What Really Happens To Your Body When You Eat Pasta Every Day

Some people might not think of pasta as an ultra-filling food — after all, it’s not like something meaty or greasy. But whole-grain pasta has something even better to help you feel full: fibre. Fibre is a type of carbohydrate that your body is unable to digest. It absorbs water once it’s in your digestive system, ultimately taking up a little more room in your stomach and slowing down your stomach emptying (via The Nutrition Source).

This has two significant benefits: It helps you feel fuller faster, and it keeps you feeling full until the next time you get to have a meal. For people who have trouble with appetite control, that means you might not feel the need to eat as much. That’s why people who are trying to lose weight are encouraged to eat more fibre. That said, its effects might not be as significant as you would expect. Today’s Dietitian points out that your intake of calories might only go down by 2.6%.

You could end up having blood sugar swings.

If you’re a fan of refined pasta and decide to eat it every day, you may have very different results than someone who eats whole-grain pasta. Most significantly, you could have blood sugar swings, confirmed The Nutrition Source, a Harvard publication. Complex carbohydrates break down slowly, whereas simple carbohydrates break down very quickly. And when all that glucose from the digested carbs goes into your bloodstream, your pancreas starts pumping out a hormone called insulin. This hormone signals to your cells that there’s glucose for them to use for energy.

But here’s the problem: When there’s too much glucose at once, your body can’t handle it all. This is why so many people who have a blood sugar spike tend to crash soon afterwards. When this happens too often — like every day — you could be putting yourself at risk for type 2 diabetes, weight gain, and other health risks.

You’ll have the needed fuel to conquer your athletic pursuits.

Simple carbohydrates aren’t always a bad thing, however. In some cases, you might want carbohydrates that your body can break down and use very quickly. For example, if you’re looking to fuel your athletic performance. That’s why carbohydrates like pasta are often encouraged as a pre-workout meal or snack, according to Verywell Fit.

Simple carbs won’t stress out your digestive system the way complex carbohydrates or heavier foods like fat-dense or protein-rich foods will. Instead, your body breaks them down quickly and gives you that quick boost of glucose that all of your cells need. In fact, if you have an endurance event in which you’re performing for an extended period (such as a marathon), you’ll probably need to hit a few simple carbs at some point during the day. Something like a little bit of pasta, eaten utterly plain without any sauce or toppings, will hit the spot.