When you start exercising or dieting, carbohydrates are taken as ‘avoidance target No. 1’.
It is true that foods that cause obesity, such as rice, rice cakes, and ramen, contain a large amount of carbohydrates. However, carbohydrates are an important substance and energy source for supplying nutrients that our body needs to function.
Every function in the body needs an energy source to function properly. Brain cells use only carbohydrates for energy. In order to smoothly supply carbohydrates to the brain, our bodies must maintain a certain level of glucose in the blood. If the blood glucose level drops too much, you may lose consciousness due to dizziness or extreme fatigue. It can also cause you to give up exercise.
Both aerobic and anaerobic exercise use carbohydrates as an energy source. If you don’t eat the right amount of carbohydrates, you won’t see the effects of exercise. When carbohydrates are insufficient, protein is used to make glucose. Therefore, if you want to exercise and lose weight, you must consume carbohydrates.
Carbohydrates that can only be avoided. Among them, pasta (pasta) is considered a very good carbohydrate. It is one of the foods that can be eaten while exercising or dieting to lose weight.
Pasta contains regarding 10% protein in addition to carbohydrates. Fat is only regarding 2%. If you eat it in the form of whole grains without animal fat additives, you can become a healthy diet without worrying regarding obesity. Pasta made from good quality whole grains is less burdensome to eat before exercise than food made from regular wheat flour.
Pasta has 350 kcal per 100 g, which is not much different from white rice. However, if you boil it, it lowers to 140 kcal. This is because carbohydrates dissolve in hot water. Unlike regular noodles made from only white flour, pasta is made from durum wheat, which contains more dietary fiber and protein. It is absorbed more slowly than other noodles, resulting in less body fat accumulation.
The glycemic index is also low. The GI level indicates how quickly blood sugar rises following eating carbohydrates. Foods with low GI levels (mixed grains, whole grains, vegetables, etc.) raise blood sugar slowly following eating, but foods with high GI levels (white rice, white bread, candy, snacks, etc.) rise quickly following eating. If the GI index is low, blood sugar rises slowly and insulin is secreted slowly, consuming the energy needed at that time.
ⓒGetty Image BankEven golf and soccer stars eat pasta.
It is rich in high-quality carbohydrates, so it supplies nutrients to the muscles and brain before a game, and is good as a recovery meal to relieve fatigue following a game. Carbohydrates from durum wheat, the main ingredient of pasta, are slowly decomposed and absorbed by the body, making it easy to completely burn calories. It also prevents the accumulation of excess fat in the body. If you eat pasta within an hour following finishing your workout, carbohydrates will be supplied once more and you can replenish the exhausted glycogen.
Pasta is also a high-carbohydrate food, so eating too much can lead to weight gain. Because pasta alone cannot balance nutrition, it can be a healthy meal by adding vegetables, seafood, meat, and olive oil. To lower pasta calories, it is better to choose oil pasta rather than meat sauce or cream pasta.
Pasta is by no means a universal food. The key is that it is a good food to eat with a low calorie recipe when you need a carbohydrate supplement. Carbohydrates, if you indiscriminately overdo it, it will be a problem, but if you accurately identify the characteristics and eat healthy, it can be another driving force to continue exercising and dieting.
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