Whole Wheat vrs Regular

Swoopette

K I am stumped. Everyone talks about changing to whole wheat. (pasta is what I am talking abotu right now.) So I took a box of white pasta vrs whole wheat pasta. In the WHOLE grain there is 1gram MORE sugar and 1 gram LESS fibre. All the vitimans are the same amounts. The calories are exactly the same for either one. So PLEASE explain to me how WHOLE grain is better for you when they are exactly the same on the box with a gram difference here and there. Bettering the normal pasta vrs the whole grain. SO CONFUSED.



Swoopette

edorice

We actually use multi grain pasta. But with whole grain you body processes the sugar differently. Whole grain is absorbed and broken down slower in your system. It does not elevate your blood sugar the same as white bread, white potatoes, white rice, etc.

In the same way that veggies like peas and corn should be limited. These are starches and our bodies recognize them in a different way than leafy veggies.

SouthernBell86

White bread and pasta are both simple carbs, so even though there may be less sugar in them, it is easier for your body to break down, and therefore will hit your bloodstream faster and harder, causing a sugar spike.

Complex carbs are harder to break down, and thus take longer, so the sugars go into your bloodstream over a long period of time. Also, they will help your weight loss efforts because it will nourish your body over time as it needs it. If you eat simple carbs, your body gets too much all at once and can only use what it needs for fuel, and stores the rest as fat.

The vitamins and nutrients that are in white bread and pasta are all added in as chemical ingredients and are not exactly the same as the vitamins and minerals that come naturally in a whole grain of wheat. Even though they may add in various vitamins and minerals, they are only adding a handful of specific nutrients, whereas the whole grain has hundreds of different nutrients in them that are all in different levels, some very small but still beneficial to your body.

For this reason it is also better to eat brown rice rather than white rice. White rice is literally rice that has had all the nutrients scrubbed off. Brown rice is a wonderful whole grain with hundreds of vitamins, minerals and healthy fats in them and dietary fiber, but white rice is a plain starch which is easy for your body to break down and also spikes your blood sugar.

Go for the whole grains in order to get richer variety of nutrients and a more stable blood sugar level

Mindful_Trent

Here's a long article all about this topic - it addressed whole grain vs regular in general: http://www.whfoods.com/genpage.php?tname=foodspice&dbid=66

Here's a shorter answer that was provided on a site about teen health. it talks about bread, but the same idea can be applied to pasta:

http://kidshealth.org/teen/expert/nutrition/whole_grain_bread.html

Bread is made out of flour that comes from grain kernels — usually wheat. A grain kernel has three parts: the bran, the endosperm, and the germ (so called because it's the part of the kernel that germinates into a new plant).

Whole grains contain all parts of the grain kernel. But refined grains, like the flour used to make white bread, have had the fiber-dense bran and the nutrient-rich germ processed out, leaving only the starchy endosperm. This means that refined grain is not as rich in essential fatty acids, vitamin E, magnesium, and zinc.

Some flour and bread manufacturers "enrich" their bread by adding extra vitamins back in. But it's still better to eat whole grains. The fiber and protein from the bran and germ provide a more constant source of energy, which will keep you going long after the energy from refined grains is gone. The fiber in the bran can also mean whole-grain breads help people feel full longer, preventing overeating.

If you're buying packaged bread in the supermarket, be sure the label says "whole grain" or "whole wheat."

MLgarcia3

the whole wheat pasta I have has less calories, fat, sodium, and carbs than the same brand of regular pasta.. and it's natural. It also has more fiber and added flaxseed which is a natural source of omega-3

MLgarcia3

It also costs the same and tastes similar.. so it's not like it's a giant leap going from regualr pasta to whole wheat..

clipsychic

always wondered... thanks for addressing this.

Red13

as said, make sure the first ingredient listed is "whole grain" or "whole wheat"
Some companies like to make people think they are getting whole wheat products without it being so, read the labels!