How Leftover Pasta Can Keep Hunger at Bay
If I’m not careful, the afternoon “hunger” tends to sneak up on me at that intermediate time when dinner is a distant memory, but not yet time for supper. When that happens, instead of spending extra time preparing a healthy snack, I rummage through my cupboards to find what’s quickest and easiest. But I recently found out that if I cook my lunch a certain way, it can help make it a little more sustainable.
If lunch consists of leftover pasta from yesterday (or potatoes, rice, or lentils), research has shown that reheating can be the difference between a hungry snack and a more intentional snack at the end of the day.
Low blood sugar often leads to hunger
Hunger is often the result of low blood sugar, which acts as a signal that we need to eat. According to a recent study published in the journal Nature Metabolism , people whose blood sugar levels dropped sharply a few hours after eating felt hungrier and ate more than people whose blood sugar levels dropped gradually.
One way to avoid a sudden drop in blood sugar is to choose foods with a lower glycemic index , which is a measure of how much a particular food will raise your blood sugar. Generally speaking, foods that are high in refined sugars and carbohydrates have a high glycemic index, while foods that contain fiber, fat, and protein tend to have a lower glycemic index.
Foods with a high glycemic index cause a rapid spike in blood sugar , while foods with a lower glycemic index take longer to digest and have a more gradual effect, including a less pronounced rise in blood sugar.
Reheated leftover pasta causes a more gradual change in blood sugar levels.
In a 2020 study published in the journal Foods , a group of participants were randomly fed three meals of pasta that was either hot, chilled, or reheated, after which their blood sugar levels were monitored for two hours. period.
Those who ate reheated pasta experienced a less pronounced spike in blood sugar levels than those who ate freshly cooked pasta. This effect on blood sugar levels is believed to be due to the higher content of resistant starch in pasta that has been refrigerated and reheated. Resistant starch takes longer to digest, which in turn leads to a more gradual change in blood sugar levels.
A similar effect is also seen in foods such as potatoes, lentils and rice, all of which have higher levels of resistant starch after cooling and reheating.
Reheated pasta helps take the edge off
I ended up testing this on two different days when I ate a lunch of hot spaghetti with veggie meatballs, and the next day I ate a reheated dish of the same dish. If you’re worried about the pasta not drying out, you can either place an ice cube in the center or cover it with a damp paper towel, which will create enough steam to re-hydrate.
Thus, the effect felt subtle. The day I ate reheated pasta, my hunger was so satisfied that it was a little easier for me to spend time preparing a late snack from apple slices and peanut butter than rummaging through the pantry in a state of irritation. for a bag of chips.
Supposedly, this is a life hack that can help with weight loss , although I am a little skeptical about this statement, since our bodies are very good at maintaining a stable weight. However, health is about more than just weight, and in my own experience, eating a healthier variety of foods provides a range of physical and mental benefits that have nothing to do with a number on the scale.
It might not be a huge change, but it’s enough, especially when it’s as simple as heating up leftovers for lunch.