10 Jan Pasta-bilities: Opposing viewpoints

I have been keto for awhile now and just went on a trip to Rome (lucky me!) and ate pasta, pasta, pasta. I didn’t have much of a choice, as I was part of a group that went to pre-arranged restaurants. Well, I guess my choice was to fast or eat, but I wanted to enjoy the local food.

And I did enjoy the pasta.

And I didn’t gain weight. And I noticed that the Italians seem slimmer than the typical American. How is that possible? Starchy carbs are fattening, right? And, wheat is notoriously difficult to digest.

Actually, research has shown that high carb diets and high fat diets can be equally effective at temporary weight loss. I say temporary because most gain the weight back and more. And research compares groups of people, not individuals. So some individuals may become slimmer on one approach or the other.

And there’s a lot more to diet than just macronutrient distribution–as in the differing proportions of fats, carbs, and proteins. How often one eats matters. So does the social nature of the meals. The attitude towards food, and quality of sleep, both will affect your health and weight. The processing of the food certainly makes a difference. And of course, activity level matters. We walked all day, everyday in Rome.

But you can’t exercise your way out of a bad diet. So I really don’t think the Italians’ success with pasta is mainly due to an increased activity level.

The Italians tend to eat in courses, with the pasta course being first. Maybe eating in courses makes the difference, as opposed to filling your plate with your entire meal at once. The French like to eat in courses, and the Chinese traditionally serve many small courses in a meal. I enjoy eating in courses and like my main meal to begin with soup, followed by a protein and sometimes a starch, followed by a piece of dark chocolate. But at home I never had pasta as part of a course.

To add to the confusion, you will find health gurus encouraging EVERYBODY to eat the way they find personally satisfying. For example, Dr. Mark Hyman says to eat so little meat it’s more like a “condimeat”, or a condiment in your food. The paleo community would encourage you to eat much more meat and few starchy carbs because they believe our ancestors ate that way. The keto gurus tell everyone to eat a lot of fat, and certainly not pasta. All opposing viewpoints, but they each have a point.

I just started reading a book called the Medical Medium, and the author encourages a high carb diet for treating diabetes. This is exactly the opposite of what I was taught. The Institute for Functional Medicine has a diet for people with pre-diabetes or diabetes that eliminates starchy carbs. Yet they both seem to have success.

Dr. Nicholas Gonzales used ten different diets to successfully treat cancer. He had so much success that I pay attention to what he said. Each diet was a different ratio of carbs to protein, and raw to cooked. Your genetics and even temperament played into which diet was prescribed.

So should we all eat pasta?

That depends. I know nobody likes that kind of answer and it certainly doesn’t make good headlines.

Dr. John Douillard says that the reason so many of us can’t tolerate wheat or enjoy pasta is because our digestion is suboptimal. Since we don’t digest well, we notice it when we eat wheat. We blame gluten, but it’s really our own stomachs that are struggling. His suggestion is to strengthen your digestion. And he reminds us that wheat can have benefits to us, unless of course you’re a true celiac.

Maybe the Italians have stronger digestion. That’s quite possible as Europe uses different pesticides than the United States. Our wheat is heavily sprayed and our digestion pays the price. The result is inflammation, and that shows up as the big bellies of the Americans that I did not see on the Italians.

So you have to decide what’s right for you.

It’s time to drop “either/or” thinking or taking sides. One piece of medical advice or dietary advice just does not work for everybody. Doctors often say, let’s try this and see how you do. We are all individuals. That’s why I offer personalized health coaching. I won’t say you have to eat pasta or to never eat pasta. We will work together to find what works for you. I can sort through the confusing, conflicting advice and get you to your optimal health. I have the training, from Functional Medicine Coaching Academy, and I am Nationally Board Certified. Contact me. The intro phone call is free.

Comments: Which is your favorite food group to eat–carbs, proteins, or fats?

This article is for information purposes only. See Disclaimer below.

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