Wheat & Pasta bad- please explain

aippolito1

No, no. Wheat is not fattening, and neither is pasta in general. Processed carbs (white rice, white pasta, white potatoes, sugary vegetables) turn into glucose which turns into fat... just ration it. I still like white flour tortillas better than wheat and I HATE brown rice so I still eat white steamed rice. I just try not to eat more than one white "starch" in the day, so it doesn't all add up.

Whole grains are your best friend. Go for whole wheat, rye, barley, brown rice (if you can stand it), whole oats, etc. They're high in protein, fiber, and are good carbs that take longer to digest, so they keep you full longer. :]

petiteLady89

We eat Ezekiel breads and rice pastas in this house. I try to stay away from most processed or wheat foods. Just a personal decision.

californiagirl2012

I joined 4 days ago and just learned pasta and wheat is fattening? Can someone please explain to me how whole wheat, and whole wheat pasta is bad for you? Or how much is too much? Since my children were born Ive been buyin whole wheat bread and feeding them pasta, ofcourse I indulge too. How bad is it?

All that matters is calories. Some people are gluten intolerant or have bad allergies with it.

Eat what you want, eat what you like, mostly healthy. Don’t deprive yourself of foods you love unless there is a serious health risk. Depriving yourself of food you love and creating extensive good food and bad food lists at some point borders on a mental disorder. It will drive you insane.

All that matters is calories. A healthy balanced diet within a calorie budget for a deficit that is right for YOU is all that matters for weight loss. Don't make it complicated.

Exercise is for making your lean body mass pretty (especially lifting weights) for when the fat is gone. Losing fat with no muscle is ugly and cardio alone will not make you pretty. You cannot out exercise too many calories.

possibri

No food is "all good" or "all bad." Many people, including myself, consider bread to be bad for dieting for many reasons. They're low in nutrients compared to other carb sources like fruits and veggies, and breads often have a high glycemic index. Many breads and pastas are sort of just empty calories which can lead some people to over eating. Some bread brands are marketed as "whole wheat" when in fact they actually are not much different from white bread.

THIS


And I find quinoa pasta to be a super filling alternative to other types of pasta... though still quite calorie dense.

StinkyWinkies

The only thing my doc had to say about this is (when I said I was trying out whole wheat pasta) "Don't over do that either, it's still a carb." With the diabetes, so am somewhat "restricted" on pasta, bread, rice, potatoes...But, considering that those food made up approximately 75-90% of my food intake at one time, I see his point.

Moderation, m'dear. All things in moderation.

Verity1111

You'll get a ton of good/bad on wheat. May I suggest reading Wheat Belly? The bottom line is that wheat isn't bad...the GMO wheat of today is a Frankenwheat.

Wheat is not GMO. They've worked on it but there is no GMO wheat available for farmers at this moment. Another fallacy put forward by Mr. Taubes to sell more books.

WRONG - Almost all wheat is GMO, the dwarf wheat grown today is not what was grown prior to the 60's. The creator of it won a Nobel Peace prize for it because of the high yield and ending the threat of world hunger.

I have bought bread that says no GMO no high fructose corn syrup no added sugars etc and was yummy whole wheat or whole grain bread, which is all I eat now unless someone else bought it and I dont have food at the time. Whole grain is best for you from what I know.

Kjngrrl

i read wheat belly and frankly, it gave me the motivation (regardless if the facts are accruate or not) to cut out a food substance that was a trigger for me. When eating wheat based products, I overeat. Period. Cutting them out and replacing them with fresh veggies has made a world of difference in my satiety, my diet and my weight.

If you can control your eating and lose weight eating wheat, good for you. I can't, so I don't eat it, thus it is bad for me.

diligentjosh

Just to be blunt about it, wheaty stuff tastes like crap to me. People talk about "whole wheat" this and "whole wheat" that. Ok. Go out and spend half your grocery budget on it. "whole" is only good for you if you can afford the price tag that comes with it. Remember that. In my views, nowadays, it is not realistic for the lady (or man, in my case) who is looking to eat healthy on about 150-175 bucks per month....Some of yall are probably vegans and artists, too, I bet. lol

megsmom2

Unless you have a sensitivity to it (which isn't uncommon) wheat is a perfectly fine food. It is calorie dense, so you probably should limit it sensibly, but in reasonable amounts, by all means enjoy it. Whole wheat breads can be delicious...just watch the ingredient list for oils or sweeteners you may not want.

likepepsicola

Nothing is BAD, unless you have an allergy/intolerance. Some foods are more calorie dense than others and will tend to make you hungrier than others, crave more food, not fill you up as much, etc....but they are not fattening in and of themselves unless you consume too many calories overall.

toofatandy

Its not that wheat is entirely bad but is a processed food.
If you have it for breakfast as cereal, lunch as sandwiches or bagels and dinner in the form of pasta then the majority of your diet is wheat that is not good.
We were biologically built as hunters and gatherers and no amount of hamburger chains can change our makeup.
If it does not fall from a tree get pulled from the ground or killed you should not eat it.

TheVimFuego

Its not that wheat is entirely bad but is a processed food.
If you have it for breakfast as cereal, lunch as sandwiches or bagels and dinner in the form of pasta then the majority of your diet is wheat that is not good.
We were biologically built as hunters and gatherers and no amount of hamburger chains can change our makeup.
If it does not fall from a tree get pulled from the ground or killed you should not eat it.

Look, I hear where you are coming from, and less processed stuff (and more variety) is a great aim but if I have a beat myself up about having a party pie or a slice of pizza at a morning tea then something is seriously wrong with my life.

We can all be healthy without imposing thou shalt nots.

tsh0ck

what vim said.

(no food is fattening/unhealthy unless eaten in excess. make it fit. enjoy life. lose weight. get healthy.)

diligentjosh

Its not that wheat is entirely bad but is a processed food.
If you have it for breakfast as cereal, lunch as sandwiches or bagels and dinner in the form of pasta then the majority of your diet is wheat that is not good.
We were biologically built as hunters and gatherers and no amount of hamburger chains can change our makeup.
If it does not fall from a tree get pulled from the ground or killed you should not eat it.

I wish I could follow your thought, but this is a nation of 306 million people. It is essentially impossible to not process food to some extent to preserve freshness and zipline (as well as stock up) production to feed everyone. The 'chemicals' are used to allow time for us to research, purchase, store, and then eat the food. If food did not have this type of processing, your chicken would be $12/lb.

Sarauk2sf

Nothing is BAD, unless you have an allergy/intolerance. Some foods are more calorie dense than others and will tend to make you hungrier than others, crave more food, not fill you up as much, etc....but they are not fattening in and of themselves unless you consume too many calories overall.

Basically ^^this

SideSteel

I joined 4 days ago and just learned pasta and wheat is fattening?

Eating above your TDEE is fattening regardless of the food source.

Can someone please explain to me how whole wheat, and whole wheat pasta is bad for you?

It's not, given no intolerance/allergy/etc.

Or how much is too much? Since my children were born Ive been buyin whole wheat bread and feeding them pasta, ofcourse I indulge too.

I'd say that if you're eating enough wheat or pasta to exceed your daily limit in calories, it's too much.
I'd say that if you're eating enough wheat or pasta to push dietary fat or protein below your desired minimums, it's too much.
I'd say that if you're eating enough wheat or pasta such that you're neglecting other nutrient rich carb sources such as fruit and vegetables, it's too much.

Beyond that, enjoy your pasta and your wheat, and try not to make things too complicated.

diligentjosh

what is TDEE?.......nm, I just googled it

tigersword

You'll get a ton of good/bad on wheat. May I suggest reading Wheat Belly? The bottom line is that wheat isn't bad...the GMO wheat of today is a Frankenwheat.

Wheat is not GMO. They've worked on it but there is no GMO wheat available for farmers at this moment. Another fallacy put forward by Mr. Taubes to sell more books.

WRONG - Almost all wheat is GMO, the dwarf wheat grown today is not what was grown prior to the 60's. The creator of it won a Nobel Peace prize for it because of the high yield and ending the threat of world hunger.

If you want to use that (wrong) definition of GMO, then EVERY food we eat is GMO. All fruits, vegetables, grains, and animals have been radically altered over the last 100 years. Pigs are not the same animal at all they were 75 years ago, neither are cows or chickens. So, if you want to use that (again, wrong) definition, then have fun starving to death because if you want to avoid what you call GMO, then there is not a single food on this earth that you will be able to eat.

BarackMeLikeAHurricane

Eat shirataki noodles. 30 kcal a cup. I eat it every day.

I eat as well... but let's get real... aint the same at all!

If you put the right sauce on it it can be pretty close. I put a little bit of some quality marinara sauce on it and I'm good.

itsjustdawn

wheat and grains are just bad period.

Research please