the way your body processes them and make them healthier.
She explained: ‘Letting pasta cool after cooking increases its resistant starch content. This type of starch is digested more slowly, which leads to a smaller rise in blood sugar and more stable energy levels.
‘It also nourishes beneficial gut bacteria, which produce compounds that reduce inflammation and support insulin sensitivity.’
Dr Routhenstein says after cooling carbohydrate-heavy dishes, such as rice, potatoes or pasta, they can be reheated and they will still have the same effect.
This simple trick can help support weight management by reducing inflammation and promoting fullness, which leads to eating less,
However, Routhenstein warns that the amount of pasta you eat and what you pair it with, such as fiber, protein, or healthy fats, has an even greater impact on blood sugar and overall health.
Carbohydrates have gained a bad reputation over the years, with links to weight gain and chronic disease (stock image)
Therefore, she recommends trying keeping portion sizes small and pairing with healthy sides, such as vegetables.
Dr Drew Ramsey, a leading nutritional psychiatrist and author of Healing The Modern Brain, also told DailyMail.com he is a big fan of the ‘cooling carb’ technique.
He said: ‘I now have zero guilt about my extreme love of reheated pasta.
‘This can be done with bread and potatoes too making this an easy was to improve the health quotient of the starches in your diet.’
And New York-based personal trainer Natalya Alexeyenko revealed it is something she recommends to her clients who are trying to keep trim.
The fitness expert recommends cooking pasta al dente – when pasta is cooked only until it is slightly firm – and letting it chill in the fridge overnight before reheating it the next day.
‘Adding healthy fats, fiber, or protein can further lower the glycemic impact,’ she added.
Studies have shown incorporating cooled carbs into everyday meals can help people manage weight, boost gut health and prevent energy dips.
Even cooled carbs that have been reheated have the same effect, as resistant starch remains intact.
Therefore, it offers the same blood sugar benefits as eating it cold.
Another recommendation is to meal prep, so cooled carbs are ready and available in advance.
And finally, pairing a pasta dish with protein and fats can further boost muscle recovery and support weight management.
The discovery could mean that people who are trying to shed a few pounds can still enjoy their favorite pasta and rice dishes – in moderation
Dr Chris van Tulleken, a UK-based infectious diseases doctor and author of ‘Ultra-Processed People’, wrote for DailyMail.com: ‘When the normal starch in white bread and pasta is digested, it’s turned into sugar almost as fast as if you drank the same amount of sugar in a sweet drink.
‘This is because normal starch is made up of tangled chains of glucose sugar molecules that are broken down into single sugar molecules extremely easily in your gut, and then quickly absorbed.
‘If this sugar isn’t burned off, it is turned into fat.’
He explained the difference with resistant starch is that some of those glucose chains are no longer broken down in your small intestine, where food is normally broken down and the nutrients absorbed, and instead reaches the large intestine.
Here, it is broken down more slowly, meaning blood sugar levels don’t rise as high and people feel fuller for longer.
Once the resistant starch has been fermented by bacteria in the gut, it turns into chemicals called short-chain fatty acids.
‘These have a wide range of benefits, such as preventing heart disease and possibly lowering blood pressure,’ Dr van Tulleken said.
Research published in 2023 found that cooking pasta al dente also helps people lose weight, as it slows the rate at which they eat.
Meanwhile, a 2019 study testing three different types of pasta showed cooling the dishes and reheating them lowered their glycemic index (GI).
Foods with a low GI – such as non-starchy vegetables, most fruits, legumes, and whole grains – generally release glucose into the bloodstream more slowly, helping to regulate blood sugar levels and making you feel full.
