My biggest food weakness is pasta.
It’s been that way ever since I was a kid, eating traditional pasta made with white flour.
It’s still that way today, even though I haven’t eaten gluten in almost ten years.
Put a bowl of pasta in front of me and I can’t stop eating it. I am not going to leave leftovers. I will eat a whole pound in one sitting.
So, what’s the deal with that? Why is it so hard for me to stop?
There are a few layers. I’ve talked with you about cravings before.
But for today I want to unpack the type of carbs.
There is no major glycemic difference between the white pasta I ate when I was 15, and the brown rice pasta I eat now.
That means that, both rice & processed white flour have high glycemic indexes – they raise the level of sugar in your blood quickly.
When that system is activated in your body, you immediately want more.
On the other hand, I have been experimenting with lower glycemic carbs lately: lentils and beans.
These are still carbs. They still turn into sugar. But they do it slower.
I’ve found that I can also eat them more slowly. I find them more satisfying. They also have more nutritional benefits than rice.
So, if you relate at all to this; if you love pizza, pasta, garlic knots, bread, and all things starchy, try slowing it down a bit.
A bowl of lentils or a box of chickpea pasta will still give you your carb fix.
And you might even find that it tastes better too.