Gluten Free Pasta

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crabbok
crabbok Posts: 66 Member
in Food and Nutrition
What is the point of Gluten Free Pasta? It says it's made from Rice, but rice has carbs so doesn't it still have carbs? Am I missing something?
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  • neanderthin
    neanderthin Posts: 10,020 Member
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    They're two different things gluten and carbs, why the confusion.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Gluten is a protein found in wheat that some people are either sensitive or allergic to. Carbs and gluten have nothing to do with each other.
  • juliegin
    juliegin Posts: 77 Member
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    gluten free=/=carb free=/=fat free=/=calorie free. In fact if you are going gluten free, be careful because a lot of the corn and rice replacements can have less fiber than whole wheat items. Quinoa and brown rice are great GF high fiber options.
  • marathon_mama
    marathon_mama Posts: 150 Member
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    I have Celiac disease. If i eat any gluten, i get sick immediately. If a true Celiac eats gluten, it can cause stomach issues, rashes, eye pain, headaches, inflamation, and eventually cancer. It is a serious disease. Eating gluten free without a medical issue is just silly.
  • hdlb
    hdlb Posts: 333 Member
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    What is the point of Gluten Free Pasta? It says it's made from Rice, but rice has carbs so doesn't it still have carbs? Am I missing something?


    Because one thing has nothing to do with the other. GF pasta for people with Ceilacs or gluten intolerance makes it possible for us to eat spaghetti once in awhile....Just because we can't eat gluten doesn't mean we all want to be low carb.
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Gluten free is not always designed to be carb free. Gluten free things are meant for those who have an issue digesting gluten. Carbs and gluten don't affect the body the same way.
  • Melodypharmon
    Melodypharmon Posts: 57
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    carbs have nothing to do with gluten free anything.
  • footiechick82
    footiechick82 Posts: 1,203 Member
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    I tried brown rice pasta this past weekend and I'm officially converted from whole wheat pasta!

    It's kind of expensive (here in Canada, almost 4 bucks) but I love the consistency :) It's a bit 'harder' then regular pasta and it fills you up quicker too!
  • crabbok
    crabbok Posts: 66 Member
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    Ok then so there's no health benefit to me eating gluten free then? I thought it meant no carbs/sugar.
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Ok then so there's no health benefit to me eating gluten free then? I thought it meant no carbs/sugar.

    Unless you have an intollerance to gluten there would be no advantage. Some people can't eat gluten due to having celiac disease and other don't have the disease but become bloated or experience GI distress when eating gluten (much as someone with lactose intollerance would when drinking milk).
  • WiseBey
    WiseBey Posts: 4 Member
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    Many people have varying levels of gluten intolerance but not severe enough to be classified as Celiac's disease. Just fyi
  • WiseBey
    WiseBey Posts: 4 Member
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    Many people have varying levels of gluten intolerance but not severe enough to be classified as Celiac's disease. Just fyi:smile:
  • Jodycnd
    Jodycnd Posts: 56 Member
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    Many people have varying levels of gluten intolerance but not severe enough to be classified as Celiac's disease. Just fyi

    Just a clarification on this, Celiac disease is unrelated to gluten intolerance/allergy. Celiac disease causes an autoimmune response in the small intestine that damages the villi to the point where they become blunt and cannot absorb nutrients. Gluten intolerance or allergy does not do this and is the same as any other food allergy. Celiac isn't the extreme of the allergy of gluten.

    My three year old was diagnosed with Celiac disease in December so we're are learning how to navigate the food world. In some ways it is nice that she doesn't need medicine, just a gluten free diet, but it is HARD! Cross contamination is a real pain.
  • ekaustin7
    ekaustin7 Posts: 185 Member
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    Gluten isn't a carb, it's a type of protein in wheat. Any foods made from wheat or a derivative of wheat (like flour) contain gluten. There's really only a health benefit to going gluten free if you have a gluten allergy. I try to go gluten free whenever I can, just because I feel better without it. I substitute brown rice flour for regular flour whenever I can, use quinoa or brown rice pasta in place of the usual wheat pasta most people eat, and use corn instead of flour tortillas. If eating gluten-free is not an option, it's not the end of the world for me, but I do notice a difference in my digestion when I eat gluten versus when I don't. I tend to feel more bloated and fatigued after a gluten-binge and find it harder to go to the bathroom than when I eat gluten free. So no, there's not an added health benefit if you do not have a gluten allergy, but you may just find that you feel better in general when you go without gluten. Enjoy!
  • bcattoes
    bcattoes Posts: 17,299 Member
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    Ok then so there's no health benefit to me eating gluten free then? I thought it meant no carbs/sugar.

    The less you cook pasta, the lower it's glycemic index. It doesn't lower the carbs, but undercooked (al dente) pasta digests slower so that you won't get the same 'sugar rush' you will from pasta cooked until it's soft all the way through.

    You can also use Barilla Plus pasta, which is made from semolina and legumes, to give it more protein which also digests slower.
  • WillowWindow
    WillowWindow Posts: 100 Member
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    Hi:

    I'm gluten free because of a serious allergy and possible celiac disease. Though I haven't been tested, I know that eating wheat gives me all the symptoms you described as well as migraine headaches. Though it seems to be popular for everyone to be eating GF now , mainly because of outspoknn advocates and bloggers, the payoff for we who to have to eat this way is more awareness in the general public, more foods available on the grocery shelves and in restaurants. Because many of these foods are very nutritous and delicious, especially home-cooked ones, I wouldn't say it was silly to eat that way, even f you have a choice.

    :)
  • jennaworksout
    jennaworksout Posts: 1,739 Member
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    Gluten free breads , pastas are loaded with carbs ....no weight loss help going gluten free. why do people think that??
  • now_or_never13
    now_or_never13 Posts: 1,575 Member
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    Ok then so there's no health benefit to me eating gluten free then? I thought it meant no carbs/sugar.

    Unless you have an issue with gluten there is no need to eat gluten free items. GLuten free items are not meant to replace things with carbs or sugars... they are made so people who has medical issues with gluten can still eat things like breads, pastas, etc.
  • marathon_mama
    marathon_mama Posts: 150 Member
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    Hi:

    I'm gluten free because of a serious allergy and possible celiac disease. Though I haven't been tested, I know that eating wheat gives me all the symptoms you described as well as migraine headaches. Though it seems to be popular for everyone to be eating GF now , mainly because of outspoknn advocates and bloggers, the payoff for we who to have to eat this way is more awareness in the general public, more foods available on the grocery shelves and in restaurants. Because many of these foods are very nutritous and delicious, especially home-cooked ones, I wouldn't say it was silly to eat that way, even f you have a choice.

    :)

    It is NOT an allergy! Go see a doctor and have them explain it to you please.
  • Mokey41
    Mokey41 Posts: 5,769 Member
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    Hi:

    I'm gluten free because of a serious allergy and possible celiac disease. Though I haven't been tested, I know that eating wheat gives me all the symptoms you described as well as migraine headaches. Though it seems to be popular for everyone to be eating GF now , mainly because of outspoknn advocates and bloggers, the payoff for we who to have to eat this way is more awareness in the general public, more foods available on the grocery shelves and in restaurants. Because many of these foods are very nutritous and delicious, especially home-cooked ones, I wouldn't say it was silly to eat that way, even f you have a choice.

    :)

    It is NOT an allergy! Go see a doctor and have them explain it to you please.

    You can have a wheat allergy which has a lot of the same symptoms as Celiac disease. My husband is allergic to wheat (can't touch it, eat it, smell it) but has no sensitivity to gluten. Gluten free products work for him because they don't contain wheat.

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