Pasta promotes weight loss… when pigs fly

“Pasta Promotes Weight Loss as Part of a Low-Glycemic Index Diet.”

Yes, that’s a real headline about an actual study. And I can only imagine how I looked while reading it. Because I’m pretty sure my eyes popped right out of my head like a cartoon character.

So, to what backward logic do we owe this completely ridiculous conclusion? Let’s have a look…

The researchers behind this review set out to study pasta’s effects on body fat. But they couldn’t find a single randomized, controlled trial over three weeks long that was able to put those effects under the microscope.

Any rational person would assume there’s a very good reason for that. But clearly, these investigators already had their bombshell headline in mind. So they weren’t about to let something as trivial as common sense get in their way…

So they used what they could find. Which consisted of 32 trials that looked at pasta’s influence on global body fat measures — like weight, BMI, waist circumference, waist-to-hip ratio, and belly fat. And that’s where the fun really started.

Pooling these results showed that eating pasta in a low-glycemic index (GI) setting was able to reduce subjects’ body weight by one pound.

That’s right… one pound. Call me crazy, but if this was the bar I set for my patients, I would be out of business — and definitely not a world-wide bestselling author. (In fact, my A-List Diet has helped people lose up to 15 pounds in two weeks. And the fact that they’re even considering that to be a “benefit” is pretty sad!)

There wasn’t any observable effect from pasta-eating with respect to waist size, waist-to-hip ration, or belly fat — at least, not compared to higher GI diets. Which really tells you nothing, except that it’s better to eat spaghetti than it is to eat spaghetti and donuts. And really, it just further proves my point that their whole line of inquiry was ridiculous to begin with.

Of course, that didn’t put a damper on the researchers’ excitement. Especially over the fact that subjects were able to maintain their meager, single-pound weight loss over six months. The study authors were even so bold to say that this proves eating pasta can deliver sustained weight loss.

Honestly. You can get away with almost anything and still keep off one pound. Who are these people kidding?

This whole charade was a complete waste of time and money. No matter how anyone tries to spin it, the fact is, pasta — a simple, refined carbohydrate — is not a weight loss food. Not even “low-glycemic” pasta (which is an oxymoron if I’ve ever heard one).

If you want a bowl of Bolognese, do yourself — and your waistline — a favor and serve it on zucchini “noodles” instead.

If you or a loved one would like to learn healthy, drug-free strategies for losing weight — that don’t include starving yourself or having to eat boxed “diet” foods, I’ve created a comprehensive plan that you’ll love. In chapter 11 of my A-List Diet Book, you’ll find countless recipes that will allow you to eat the foods you enjoy — without the refined carbohydrates. Recipes include stuffed chicken with squash ribbons and vegetable lasagna.

In fact, my A-List Diet Book was just released on paperback, making it a great resource to take with you to the beach or the grocery store. Click here to get your hands on a copy today!

Source:

medscape.com/viewarticle/894883


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