Eating leftover reheated pasta and potatoes could help with weight loss, nutritionist says

By:
On:
In: Pasta
  • While eating crabs that have been cooked, cooled and then reheated could help people lose weight.
  • Reheated potatoes, rice and pasta contain more resistant starch, nutritionist Rhiannon Lambert explained.

Eating carbs as leftovers rather than hot and freshly cooked might help weightlossnutritionist Rhiannon Lambert told Insider.

When we eat carbohydratesthey are broken down in the gut and absorbed as sugar, which raises blood sugar.

However, when cooked carbohydrates like pasta, potatoes, and rice are cooled, a type of fiber called increases in resistant starch in foods, Lambert said.

“Resistant starch is starch that resists digestion. It is not digested in the small intestine and then ferments,” she said.

Having plenty of resistant starch in the diet is a good thing because it doesn’t quickly turn into sugar, she said.

Resistant starch remains increased even if leftovers are reheated before eating, which means the fiber content of carbohydrates is higher, leading to fewer blood sugar spikes.

Dr Chris van Tulleken, a researcher who has studied resistant starch, previously told the BBC that food temperature could help make meals more fiber-friendly.

“We can convert a high-carb meal into a healthier, high-fiber meal without changing a single ingredient, just the temperature. In other words, our leftovers might be healthier for us than the original meal,” did he declare.

Eating Leftovers, Even Reheated, May Help Lose Weight

Stable blood sugar levels aid weight management and decrease cravings caused by low energy, dietician Alexandra Rowles wrote for Health Line.

And there is evidence to suggest that warmed carbs can prevent blood sugar spikes.

A small study from 2014, authored by Dr Denise Robertson of the University of Surrey and Van Tulleken, found that eating cooked, chilled and reheated pasta caused the smallest spike in blood sugar, compared to freshly cooked or cooked and then eaten cold pasta.

Another small study from 2015 by the University of Indonesia on white rice came to the same conclusion.

Be careful when reheating rice – in his book “The Science of NutritionLambert recommends cooling and refrigerating within an hour of cooking, reheating well, and eating within a day to prevent bacterial spores from forming.

Eating more resistant starch may also increase feelings of fullness and satiety, according to a 2015 study.

To increase starch strength in bread, Lambert recommends freezing slices and toasting them straight from frozen.

“If people are on a body fat loss mission and they’re looking to stabilize their blood sugar levels, or if they’re looking to improve productivity and avoid afternoon lows, it might be beneficial to try consuming starch more resilient,” she said.