Thread: Pasta?

Clean?

Originally Posted by Built

Clean?

Yano, the ones that dont make you gain weight.

Ah. That would be those MAGIC carbs. Gotcha.


CitizenKane, you need to examine what it is that you are after.

If you are trying to feel full on less food, you want carbs that are slower to digest, stuff that's higher in fibre and that has fewer calories for the volume. Green vegetables are the winner here, very few carbs, low in calories, high in fibre and micronutrients. Not much of a glucose-source though, so not your first choice by a long shot if the object is post workout glucose!

If you're looking for something post workout, what you want is glucose or a glucose polymer - ie starch. Starches are basically glucose molecules that get together and hold hands. Eat something like white or brown rice, oats, white pasta... your digestive tract will break up the party and release glucose, which requires and stimulates insulin in your body, blunting cortisol, stimulating satiety, shuttling in nutrients and setting the stage for muscle reglycogenation. Since glucose preferentially fills muscle glycogen stores, you want something that either IS glucose or will break down into glucose for this purpose.

The sugar profile of fruit is generally about half fructose and half glucose. You'll see sucrose (and a few other sugars) listed also if you look up the specifics on the USDA nutrient database, but recall that sucrose is a glucose bonded to a fructose. Fructose preferentially fills liver glycogen and you do want this sometimes, but not always. The small amount of fructose in a piece of fruit isn't a problem for most folks, but you can really run into trouble when you drink fruit juice, since this mix of fructose and glucose is virtually identical to the sweetener used in soda pop. In fact, an 8-ounce glass of orange juice has a slightly worse sugar profile than an 8-ounce glass of coca cola (if memory serves), and it's really easy to overconsume fructose this way. You'd have to eat many oranges to get this much sugar, and while I've seen many people knock back a couple of large glasses of juice at a sitting, I have yet to watch someone eat 5-6 oranges at once!

Short answer made long, take a look at the type of carbohydrate in pasta and decide if it's what you want for your purpose.

Corrected...

Originally Posted by CitizenKane

Is pasta considered 'clean' carbs? I ask because I absolutely love pasta and I eat it all the time! It seems to have a fairly high protein content in it too. Could it be included in a high protein/low carb diet or should I restrict my carbs mainly to vegetables and fruit?

Cheers

Basically, white pasta is fine within the individuals caloric needs...(Everything is) The idea is to make sure your getting the requirements for your goals. If your lifting weights, eat 1g-1.5g of protein per LBM and try to get in essential fatty acids throughout the day. As long as you meet your desired protein and EFA requirements, I see nothing wrong with having some white pasta...

White rice and normal pasta are glucose polymers I believe which are close enough to just glucose. In the end you're really just spinning your wheels if you're THAT worried about banana vs white rice, the important thing is to get it in.

Originally Posted by C6zo6

Built, correct me if I'm wrong, or if I misread your post. Wouldn't it be optimal to have protein and a simple carbohydrate (banana) post workout for best results. Then, maybe an hour later have your: "white or brown rice, oats, white pasta."

Bananas are frucose and glucose. You want glucose and glucose. LOL! White rice or any other starch is a glucose polymer - that's what you want here.

Now, the world will NOT come screeching to a halt if you have a BANANA post workout. But if we're splitting hairs, the banana is technically "unclean" in your world. White rice or white pasta would be "clean" here.

Originally Posted by C6zo6

From the above read, it sounds like your saying post workout should be white or brown rice, oats, etc...I would think oats pre workout would be ideal, since they're high GI and will get you through your workout. Although, your first paragraph states, carbs that are slower to digest, stuff that's higher in fibre and that has fewer calories for the volume, are not your first choice by a long shot if the object is post workout glucose!

Wouldn't this be the same with brown rice, white pasta, etc...?

I'm not attacking you, just trying to understand and wonder if i read this correctly.

White pasta, white starch, dextrose: this stuff is "fast" carb
Brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes: "slower" carb.
Fruit: "dirty" carb. Kinda. LOL!

I'd consume fruit preworkout; starches and glucose polymers, dextrose, malto, waxy maize etc post workout.

Does this help at all? Please don't sweat this shit. It's not THAT big of a deal if you're adequately nourished, okay?

Originally Posted by C6zo6

I assume this pasta will have some alfredo sauce mixed in (which is fantastic) and it's best to avoid fat after lifting. You want high protein and a simple carb.

I would avoid alfredo like the plague on a cut. It's so high in fat that it's going to be pretty difficult to work it into your macros.

Tomato puree, garlic, onion, and basil is where it's at.

Originally Posted by C6zo6

Basically, white pasta is fine within the individuals caloric needs...(Everything is) The idea is to make sure your getting the requirements for your goals. If your lifting weights, eat 1g-1.5g of protein per LBM and try to get in essential fatty acids throughout the day. As long as you meet your desired protein and EFA requirements, I see nothing wrong with having some white pasta...

Just make sure the rest of your meals are on target and DO NOT have white pasta immediately post workout.

Other way around. White pasta is PERFECT for immediately post workout.

Wait maybe an hour or two...I assume this pasta will have some alfredo sauce mixed in (which is fantastic) and it's best to avoid fat after lifting. You want high protein and a simple carb.

Odd assumption to make, but it still won't really matter.

Basically, what I'm saying is make a smart choice after weight training...Don't go to the gym, then head over to a pizza buffet...lol

No problem with pizza post workout. If you hit your macros, you're fine.

Originally Posted by danzik17

White rice and normal pasta are glucose polymers I believe which are close enough to just glucose. In the end you're really just spinning your wheels if you're THAT worried about banana vs white rice, the important thing is to get it in.

BINGO!

Originally Posted by Built

Bananas are frucose and glucose. You want glucose and glucose. LOL! White rice or any other starch is a glucose polymer - that's what you want here.

Now, the world will NOT come screeching to a halt if you have a BANANA post workout. But if we're splitting hairs, the banana is technically "unclean" in your world. White rice or white pasta would be "clean" here.



White pasta, white starch, dextrose: this stuff is "fast" carb
Brown rice, oatmeal, sweet potatoes: "slower" carb.
Fruit: "dirty" carb. Kinda. LOL!

I'd consume fruit preworkout; starches and glucose polymers, dextrose, malto, waxy maize etc post workout.

Does this help at all? Please don't sweat this shit. It's not THAT big of a deal if you're adequately nourished, okay?

Ahh, i see.

I learn something new everyday.

Makes sense. But, like you said, no need to go crazy about the technicalities. lol

It just always seemed odd to me to have a slice of pizza post workout! lol, i guess it doesn't matter. Maybe my conscious was taking over proven observation?

Sigh, i hate when that happens...lol

There are better post-workout meals than pizza, but if your choices are "nothing" vs "pizza", it's a no-brainer.

If you want a pasta that is slow-digesting, just make sure it is whole wheat. There are pastas in the store that have the one ingredient of "100% Duram Whole Wheat."

Does it really make THAT much of a difference, though? I mean, by the time you eat it with meat etc, it kinda slows down anyway, doesn't it?

Originally Posted by Built

Does it really make THAT much of a difference, though? I mean, by the time you eat it with meat etc, it kinda slows down anyway, doesn't it?

That's kind of how i look at brown rice...Unless your eating it alone, i really don't see a difference between white or brown rice...I'd rather just have what i enjoy more. Especially when eating out at Pei Wei, or another Chinese/Asian chain restaurant.

Pei Wei is the shit. Mongolian Chicken with the fried rice. It'll rock your world.

i like pasta. this weekend i had some meat tortellini. i didn't manage to gain body fat though. it was really weird? i thought that would happen.

I am also on hour number 21 of my intermittent fast - my muscles have not turned to dust yet and my body has not gone into "starvation mode". WEIRD!

patrick

Originally Posted by P-funk

i like pasta. this weekend i had some meat tortellini. i didn't manage to gain body fat though. it was really weird? i thought that would happen.

I am also on hour number 21 of my intermittent fast - my muscles have not turned to dust yet and my body has not gone into "starvation mode". WEIRD!

patrick

Any links for this P?

Originally Posted by Moondogg

Any links for this P?

Here is a review that my buddy Keats did of the book, Eat Stop Eat.

I bought the book. Really interesting. I have lost about 6 or 7 pounds in the past 5-weeks and have not had any decrease in performance in the gym - in fact my lifts are still going up. My body composition has changed a lot too. I don't want to lose much more weight (I was mainly just trying it out for myself to see what it felt like), so I am going to start eating more calories on days when I am not fasting.

patrick

Originally Posted by P-funk

i like pasta. this weekend i had some meat tortellini. i didn't manage to gain body fat though. it was really weird? i thought that would happen.

I am also on hour number 21 of my intermittent fast - my muscles have not turned to dust yet and my body has not gone into "starvation mode". WEIRD!

patrick

I've heard of this diet. Something about fasting 2 days a week for 24 hours. (Including sleeping) For instance, if your last meal was 7pm, you would not eat again until the next day at 7pm.

I've tried this before and it does work and you lose weight quickly. But, you can diet the same way. Your just not eating for 24 hours, which puts you about 2000 calories under maintenance for the day. Two days a week, that's 4000 calories...It could even add up to more than 1lb lost in a week depending on what you eat on normal days...

It works and i did not feel tired in the gym, if anything i was more awake for some odd reason...

Originally Posted by P-funk

i like pasta. this weekend i had some meat tortellini. i didn't manage to gain body fat though. it was really weird? i thought that would happen.

I am also on hour number 21 of my intermittent fast - my muscles have not turned to dust yet and my body has not gone into "starvation mode". WEIRD!

patrick

It is sometimes hard to distinguish your sense of humour vs being serious P.

I struggle to understand how a weekend of pasta would translate to fat gain & 21 hours of fast would turn your muscles to dust with or without this starvation diet 1-2 days per week.

In Australia, we would say are you 'taking the piss' - not sure if that is understood in the US - ie are you being serious?